Matthew 16:21-28
From 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.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus 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.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
This is as far as any of us need go to find a primer on being a disciple. It’s all right here. Jesus unpacks some solid follower theology here that gets right to the point and goes nice and deep right away. This is not entry-level stuff. This is a passage that stops me in my tracks EVERY SINGLE TIME I READ IT. And it should. Because this passage also shows what happens when the disciple starts thinking that he’s got the whole thing figured out.
Peter’s motivation is right, though I won’t go so far to say that his heart is in the right place. His goal is to defend and protect his rabbi, and that IS noble. The one thing Peter never stops to ask is “Does Jesus need my protection?” It’s a question we could all ask more frequently.
Just a few verses earlier in this same chapter, Peter nails it. “Who do you say I am?” Jesus has just asked. “You are the Messiah, the living God.” And Jesus celebrates that response and calls it divine revelation. Then He “officially” changes his name to Peter (“rock”) and declares that, on him, the church will be built. Peter must be ecstatic. What a rush!
The Jesus starts talking about His upcoming suffering and it’s a quick rewind for our friend, the rock. It wasn’t a very kind rewind, either. It gets pretty harsh in there as language scholars describe this as one of the places in the gospels where Jesus uses the strongest language of His day.
Again, though, it’s a primer on being a follower. It’s a user manual. Do this… but don’t do that. And Peter’s role in it is a huge “Don’t do that.” Who would dare tell God what will or will not happen? Who would dare assume they know more, or better, than the Lord?
Far too many of us, I fear, and far too often. Jesus inverts the story here. First place is last place and last place is first. Salvation comes through submission and sacrifice. The world has less to offer than does our own soul. It’s the upside-down, inside-out, topsy-turvy sort of gospel that can only come from a God who is bigger.
Reflect:
On the scripture. Courageously think about a situation or circumstances where you may have stood in the way of something that God was already doing. On the times that you may have whispered, said, or even screamed, “Never, Lord!”
Journal:
Your response to the question, “Who do you say I am?” What must you lose in order to gain the truth of your response?
Pray:
For eyes to see and ears to hear the upside-down, inside-out, topsy-turvy gospel. Pray for hands to contribute, feet to carry, and a heart that longs to bring that story into people’s lives. Pray to meet the God to whom that story belongs.