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Suffering and Death
Matthew 16:21-28
Good News Translation (GNT)
21 From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his
disciples,
"I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders,
the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law.
I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised
to life."
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
"God forbid it, Lord!" he said. "That must never happen
to you!"
23 Jesus turned around and said to Peter, "Get away from
me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my way, because
these thoughts of yours don't come from God, but from
human nature."
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you want to
come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross,
and follow me.
25 For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it;
but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it.
26 Will you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose
your life? Of course not!
There is nothing you can give to regain your life.
27 For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his
Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one
according to his deeds.
28 I assure you that there are some here who will not die
until they have seen the Son of Man come as King."
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Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary' (Kingsway)
The disciples didn't understand!
When Jesus told Peter that the Son of Man must suffer and that he must be killed, Peter could did not fully understand what Jesus came to earth to do and could not accept it. He rebuked Jesus for saying such a thing.
Jesus also said that after three days the Son of Man would rise again. The disciples didn't understand this at all.
Through Peter's lips, Jesus heard the voice of Satan again trying to tempt Him by telling Him, "You don't have to suffer and die. I will make you a king if you worship me."
Therefore, Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Out of my sight, Satan!"
God said, through the prophet Isaiah:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways....
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Now Jesus tells them an even more difficult thing: they, too, will have to suffer.
If anyone would come after me - that means all Christians.
There is only one kind of true Christian; that is, a disciple.
Jesus says: "You must deny yourself." That means that to follow Him, a person must give up his own desires and live only according to His desire. This is the first time Mark mentions the cross.
The cross was the Roman method of carrying out the death sentence.
Therefore, when Jesus told His followers that they must take up [their] cross, in their minds that could mean only one thing: namely, they must be ready to suffer and die for Him.
Suffering and persecution will come to all who follow Christ
There can be no crown without the cross.
Finally Jesus says: "... and follow me."
We must turn around. We must stop going our own way and start going Jesus' way. That is to be our way, too.
Then Jesus said an amazing thing: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
Whoever denies Jesus in order to save his life in this world, his pleasures, his pride, his honour and reputation, his possessions, his physical life, will lose his spiritual life, eternal life.
But whoever loses his life for Jesus, his pride, honour, possessions, physical life itself, will save his life; he will obtain true spiritual life, eternal life. Eternal life begins the moment we believe.
We cannot seek after the Christ and worldly blessings at the same time; we must choose.
What good is the world to us if we lose our eternal soul?
Life in this world is very short. Why give up eternal life with God in order to gain a few years of pleasure in this life?
Jesus said,
". . . what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
The answer is: nothing.
One soul is worth more than the whole world.
Jesus said,
"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 he has done"
Jesus will come again as judge at the end of the world.
For whatever loss we have suffered for His sake in this world, He will repay us abundantly in heaven.
If we are ashamed of Jesus here on earth, He will be ashamed of us when He comes again at the end of the world.
If we deny the Christ before men, He will deny us before the Father.
We must never be ashamed that we are Christians. We must not hide it, because of fear. Jesus does not want secret followers.
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