On Purpose

We make decisions every day about what deserves our time, whom we will trust, and what kind of people we hope to become. In college, those decisions can feel especially urgent. We choose a major, pursue relationships, and prepare for a career. Yet beneath those choices lies a question that reaches further than graduation: Who will have the authority to direct my life?

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus brings that question into focus. He asks His disciples who they believe He is, calls them to follow Him, and teaches them what following Him requires. As they walk with Him, they discover that His purposes reach into their ambitions, challenge their assumptions about other people, and extend far beyond the boundaries of their familiar world.

Our first message, The Commitment (Matthew 16:13–27), begins with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. But Peter soon discovers that confessing Jesus’ identity and accepting Jesus’ direction are not the same thing. The Lord he rightly identifies announces a cross he strongly resists. Jesus then calls every disciple to surrender the right to govern life independently of Him.

Our second message, The Commandment (Matthew 9:1–13), shows us the mercy that must shape that surrendered life. The One who commands us to love God and our neighbor demonstrates His heart toward people burdened by sin and dismissed by others. He forgives, calls Matthew to follow Him, and shares a table with sinners. In His company, we learn to see people as those He came to call and restore.

Our final message, The Commission (Matthew 28:16–20), brings us before the risen Jesus. The disciples gathered there are still imperfect, and some doubt. Yet Jesus entrusts them with making disciples of all nations, grounding their mission in His authority and sustaining it with His presence.

The movement of these messages is from confession to commitment, from commitment to compassion, and from compassion to commission. Together, they show how recognizing who Jesus is reshapes whose purposes we pursue, how we treat people, and what we do with the life He has entrusted to us.

The Great Commitment (Matthew 16:13-27)

¹³ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” ¹⁴ So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

²¹ From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. ²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

The Revelation of the Person (Matthew 16:13-17) – We are now nearing the end of Jesus’ endeavor (1) to make fishers of men, (2) to make known the will of God through signs and teaching, and (3) to call the Jews to Himself and the mission of God in the world. By this time His offer of the kingdom has been rejected by the leaders of the people and His attempts to reveal the will of God have been largely misunderstood or ignored by the multitudes. Jesus reveals the state of his efforts through an assessment. Using a few questions he uncovers the great lack of understanding among the masses, the insights of the men he has been mentoring, the reason why some have realized the truth, and who he really is.

When Jesus asks his disciples about the crowds comprehension of his identity, he is not getting the information for Himself. He knows all men and has no need that anyone should testify of what was in man; he is asking for the sake of the disciples. In their answers it becomes clear that the multitudes are not getting it. “Some say you are John the Baptist.” But, by this time John the Baptist is dead. Furthermore this does not make sense when we consider that Jesus and John were contemporaries. Indeed sometimes they were in the same place at the same time. So, how could men say this? The answer is both appalling and simple; they do not get it. Others were saying that Jesus was Elijah. They saw in the ministry of the Son of Man the fulfillment of prophecies saying that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah. Jesus, like the Elijah of old, called people to repentance and was mighty in deed. But saying that Jesus is Elijah was to either be ignorant of the message of John the Baptist or to reject it. John said that Jesus was the Son of God and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Whether they did not know what John had said or missed that Jesus taught with an authority befitting the Christ, they reason is the same. They do not get it.

Finally, some said that Jesus was Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Luke 9:19). Although there were prophecies foretelling a time when Elijah would come to prepare the way before the Christ, nothing in the Law or the Prophets said that Jeremiah was coming back. This theory seems to be the outworking of a misreading of extrabiblical material (2 Maccabees 15:12-16; 2 Maccabees 2:4-8). In any case, what becomes obvious is that there not only are the people not getting it, some are farther from getting it than others.

The question is a catalyst for comprehension and a tool for pushing insights into the heads of his disciples. Jesus wanted his men to marvel at what had not happened in the multitude. He wanted his closest and hand-picked followers to realize that among men there was a range of misunderstanding about His identity. Through the inquiry he instigates seeing that the people cannot see.

And their Rabbi is not done. He wants them to observe another thing, to acknowledge and appreciate the grace of God on their lives, and know why they know what others do not. That there is a significant difference between the disciples and the crowd is already known to Jesus. He wants them to know it as well. Do not miss the But of Matthew 16:15. Through the conjunction the disciples are presented a contrast, an lack likeness, and a dissimilitude. All the disciples are given the question, “But who do you say that I am?”

