Following Jesus in Triumphant Victory

David W Palmer

In Matthew, the Holy Spirit gives a very interesting and important narration to sum up Jesus’s achievements in his wilderness warfare. The grammar is challenging, but look for the word “Death”—death with an uppercase “D,” making it into a proper name; it has eye-opening insight:

(Matthew 4:13–17 DKJV) And leaving his residence in Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is on the seacoast—he lived in both the region of Zebulon and Naphtali. {14} This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet (in Isaiah 9:1–2) might be fulfilled: {15} “Land of Zebulon, and the land of Naphtali, the region along the sea, Transjordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; {16} the people who dwelt in darkness saw great light, and to them who sat in the region overshadowed by Death, light has risen (dawned).”

When he says that the region had previously been “overshadowed by Death,” the “D” implies that a person called Death had blocked God’s light from the whole region—causing a shadow. But then, suddenly—because of Jesus’s successful prayer and warfare mission to cleanse the heavens and drive out the enemy—Death was gone; his darkness was vanquished, and God’s light burst into the whole region.

(Matthew 4:17 DKJV) From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is near [at hand].”

With spiritual victory under his belt and with Death replaced by “the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34 ESV), Jesus could rightly and boldly declare that God’s kingdom was at hand. Or, in my humorous and somewhat contemporary slang paraphrase, he could shout: “God rules here now!” Jesus could announce this confidently because finally it was absolutely true; as a result of Jesus’s intercession, God now had the upper hand in the devil’s world kingdom (See: Mat. 4:8–9); God’s Spirit was now in manifestation, not the enemy’s dark spirit of Death. What was the outcome for the ordinary people?

(Matthew 4:23–25 DKJV) And Jesus led them around the whole Galilee region, teaching in their local synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. {24} And his fame spread throughout the whole of Syria. And they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and tortured with pain, those who were demonized, those who were lunatic, and those who had paralysis; and he healed them. {25} And great crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan River.

With Jesus’s teaching and preaching imparting the necessary faith, and with God’s Spirit having the upper hand in full manifestation, the crowds received healing, liberation, and joy; they were finally free of Satan’s oppression. Jesus—whose name means savior, rescuer, etc.—had truly saved his people from their greatest enemy. His kingly mission to deliver his people from tyrannical oppression was well under way; he truly was their Savior King.

The people were being set absolutely free; celebration permeated the atmosphere, joy-filled songs of praise could be heard everywhere, and astounding testimonies flooded the airwaves. Everyone was blessed, happy, and over-the-moon with excited gratitude. At the height of this euphoria, Jesus called his disciples aside to take it all in, and—in light of this triumph and blessing—to give them some explanation in a classroom setting:

(Matthew 5:1 DKJV) Observing the crowds, he (Jesus) went up to the mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him, {2} and he opened his mouth, and began to teach them, saying: …

We will look at what he taught them later, but for today, let us reflect on the great freedom and blessing wrought because of Jesus’s wilderness experience—his place of focused prayer and intercession. 

What Jesus did there, we can all do; we have the same Spirit, the same name, along with his righteousness, weapons, and authority.

Following Jesus on a Mission of Miracle Meetings

David W Palmer

After Jesus’s baptism, and after he won the war over the wilderness wimp with the word, Matthew records some of Jesus’s early interactions with his disciples:

(Matthew 4:18–20 NKJV) And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. {19} Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” {20} They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

John’s account of Jesus’s early interactions with his disciples implies that Peter and Andrew already knew who he was. But here in Matthew, we see the point when they left to follow him permanently. 

Jesus offered them a learning contract: “Come on! Follow me, and I will make you competent at fishing for men” (Mat. 4:19 DKJV). It was like he was saying, “If you do your part in following, watching, and allowing me to teach you, I will do my part in training you to the point where you are competent—equipped with skills, knowledge, understanding, and empowerment—at catching men.”

This was like an apprenticeship arrangement. Basically, Jesus used the laws of delegation:

Like any good apprenticeship, Jesus’s training included several intervals of full-time classroom style teaching. (See: Mat. 5–7, for example.)

In Matthew 4, after calling them to follow him, Jesus immediately began phase one of this process: you watch me.

