Matthew 16:21-28
I have to admit that my heart really goes out to Peter in today’s gospel reading. He is my favourite disciple because he very rarely sits on the sideline, and rightly or wrongly, always appears eager to jump in head first. However, on this occasion, he has bumbled big time! He just doesn’t get what the Messiah is saying. Yet only last week that he really knew what was going on, for in answer to Jesus’ question about who the disciples thought he was, Peter, as their spokesperson, said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus commended him for that and told him that he was “blessed’ because God had revealed that to him. And, I can imagine than from then on Peter was on a roll.
But now, when Jesus immediately starts talking about being rejected by the leaders of the nation, and says he is going to suffer and die, it just doesn’t fit with the confession of faith that Peter had just made. Jesus’ words seem to contradict what Peter thought it means to be the Messiah and it doesn’t make any sense. So, when Jesus starts talking that way, Peter figures that he’s mistaken and rushes in head first to correct him. He wants desperately for Jesus to fit into the mould he has made of what a Messiah should do. I wonder how often you and I, perhaps subconsciously, put Jesus into the mould we have made for him? How often do you and I prevent Christ’s work in the world because of our own agendas of what we think He should or shouldn’t do?
What I love about the Bible most of all is the fact that the people in it are so real and we can really identify with them! For people haven’t really changed that much in 2000 years! Aren’t we, as people, also much like Peter, for aren’t we guilty of wanting God to fit into a certain mould too? We are often guilty of treating him like Santa Clause, only communicating with him when we want something. We berate God when things go wrong, things that are often the result of either our own actions or of poor decisions we have made in the past. Or we point the finger at God when our world falls apart. We pick out all the parts of the Bible that suit us but often disregard the parts that call us to account as followers of Christ.
“Jesus began to show” his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem. He will tell the disciples over and over again, because they are simply unable to grasp what he is saying, just like he does with each of us today. As a new Christian, our understanding is fairly basic, but over years of walking with the Lord, He reveals more and more of himself and our level of understanding increases. Jesus must go to Jerusalem to complete his God-given mission Not to go, would be to compromise everything that he has come to do.
When Jesus reveals to his disciples that he will suffer at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes, it is hard for them to comprehend, for it is not the worst of men who will kill Jesus, but the best. Why would the guardians of the nation’s religious heritage kill the one who has come to fulfil that heritage? I believe that there is a message in that for us today. It is imperative that we are in relationship with Christ in order to discern that church leaders, myself included, are truly preaching the gospel and in fact walking the talk, and not falling into the trap of legalism and religion. Being unable to discern the difference, people, is not an excuse! That is why I encourage you all to dig deep into God’s word because being led astray should not be an option!
Having so recently been confirmed in his belief that Jesus is the Messiah, poor Peter cannot understand Jesus’ dramatic news of his death. He has heard Jesus say “killed, but obviously didn’t understand the significance of “on the third day be raised.” I wonder if Peter rebukes Jesus because he takes seriously his new responsibility to be the rock on which the church is built. It is almost as if he seems to think it is his task, and his alone, to insure a successful outcome for Jesus’ ministry. Whatever his reason however, he oversteps his appropriate bounds as a disciple. How often, I wonder, are we guilty of this as church? How often do we assume to know what is best, and plough on without waiting on the Lord to guide us? How often, like Peter, is our vision of Christ’s mission skewed, and how often do we try to superimpose our vision over God’s vision?
Jesus then calls the disciples to a disciplined life. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” The meaning of discipleship is slowly unfolding and, here, the disciples know full well what Jesus means. Crucifixion was a common method of execution, and condemned criminals had to carry their crosses through the streets to the execution site. Following Jesus, therefore, meant a true commitment, the risk of death and no turning back. I wonder if we were faced with the risk of death for our faith today how many of you would be in church this morning?
Make no mistake, 2000 years on, that kind of commitment is as valid today as it was back then. Taking up our cross and following Jesus requires different values, morals, goals and purposes than what the world aspires to and will set us apart from others and, for many around the world it will indeed mean death. For whether you are aware of it or not, there have been more Christians martyrs this century than for the entire history of Christianity. Picking up our cross demands that we accept Jesus not only as Saviour but that we make him Lord of our lives, so that everything we do, we do in the light, to bring glory to his name.
Taking up our cross involves denial to our own selfish desires and instead involves giving God’s will priority in our lives. In every case, Christian self-denial will involve some sort of personal sacrifice. In every case, it will involve some sort of service in Christ’s name. Taking up the cross and following Jesus isn’t easy and comes at a cost but the rewards are great! Instead of death, comes life; life as we have never experienced it before.
It means that the person who is willing to lose his/her life in Christ’s service is freed from fear of death. The person for whom Christ is more important than possessions is freed from slavery to materialism. The person who resists temptation finds him/herself stronger when the next temptation rolls along. The employee who maintains integrity in the face of temptation can face a mirror without feeling shame. The person who sacrifices an afternoon of golf to help a person in need gains a sense of self-worth. It means life, but life more abundantly.
If we, like the apostle Peter, want to be significant in the outworking of God’s plan, we must yield ourselves consistently to his leading in our lives. You know, Peter’s greatness in his role in the early church did not come from his personal abilities or giftedness. What led to Peter’s great role in church history ultimately comes down to his willingness to pick up his cross and to the development of consistency in his commitment to Jesus in all areas of his life. He was able to give himself consistently to God’s ways, God’s work, God’s will, not his own, whatever the circumstances. For that, Peter becomes an important example of the way in which our lives can count for God in his calling in our lives, at our work, in our families, in our church, and in our neighbourhood, when we pick up the cross and commit fully to Jesus as Lord and Master.
Where do you stand with God today? Are you willing to make him Lord of your life? Are you ready to fully commit your life to him?
