Mark 8:27-33
27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Reflection
At this point, the disciples are like the half-healed blind man from Bethsaida (see Mark 8:24). They can definitely see there is something special about Jesus, but they are still not quite sure who he is. Peter’s vision is clear enough to recognize that Jesus is God’s promised King (the “Christ”; v. 29), but he is still blinded by his misconceptions about the nature of Christ’s mission (v. 33). The disciples see that Jesus is the Messiah, but they do not yet understand that he will be a suffering Messiah.
When we grasp reality from God’s perspective we will see that the path for Jesus and his disciples does not make sense to our natural, intuitive ways of thinking. It is God himself who overcomes our blindness so that we can see the beauty of his Son and the wisdom in his extraordinary design.
2 Corinthians 8:16-24
16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men.
Reflection
Here we see that the life of the church requires ongoing exposure to the gospel message. Paul is going to send the Corinthians someone who will faithfully and continually preach the good news (2 Cor. 8:18). This is essential for the enduring health of the church.
The obedience that Paul wants to see in the Corinthians is possible only if it is motivated by gospel grace. Paul does not want the church to try to earn God’s favor through their financial giving. He wants them to taste the generous mercy of God in the gospel so that their hearts will be moved to generosity. The gospel is what empowers us to be loving toward others, and love for others is the proof that the gospel has truly changed our hearts (v. 24).
Psalm 90:14
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Before we can do what God says, we must be sure to recognize what God has already done for us. Prepare to face your responsibilities today by first recognizing and praising God for the great things that he has accomplished for you in Christ.