(Matthew 4:22–25 DKJV) And immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. {23} And Jesus led them around the whole Galilee region, teaching in their local synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. {24} And his fame spread throughout the whole of Syria. And they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and tortured with pain, those who were demonized, those who were lunatic, and those who had paralysis; and he healed them. {25} And great crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan river.

Jesus began the discipleship / apprenticeship process by calling his followers to come on the road and to observe him as he ministered in the Spirit. They followed, listened, and watched. What they saw must have been absolutely astounding: Jesus personally teaching and preaching; plus healings, miracles, exorcisms, great crowds, and supernatural freedom coming to tortured and bound people. Jesus certainly was an expert at catching and cleaning human fish.

The main reason Jesus called his disciples to follow him in this was so that they could learn to do the ministry he was doing; his goal was to multiply his ministry through them. He confirmed this after training them for three years:

(John 20:21 KJV) Then said Jesus to them again, “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

(John 14:12 NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

We note here that Jesus has moved the emphasis from those who “follow” him to those who “believe” in him. This is because the two must go hand in hand for his ministry to multiply in them. Through Paul, the Holy Spirit put it like this:

(1 Corinthians 11:1 KJV) Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

(1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV) Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Following Jesus as He Deals with Signs

David W Palmer

Turning water into wine was Jesus’s first sign (John 2:11); not only did this show his glory, but when his disciples saw it, they “believed on him” (KJV). As we read on in John 2, we see that “many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did” (John 2:23 NKJV). However, we also read that others were seeking signs from Jesus with completely wrong motives:

(John 2:18–23 NKJV) So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” {19} Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” {20} Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” {21} But He was speaking of the temple of His body. {22} Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. {23} Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 

After Jesus had cleansed the Temple with his zeal and whip, the Jews obviously wanted confirmation that this was indeed a move of God—not just some hot-blooded young zealot with an axe to grind against the establishment. However, Jesus wasn’t happy with their motives or with the way they sought confirmation. Instead of humbly seeking God on their knees and in the word, they confronted Jesus—demanding he perform a sign for them so they could judge it. In doing this, they revealed their heart attitude of proud superiority: they wanted to be permission-givers for the Lord; they wanted to judge his ministry. So they challenged him to prove himself to them—supernaturally—then and there.

However, Jesus is Lord: he is their God; he is clearly superior to them. His response gave them an even greater challenge to their intellectual brand of religion (that they had created out of God’s system to keep themselves atop the religion ladder): “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” This was certainly not what they wanted to hear. 

The Jews may have been custodians of the written law books and the physical temple, but they were not Jesus’s superiors and they never will be. He knew their hearts weren’t right to seek for a sign when they should have been seeking God. Perhaps they could have learned a lesson from the men of Nineveh:

(Matthew 12:41 NKJV) “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.” (See also: Jonah 3:6–10.) 

In our own lives, as we follow Jesus we will regularly be confronted with supernatural signs that make us wonder and ask ourselves: “Is this a genuine move of God?” or is it what this next passage describes?

(2 Thessalonians 2:9 NKJV) The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.

True signs point to Jesus and his glory; they confirm that he is Lord, and that he is God’s only begotten Son. In other words, we don’t run after signs or demand them; but when we see signs, if we are sure they are from God, we follow the One they are pointing to.

This brings up the question: How do we know if a supernatural sign that makes us wonder is genuine? First, is it against God’s word? … if so, it is definitely deceptive. Second, does it bring glory to God, confirm Jesus as Lord, and witness with the Holy Spirit in your heart? Often, we have to study and dig in God’s word, accompanied by much pressing into God, to come to peace over the veracity of fresh supernatural signs. 

Thankfully, in my experience, the ones that weren’t of God were very easy to spot. However, true but unusual signs and wonders seem to produce consternation and unease until peace is obtained through deeper study, more surrender to God,

"Gathering Others to Follow Jesus," Part 1 - David W Palmer (2024)

Following Jesus to the Temple

David W Palmer

After the wedding, Jesus led his disciples to Capernaum for a few days. Then, like many other people in his homeland, he went to Jerusalem for the Passover:

(John 2:13 NKJV) Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

To onlookers, Jesus and his followers were merely a group of travellers journeying to Jerusalem for the feast; they seemed like ordinary Sunday morning churchgoers. And like so many others, when they arrived they went into God’s house. But what happened next was completely unlike anything any of them had ever seen before:

(John 2:14–16 NKJV) And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. {15} When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. {16} And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 

Jesus—God’s beloved Son—must have been horrified by what he witnessed in his Father’s house: money-changers, merchants using the religious system to extort money, and people focused on business instead of focusing people on God. In an extraordinary surge of passion and supernatural strength, Jesus “drove them all out of the temple.”

