Caesarea Philippi was one of my favorite sites as we toured Israel. When I say visiting Israel made the scriptures COME ALIVE, I would say this specific site would prove that point with the strongest evidence. It's going to take at least a couple of BLOGs to discus my thoughts of this beautiful site.
'When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked
his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man
am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist:
some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He
saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon
Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but
my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee
the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he
his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the
Christ. ' Matthew 16:13-20 https://my.bible.com/bible/1/MAT.16.13-20
The Scripture from Matthew 16:13-20, is such a powerful story in itself. It is here in Matthew's gospel that we finally get the definitive answer to WHO Jesus is. Up to this point, Jesus was in teacher mode. He was demonstrating his power through miracles and sharing the Kingdom through his parables and teaching. The disciples were fighting among themselves about who would be greatest in his Kingdom. Their vision was fixed on earthly things, earthly kingdoms. At this point, the story starts to change. The teaching still continues. But, now, Jesus begins his march to the cross.
I have always loved this scripture and the few verses later where Jesus chastises Peter. It fits my life so perfectly.
'From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples,
how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of
the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be
raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to
rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be
unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind
me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not
the things that be of God, but those that be of men. '
Matthew 16:21-23 https://my.bible.com/bible/1/MAT.16.21-23
I am an analyzer and planner, and I love knowing exactly where I am going, what I am doing, and what the plan is for the future. More often than not, my personality gets in the way of my walk with the Lord. For three years, after retirement from teaching, Stephanie and I waited for our SPECIFIC call to ministry, where and when. I spent that three years trying to FIGURE OUT GOD and his plan. Let me say, my loving Heavenly Father is way beyond being figured out by me. I am so glad I worship a God that is beyond my understanding. He is bigger than any description I could attempt to assign. His plans are greater than anything I could ever imagine. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and put to words exactly who Jesus was. He thought he finally understood the plan. Jesus was the Messiah, he thought. So, that means he will establish his Kingdom here on earth and the Romans will be gone for good. A few verses later, Jesus would compare Peter to Satan!
Peter thought he had the plan figured out, but little did he know, the wonderful plans about to unfold were so much greater than anything he could possibly imagine. He thought he understood God's plan, but he had no idea how things would unfold.
In the following verse (Matthew 16:24) Jesus says, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." (emphasis added)
I have always focused my thoughts on "take up your cross, and follow me." BUT, I miss a key part of this verse. I have to give up my own way. I have to give up my own plans and yield to the Savior of the world, THE CHRIST THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.
As I sit here and reflect on this beautiful setting, I can't help but think of the disciples following Jesus to this site. They were "getting away" from the crowds, spending time with Jesus. They were hearing so many voices about JESUS, who he was. They knew he was special, they had witnessed such miraculous things and heard amazing teaching like never before. Until this moment they still had these visions that Jesus would replace Caesar and reign in an earthly kingdom. Their dreams were so small.
My dreams are the same as these disciples, they are so small compared to the plans Jesus has in mind for me!
Dear Heavenly Father, Free my mind from my own plans and fill me with your Holy Spirit. Fill me with your wonderful plans. Give me boldness in pursuing your perfect plan for my life. Please Lord, keep Satan from distorting your plans and filling my head with voices from this world. Give me ears to hear only you. I praise you for all your patience, love, grace, and mercy. I praise you for your power and might. I praise you that you are such a big God! Amen!
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