It should come as no surprise that Peter responded for the rest of the disciples. He was created and called to lead the other men. His nature is to step up, to speak up, and to get out of the boat. That is what he is doing now and will continue to do throughout his life. Hear the answer of the big fisherman: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And now comes the assessment and explanation of Peter’s understanding and explanation: Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

If they have considered the answer to the prior question they can readily appreciate what Jesus says about Peter’s understanding. They were supposed to see that the crowds of people from all walks of life were not able to to make sense of what they were seeing in Jesus. But somehow Peter did. Why? The answer is that Peter or Simon Bar-Jonah is blessed. Flesh and blood did not reveal or disclose this to the Galilean. His brain or intellect is not the cause for Peter’s right answer. Smarter people were not getting it. People with a lot more training in the Scriptures and powerful intellects were not able to make sense of Jesus. And neither was Peter. Jesus’ Father who is in heaven had intervened to make it known to Peter what people could not get on their own.

People, without a special work of God, cannot get this on their own! Now, O Disciples, in light of the total and various misunderstandings of the multitude, see that Peter’s perception born out of a blessing from above, a loving act of the Almighty, and a grace that gets for Man what he cannot get for himself.

The Great Confiding (Matthew 16:18-20) — Do you see the conjunction And at the beginning of Matthew 16:18? Having revealed that the disciples are different and that their company has uncommon insight, Jesus goes on to tell them why. What Jesus says next is to be viewed as part of the earlier revelation. He says, And I say to you (singular) in order to unveil more of what Peter has come to comprehend. In particular, Peter’s understanding is presented by Jesus as having purpose in the undertaking of building a community created and called out for God. He says what He says to Peter in front over everyone so that there will be no debate later on about where the big fisherman stands. Jesus has, by the great grace of the Father, appointed Peter to a special position for a special work:

• you are Peter – Jesus was speaking to the disciples in Aramaic. Although Matthew has made the narrative available to us in Greek, in Aramaic Jesus told Peter that he is Cephas (John 1:41-42). The name Cephas means stone. Simon Bar-Jonah, you are a stone. Although the Galilean fisherman will be unreliable and unable to keep his promises, he will become steadfast and immovable. Jesus speaks Simon Bar-Jonah about his future not his failings.
• on this rock – There is much debate about the meaning of this rock () . However, because (1) the word changes from petros to petra and (2) because Jesus says that He is continuing from what Peter said earlier, this rock is best understood as Jesus Himself. The context and earlier confession show this to be true.
• I will build my church – The church is not built on creeds or Peter. It is built on the truth. What truth? Jesus is the Truth upon which His church (ekklesia) is built. Three things are clear. First, the building of the church is being done by Christ; we must never forget that. Although men and women may be used by God to establish discipleship communities, the work is being done by Jesus Himself through them. He receives all the glory. Second, the church is built over time. The local communities that are made by Jesus start small but are being built up by the Lord. Do not despise small beginnings. Even a mustard seed community, if Christ is in it, is growing according to his plan and power. Third, the community of Christ is not of this world. It is created to be eclectic (ekklesia) and non-conformist.
• the gates of Hades will not prevail against it – The gates of Hades, for these Jewish men is a way of talking about death. They would not have used the word Hades; that is the Greek translation of a the Jewish word Sheol (). Notice how the term is used in the Psalms and by the prophet Isaiah.

These passages establish death and the realm of the dead as the background of the expression gates of Hades. Isaiah’s Septuagint wording makes the Sheol–Hades connection particularly explicit. Jesus is here alluding to the fact that even His own eminent death will not succeed in stopping this work. The death of the Builder will not stop the building.

Peter is then declared to have special authority in the building program of Jesus: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Keys are used to open and deny access. Jesus says that Peter will be given special authority in the unseen kingdom of heaven to open doors (whatever you loose) and close doors (whatever you bind). The kingdom is no longer being offered to the nation; they have rejected the offer (). Therefore there is no point in telling people that Jesus is the Christ. So Jesus commanded His disciples that they should tell no one.

The fisherman has learned that his unusual understanding is a gift from the Father. Now he discovers that his privileged understanding carries a purpose: he has been given a place in the work of Christ. Jesus will build His church, death will not defeat His undertaking, and Peter will exercise the authority Jesus entrusts to him under Jesus’ direction. Peter is being called into a life that is unapologetically Christ-centered.

The next revelation will test whether Peter is as willing to follow Christ’s plan as he is to confess Christ’s person.

The Revelation of the Plan and the Problem (Matthew 16:21-23) – Going forward Jesus began to show His disciples things that had formerly only been mentioned in allusions (John 2:19; Matthew 9:15; Matthew 12:39-40). Now He makes them plain to His men and women. (Although the term disciples often means the twelve, sometimes it refers to the larger group of people that were following him. The women were also made aware of what lay ahead. The angel that meets them at the tomb explained that they should not expect the living among the dead because He, as He said, is risen.) What did Jesus show His disciples? Only what the Scriptures had already said concerning the Christ:

Peter is prompted by what he has heard and pulls his Rabbi away for a brief word. Once they were away from the group, the Son of Jonah begins to refute the plan and rebuke the Son of God. Do not get caught up in the wrong of Peter’s action; his audacity reveals an underlying problem. The action of rebuking of Jesus is not the sickness; it is merely a symptom. Who corrects Christ? Someone with a wrong view of (1) himself, (2) Christ, and (3) the mission. Peter’s mental preoccupation is with worldly concerns, secular things, and matters that are no more than the ambitions of mere men.