Our Lord “poured out the changer’s money and overturned the tables.” Wow! When Jesus came under that Sampson-like anointing to cleanse his Father’s house, he went right for the money trail. He completely disrupted the flow of finance that wasn’t originating in, and empowered by, faith in God. 

(Hebrews 12:25–27 NKJV) … “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” {27} Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

We see from Hebrews 12:27 that this is prophetic for us right now; Jesus is doing the same thing today as he shakes his house to the very foundations:

(1 Peter 4:17 NKJV) For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

In our current season, God is not only shaking the doctrinal foundations of his church, but he will also shake all of its money flows. When Jesus is in this mode, everything and everyone feels his zeal, and hears the cracking of his whip; nothing will be left that is not overturned in his house-clean. 

Jesus is again saying: “Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise.” I don’t think he is necessarily banning ministry products, or we may have to include Bibles, commentaries, dictionaries, devotionals, and all study aids. However, he does have his sights on those who convert Christianity into a religious system that diverts money to themselves—making other people believe that they cannot please God or receive blessing without paying them.

None of us can avoid coming under Jesus’s prophetic eyes (Rev. 19:12), nor dodge the cracking of his whip when he is in this mode. So, let’s get ahead of this by taking some initiative; now is the time for us to clean house—to “back-burn,” if you like. If we “judge ourselves,” we will not be judged:

(1 Corinthians 11:31 NKJV) For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

(John 2:17 NKJV) Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

Jesus’s all-consuming zeal won’t be diverted or requited until his Father’s house is completely cleansed—and until his bride is pure, chaste, and glorious:

(Ephesians 5:25–27 NKJV)

Following Jesus to a Wedding, Part 2: The Prac. Class

Following Jesus to a Wedding, Part 1

David W Palmer

One of the first places that Jesus led his new disciples was to a wedding:

(John 2:1–2 NLT) The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, {2} and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.

Weddings are amazing; they are huge family celebrations, the joining of two lives to become one flesh, the joining of two families, etc.—the making and re-aligning of many relationships. You could say that everything changes at a wedding: a daughter is given, a son is adopted, new “in-law” relationships are established, ownership is re-distributed; and a young woman goes from her father’s submission and covering to her new husband’s covering, protection, provision, and companionship.

On the surface, this wedding in Cana was like any other—all of these relational changes occurred—but in the background, a relational change of far greater significance was taking place; Jesus went from Mary’s charge to being her—and everyone else’s—Lord:

(John 2:3–5 NLT) The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.” {4} “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” {5} But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

This is interesting; no wine, so Mary told Jesus—like she had probably been doing for the preceding decade about any problem she had— “fix it!” You see, according to Luke 2:51, from 12 years old till that day, Jesus was “subject to her,” obedient to all her directives. Wow, a very unique setup; while Jesus was growing, he was subject to Mary—implying that she was reigning over him. But suddenly, at a wedding where relationships change permanently, a new arrangement was forged between Mary and Jesus; Jesus didn’t obey her unquestioningly any more.

Mary, above all other people, should have known that this day would come: Luke 2:11 says that God revealed to the “shepherds” that Jesus was born “Lord.” They had gone directly to visit Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. Surely, they would have told her what the angels said—that he was Lord; plus, she certainly knew he was God’s Son. 

From the day of the wedding on, Jesus may not have continued to submit to her as he had been doing, but she did have one other awesome advantage; she had unique knowledge of Jesus and she was a teacher. Mary was the first person to receive Jesus, and had lived with him in her life for more than 30 years before anyone else really knew who he was. But Mary knew exactly who he was. Thankfully, Mary was able to summarize what she had learned about Jesus into one succinct statement: “Do whatever he tells you.” I believe that this is one of the most profound teachings about Jesus that has ever been uttered.

Without doubt, Jesus is Lord—the one who has every right to control and instruct our lives. This is the most basic Christian confession, and it forms part of the conditions for salvation:

(Romans 10:9 NLT) If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Jesus saves, rescues, and helps us by instructing us; when we obey him, we benefit from what he can do:

(Hebrews 5:9 KJV) And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.

