Today’s New Testament lesson is taken from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16, Verses 21-28. I will read the passage in which Jesus Predicts His Death:
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, chief priests and 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 things of God, but the things of men."
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
27For 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 he has done.
28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
If we are to understand the ministry and message of Jesus, we must understand that Jesus’ death is central to that message. While it was difficult enough for the His disciples to understand that Jesus was the Messiah that was foretold in the Old Testament, it would even be more difficult for them to understand that He would suffer the most horrible and undignified punishment of that time, that is to say, being nailed to a Roman cross, and that most of the disciples, in turn would follow Jesus in death at the hands of the same Roman oppressors. After all, the Jews of that era were looking for the coming Messiah to rescue them from the political oppression of Rome and her invincible army.
When Jesus spoke these words, His disciples were probably hoping that this was another of his metaphorical messages which would then later be understood as meaning something else. Yet Peter seemed have a different understanding, and his scolding of Jesus was an attempt to correct his teacher and served as a denial of Jesus and His ministry. Messiahs are liberators; they aren’t born into this world to be killed by Romans.
At this moment, we can visualize Jesus again back in the wilderness being tempted once more by the Devil: “You can have this kingdom, if you will only change your mind. Thus, Peter was admonished by Jesus with those harsh words, “Get thee behind me, Satan.
It is also very interesting to note that Peter had earlier been named by Jesus as the “Rock” upon which the apostles would build God’s church. But, in this case, this “rock” was a stumbling block, placed by there under the influence of the Devil to trip up Jesus. The last thing Satan wanted was for Jesus to die and fulfill His ministry, so he used Peter as his instrument in an attempt to thwart Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. And, Peter, assuming that human wisdom would solve Jesus’ problems, failed to realize that God’s wisdom is not necessarily the same as ours.
Peter wanted Jesus to do man’s will, not God’s. So, the question is, who do we speak for today? Whose wisdom do we follow? Do we follow Jesus, and are we willing to pay the price, if we are asked? Or do we follow something else? Human wisdom or God’s wisdom? That is our choice.
Are we willing to stand up for Jesus, the God in whom we believe? Are we, like Stephen and so many other disciples and apostles, willing to give up our lives, our livelihoods, or our luxuries for the Gospel?
Remember, many are called, but few are chosen.
