Jesus’ Prediction #1
Matt 16:21-23
21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ 23 But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
From this point on in the gospel of Matthew there is a new theme to Jesus’ teaching. The disciples have come to understand who Jesus is – the Messiah/the Christ; but now they need to discover what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah/the Christ. From this point on we are following Jesus on a journey that ends in his death and being raised to life again. Vs. 21 puts it neatly and briefly: going to Jerusalem, suffering, killed, third day be raised to life.
But Peter will not have this, this cannot be the plan, this cannot be the fate of the Messiah/the Christ. Surely, in Peter’s mind at least, the Messiah has come to reign in power and glory to bring an end to the oppression the lowly and the little felt, to end the suffering experienced by those hurt in the society of the day. How could it be the plan that the Messiah, the Son of God would die? Notice also that Peter only hears about the suffering and death, the line “on the third day be raised” misses him entirely. But again, that is like us, we hear the doom and gloom, the dire, and miss the hope, the promise.
Jesus confronts Peter directly, because in Peter’s words the temptation that Satan offer Jesus, “Bow down to me and all this will be yours, no nasty cross to face, if you just bow down to me.” (See Matthew 4:8-10) appears again. The path of salvation, the path of following God’s plan, the path of being a follower of Jesus goes through the cross – not just that Jesus takes up the cross and dies to rise again, but that we who are called to follow Jesus’ example are also to take up our cross and die (to self, to our goals and plans, to our expectations, to our comfort and ease) to be raised to the life God has for us. In human terms this makes no sense, only God could imagine such a way to salvation.
PRAYER:
O Lord, in trembling awe we follow you – taking up our crosses and following. This path of salvation is beyond our understanding or imagining, but it is your plan and your means of salvation – glory be to you, O God of might and of salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.