That day at the wedding was no different; Mary knew that obeying Jesus would bring a good outcome. She also knew who to reveal this to; she didn’t say it to the groom, the bride, their families, or the wedding officials. She didn’t even say it to Jesus’s disciples—although they should be the ones most needing to learn it; she said it to “servants.” To receive Jesus’s miracles and help, along with faith, being a servant is our most needed qualification:

(John 2:7–8 NLT)

(John 2:9–10 )

Following Jesus to the Levi Party

David W Palmer

Over the last couple of days, we have been looking at gathering people to follow Jesus. We have seen his amazing ability to connect with new people if given the opportunity; all we need to do is bring them to meet him. But we may well ask, “How do we go about this?” The first and most obvious way is to invite people to church; or better still, to be like the Good Samaritan who used his own donkey to bring the needy person to the “inn”—bring people to church. However, many other ways to get new people together with Jesus can be quite effective; and in many cases, more attractive to the invitee.

For example, in the following story Jesus found and called another “sinner” to follow him, Levi. Like Andrew and Philip, he too felt an urgency to bring his friends to meet Jesus. This is how his story begins:

(Mark 2:14 NKJV) As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. 

To work for the Romans in the hated occupation of tax collector, Levi had defected from loyalty to his own country. So he probably didn’t feel comfortable inviting his friends to the synagogue (church) to meet Jesus; they wouldn’t think that they would be welcome there. But he did have money, a house, and a large circle of sinner friends. What did he do to connect his friends with Jesus? Probably the only thing he felt comfortable with and qualified for … he hosted a get-together in the style he was confident with; he threw a “Levi” Party:

(Mark 2:15 NKJV) Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 

Levi may have felt un-welcomed by religious society; he may have felt rejected by his own nation for working in his lucrative choice of occupation. But he did have one skill—he could party—so that’s what he used to gather people to meet Jesus. 

We note that when Jesus called to him, “Follow me,” that he arose immediately and followed. Luke’s account says: “So he left all, rose up, and followed Him” (Luke 5:28–32 NKJV). Because of leaving his employment, he now had no visible income stream, and was potentially going to lose his “house.” But he probably still had some cash; so, to get his friends and Jesus to meet, he did something he was good at: he had a huge dinner-party.

Levi may not have known theology or how to answer the questions his sinner friends would ask, so he invited Jesus—in other words, he prayed for Jesus’s manifested presence—and he invited a whole lot of Jesus’s genuine followers. He got them all together in his house, and just let it all happen.

In any group of true Jesus-disciples, a mix of gifts will be present: evangelists, hospitality, mercy, teachers, prophet-insights, exhorters (party starters), servers, … the list goes on. Under the prayer covering of Levi and others, all these gifts could operate; each person could fulfill their role in welcoming, explaining, etc.—all serving the sinner friends in one way or another. In the midst, Jesus could busily add them to himself. 

As a result of all this, the party was going extremely well; Levi’s sinner mates were meeting Jesus personally, having their questions answered, and being shown love and acceptance … objective achieved! Until, that is … 

(Mark 2:16 NKJV) And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” 

Could there be a worse imaginable scenario for Levi? His outreach strategy was working well until the over-religious Pharisees turned up. They were so set on religious formality, ladder climbing, and power structures that they had lost their heart for sinners.

(Mark 2:17 NKJV)

David W Palmer

Yesterday we saw that when Andrew met Jesus, his first action was to bring his brother to Jesus. This is often the first prompting we receive when we encounter him. We see this confirmed in the next person in the Bible to meet Jesus, Philip; Jesus called him to follow, but first … 

(John 1:43–45 NKJV) The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” {44} Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. {45} Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 

The first point we note is that although Jesus personally spoke to Philip, saying, “Follow Me”; Philip told his brother, “We have found …” In saying this, he took credit for bringing himself and Jesus together; whereas in truth, Jesus took the initiative to approach Philip: “He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’” People often mistakenly think that they “found the Lord,” “found religion,” or “found the light”; or that they can return to Jesus anytime they like if they fall away. But Jesus said it is the Holy Spirit who convicts, and that he draws people to himself:

(John 12:32 NKJV) “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

(John 16:8 NKJV) “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”

This is why—even though we must invite people to come to meet Jesus—we need to precede and accompany the invitation with prayer. This is so the Holy Spirit can use our invitation to move on them, convict them of their need for Jesus, and draw them to him.