Jesus has recently commended Peter for his confession. Actually he pointed out that Peter has been the recipient of a great grace from God; that is how he came to see that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. Now he speaks with emotional contempt for what he is hearing and the heart behind it. Peter does not know it, but he has aligned himself with God’s greatest adversary – Satan. In fact, the man upon whom there is a great calling for good is in this moment and instrument of evil and arch antagonist to the agenda of God through the Christ. Who had tried to thwart the plan of redemption earlier? Satan had (Matthew 4:8-10). Now that serpent of old () was at work through a disciple to deter the Son of Man from the plan to save His people from their sins. There is a lesson in this. And we do well to stop and think on it.

The goals of the godly do not necessarily come from God. They must be examined in light of the revealed will of God to ascertain whether they are contributing to or conflicting with the call of Christ. Peter’s problems are not difficult to see. First, He elevated Himself from disciple to The Director of God’s Son. Second, he prioritized his own preferences above God’s plan.

The Revelation of the Price and Prize (Matthew 16:24-27; John 12:25) – Jesus turns to the disciples to speak a word they all need to hear. Peter’s problem is also theirs. And ours. Although only Peter had the audacity to actually rebuke Jesus, he was not alone in his way of thinking. He is every man that means well but whose mind has not been renewed. He is all of us that have become committed Christ followers but have not fully parted ways with worldly ambitions. Just like Peter we are found trying to manipulate the Messiah, rebuke the Redeemer, and convince the Christ to go with our plan. After all, our plan does some good and avoids inconvenience and suffering while allowing us to have a great time. Such plans promote the planner and demote Jesus Christ to the role of Tonys Stark’s Jarvis. Jesus takes a moment to explain the way it is going to work for anyone who is going to follow Him.

I want to be a Jesus follower! Do you? Jesus says His followers are not able to go around the things that He goes through. He denied Himself worldly pleasures. It is not possible to follow Jesus and indulge my own appetites… especially when they are in conflict with the commandments of God. There has to be an unconditional willingness to surrender my plan, set aside my preference, and take up my cross. Cross? Wait, Roderick. What cross? When did I get my own cross? Read the passage again. Jesus says that His follower has to take up his cross, and follow Me. An indispensable element of following Jesus is the cross. It is a non-negotiable component of coming to Christ. That is what he said. But then, what is my cross. It is likely not a literal wood structure with two beams joined at 90 angles on which you will eventually be hung. (This is not certain. A literal crucifixion is still in view for some Jesus followers.) The cross as a concept is all of the suffering that is inseparable from doing God’s will, all of the persecution from people that comes obedience, and all of the dying daily that happens when what I want dies. Why would I do that? That is, why would I carry a cross? Trying to be happy the world’s way will lead to tragic loss. In the end those who gains all the world has to offer will have rejected the will of God and forfeit their souls.

No worldly gain can compensate for the loss of my soul, and no sacrifice for His sake escapes His notice. Will I spend my life trying to make Jesus serve my ambitions, or surrender my ambitions to follow Jesus?

Questions and Action Items

Before you leave, complete this statement: “Because Jesus is the Christ, I will surrender __________ and take this step of obedience: __________.”

Share that commitment with a trusted believer and ask them to follow up with you this week.

Will I spend my life trying to make Jesus serve my ambitions, or surrender my ambitions to follow Jesus?

The Great Commandment (Matthew 9:1-13; Matthew 22:34-40)

^9:1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. ² Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” ³ And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” ⁴ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ⁷ And he arose and departed to his house. ⁸ Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

¹⁰ Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

The Example and Proof (Matthew 9:1-8)

The Example and Program (Matthew 9:9)

The Example and Point (Matthew 9:10-13)

Questions and Direction

Jesus is calling me to love ____________________. This week, I will ________________________________________________.

Loving God draws us into fellowship with Jesus; following Jesus draws us toward the people He came to save. The Great Commandment takes visible form when we make room in our lives for people who need His mercy.

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20)

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. ¹⁷ When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The Team Described (Matthew 28:16-17)

The Task (Matthew 28:19-20)

The Assurance (Matthew 28:20)

Questions and Direction

Whom will I intentionally help follow Jesus, and what will I do next?

I will help ____________________ follow Jesus. My next step is ________________________________, and I will take it by ____________________.

The risen Jesus sends imperfect followers under His complete authority to make disciples of all nations. We go, baptize, and teach obedience with confidence in His promise: we never go alone.