Scriptures selfattesting authority question doctrine truthfulness Scriptures

What It Is Like to See the Glory of God 161
Jesus. Even calling Judas an “apostle” is shocking. But there it is: “The
names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter
. . . and Judas Iscariot” (Matt. 10:2–4). He would not fulfill the purpose
of an apostle to speak the truth on Jesus’s behalf, and so he was taken
out of the Twelve before the apostles were entrusted with the mission
at Jesus’s departure. Jesus knew Judas would fail when he chose him.
“Jesus knew from the beginning . . . who it was who would betray him”
(John 6:64). So Judas is chosen so that we can learn from his failure.
Peter was different. For all his stumbling, Peter saw Christ as compellingly
true and great. To know him was supremely rewarding. When
others were leaving Jesus because his teachings were becoming increasingly
controversial, Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to go away
as well?” And Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life” (John 6:67–68). And when Jesus asked his
disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). In other words, Peter
saw the person and the teachings of Jesus as irresistibly true, great, and
satisfying. You are the greatest person. Your teachings are unsurpassed.
There is no other person we prefer to you. You are the Messiah. You
are the Son of God. Our quest is over.
“Flesh and Blood Has Not Revealed This to You”
How did Peter, who was manifestly an imperfect and sinful man (Luke
5:8), see Christ for who he really was? Jesus answers, using Peter’s
original name, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood
has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matt.
16:17). This was Jesus’s way of saying what Paul said in 2 Corinthians
4:6 and 2 Timothy 2:25 and Ephesians 1:17—namely, that God must
open the eyes of our hearts before the glory of God in Christ and his
word can be seen for what it is.
Peter was not unique in this regard. Jesus said to his disciples, “To
you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for
others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing
they may not understand’” (Luke 8:10). All the true followers of
Jesus had experienced what Peter did. God had “given them to know.”
This is the way anyone comes to know the truth and beauty of Christ.