What was Nathanael’s response to Philip’s invitation?

(John 1:46–47 NKJV) And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” {47} Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” 

This is amazing; Nathanael came in response to the invitation, despite his intellect and bias telling him nothing good could come out of it. People don’t always show enthusiasm about coming to meet Jesus; yet when they come, Jesus speaks to them. As he did with Peter, Jesus instantly described Nathaniel’s character: “an Israelite indeed”—implying loyalty to God’s purpose for his people; “in whom is no deceit”—a very high commendation from Jesus, which showed no judgment, only acceptance and approval. Then Nathaniel was open and related directly with Jesus, asking questions; and he was very interested in what Jesus had to say:

(John 1:48–49 NKJV) Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” {49} Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 

After one more word from Jesus, Nathanael had a life-changing revelation; he suddenly believed that Jesus is the “Son of God” and “King of Israel.” And all of this simply because of Philip’s insistent invitation to “come and see.” 

Jesus continued:

(John 1:50–51 NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” {51} And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

In response to Nathanael’s faith, Jesus gave him further evidence of his divine identity; he gave Nathanael more revelation, and he showed him an amazing vision of what he would see in the future. Again, all of this in a very short time after Philip’s compelling invitation to “come and see” Jesus.

Today, these passages are showing us the wisdom and importance of inviting people to meet Jesus, urging them to “come and see.” (Of course, we need to precede and accompany this invitation with fervent prayer.)

David W Palmer

(John 1:40 NKJV) One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. {41} He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). {42} And he brought him to Jesus. 

John the Baptist released two of his disciples to follow Jesus. One of them was Andrew, “Simon Peter’s brother.” His first priority was to find his brother, and bring him to Jesus. 

Reaching out to family can be risky; they don’t always react to Jesus the way we hope they will. Feeling protective of them, and/or fearful that we may become estranged from them, we can be tempted to water down the tough sayings of Jesus—trying to make it easy for them—or hide some of the true ramifications of following the Lord. But this is very unwise. What did Andrew do?

We note that Andrew didn’t try to explain Jesus, nor did he try to convert Peter by his own efforts. He simply “brought him to Jesus.” Then, instead of trying to be a go-between, explainer, or re-interpreter of Jesus for Peter, he simply allowed Jesus to relate to him directly:

(John 1: 42 NKJV) Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). 

When Andrew stepped aside, he risked things going very wrong and losing his brother. But when he got himself out of the way, Jesus stepped in. The Master knew exactly what to say to reach Peter; he spoke prophetically—deep into his destiny. In the way that only Jesus can, he spoke so simply and succinctly, but ever so profoundly and effectively, when he said: “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas.”

Most of us would take exception to a complete stranger trying to change our name, and we would certainly think it inappropriate to try this on someone we were meeting for the first time. This is why it is so important to bring our family and friends into direct contact with Jesus; only he knows exactly the right way to add them to himself (even though we may cringe inside when we hear what he is saying to them.)

In stating Peter’s original name, “Simon the son of Jonah,” Jesus was emphasizing his inherent—or God-intended—nature: Simon means “hearing with acceptance.” “Son of Jonah” implies a replica or imitator of Jonah, the dove. The new name that Jesus gave him, “Cepahs,” means rock. Jesus seemed to be saying that Peter had the potential to receive revelation from the Holy Spirit—if he would hear it with acceptance. This revelation would be rock solid for him if he received and believed it—making Peter firm in his faith and in his role in Jesus’s plans. Then, if he imitated what he saw and heard by revelation from the Holy Spirit, he would be like Jesus—an “able minister of the new testament” (2 Cor. 3:6 KJV).

This prophetic word went deep into Simon’s heart like a seed where it sprouted, took root, and began to grow. We see evidence of its continuing growth further along in their relationship when the same topic came up again:

(Matthew 16:15–17 NKJV) He (Jesus) 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.”

Again, Jesus calls him Simon bar-Jonah (Simon son of Jonah, or son of the dove), because he was starting to live in the reality of that name. Peter had received revelation from the Holy Spirit, and it caused him to be blessed. Jesus went on to say:

(Matthew 16:18–19 NKJV) “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.”