After calling out the Pharisees and the Sadducees for being hypocrites and spiritually blind(vv1-4), Jesus warns the disciples not the fall into the same trap. We must not vainly dwell on things in the natural realm, but walk in the Spirit to perceive and understand what God reveals to us (vv 5-12).
After teaching them in the Spirit to that point, Jesus now wants to see if they perceive who he really is. When asked, Peter answers with clarity and boldness that Jesus is Christ, Son of the living God. What a turn around! From getting hung up over forgetting to bring bread to boldly declaring Jesus to be Christ! We must stay in tune with God to have this clarity.
We need to be extremely sensitive to the Lord, because as quickly as we can fall into the vein of the Spirit, we can just as quickly fall out as seen by Peter being rebuked in verse 23. Jesus is Christ, and we must as verses 24-25 state deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow the Lord, losing our lives to find them. We definitely have heightened our spiritual awareness in getting back to our roots. Let's stay sensitive to the prodding and guidance of the Lord and see where He wants to take us in this journey.
Dwight Chandler
