21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:21-23)
Thoughts: As I write this I am not "suffering many things." I am on vacation- at the house of one of my elders on the beach. It seems totally ironic how blessed parts of America are compared to those early disciples or many other parts of the world. We can almost feel like we deserve such blessing if we are not very, very careful. When we are blessed it is okay. It is okay to enjoy the blessings and comforts of life- but we need to express real gratitude. No one deserves the blessings- big or small that we have. No one is entitled to these blessings- it is not a fringe benefit or guaranteed benefit of life. The yeast of the Pharisees- is in part the belief that it is all about the externals- how you look, how you appear on the surface, and the temporary things you have.
Everyone of us- without exception- must suffer. Unless we are blessed with the Lord's coming back- we will cross the river of death to get to the other side to the land of life. Peter didn't want to think of His Lord suffering. Jesus would go on to say that all who follow Him must deny themselves and take up their cross.
But Peter was not focused on the end result. He wasn't saying, "Never should you be raised to life on the third day." We sometimes miss that there is life after death- and we just want to keep on living forever. We are like an unborn baby who loves the womb because it is what we are used to. Life does not stop when our breath stops. For people of faith, life keeps going- like graduation- we may not know exactly what it will be like- but we move on with the same purpose and hope. Graduates may not like to leave and move on, but life goes on-only with a milestone behind you. To want to always live comfortably here- to want or demand a heavenly existence here on earth is to not know the reality we face. So Peter's insistence that Jesus not suffer, was a temptation for Jesus to give up His purpose. It is through His suffering that the resurrection happened. But His suffering had a redemptive quality- He was a sacrifice for our sins. Secular folks cannot understand sacrifice of anything in this life for another- and even how it could possibly be redemptive. Jesus didn't suffer continually in life- but when the time came He was willing to suffer. We should be too.
Everyone of us- without exception- must suffer. Unless we are blessed with the Lord's coming back- we will cross the river of death to get to the other side to the land of life. Peter didn't want to think of His Lord suffering. Jesus would go on to say that all who follow Him must deny themselves and take up their cross.
But Peter was not focused on the end result. He wasn't saying, "Never should you be raised to life on the third day." We sometimes miss that there is life after death- and we just want to keep on living forever. We are like an unborn baby who loves the womb because it is what we are used to. Life does not stop when our breath stops. For people of faith, life keeps going- like graduation- we may not know exactly what it will be like- but we move on with the same purpose and hope. Graduates may not like to leave and move on, but life goes on-only with a milestone behind you. To want to always live comfortably here- to want or demand a heavenly existence here on earth is to not know the reality we face. So Peter's insistence that Jesus not suffer, was a temptation for Jesus to give up His purpose. It is through His suffering that the resurrection happened. But His suffering had a redemptive quality- He was a sacrifice for our sins. Secular folks cannot understand sacrifice of anything in this life for another- and even how it could possibly be redemptive. Jesus didn't suffer continually in life- but when the time came He was willing to suffer. We should be too.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be ready to face my cross and to deny myself when I can honor you or serve someone else.
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