Rachel Workman: 21 From then on Jesus[j] began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him[k] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” I appreciate this being included in the bible. Peter himself had doubts. Maybe my doubts t times are not so abnormal.
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” And here is the problem we have. We see things from a human point of view. How can God do that? Will God do that? And Jesus knew exactly what the source of doubt was. Satan, and nothing has changed.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?[l] Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.” I love this. And if not careful this could be taken out of context. He was speaking to the disciples when he said this. But I think the same still applies to us as followers of Christ. We give up this life meaning we say no to sin and yes to Jesus. In a perfect world we would be sinless but this world is not perfect and neither am I. I find myself having to pick up my cross daily.
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John
Burnett: 21 From that time [a]Jesus began to show His
disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders
and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third
day. 22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “[b]God forbid it, Lord!
This shall never [c]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 not setting your mind on [d]God’s interests, but
man’s.” Strong words for the one He is going to
build the church upon just a chapter or two before. Peter was being
selfish as there is nothing more important to this world than Jesus’s death and
resurrection.
Discipleship Is Costly
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If
anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and
follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his [e]life will lose it; but
whoever loses his [f]life for My sake will find
it. Persecution is promised in the Christian
life. If and when the time comes for me to answer, my life or Christ,
this verse will come to mind and make it easy. I can’t think of a better
way to go in terms of being an example to others and eternal reward. 26 For
what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or
what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son
of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then [g]repay every man according to his [h]deeds. I pray that this day
will come quickly.
28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of
those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of
Man coming in His kingdom.”
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Allen Michaels: 21 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. This is the first of three times that Jesus predicts his
death. It is also written in Matthew 17:22, 23; and Matthew 20:18.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
“Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” It’s important to remember that if Jesus hadn’t
suffered and died, Peter (as well as all of us today) would have died in his
sins. Great temptations can come from those who love us and protect us. Be
cautious of advice from anybody who says, “Surely God doesn’t want you to face
this.” Often our most difficult temptations come from those who are only trying
to protect us from discomfort.
23 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.” In his desert temptations,
Jesus heard the message that he could achieve greatness without dying (4:6).
Here he heard the same message from Peter. Peter had just recognized Jesus as
Messiah; here, however, he forsook God’s perspective and evaluated the situation
from a human one. Satan is always trying t get us to leave God out of the
picture. Jesus rebuked Peter for his attitude.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to
be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever
wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will
find it. . Following Jesus, therefore, meant a
true commitment, the risk of death. And no turning back. This is an example of
the importance of “Dying-to-self.” I’ve been reading a lot on this top for the
past week. Here’s a small part of a paper “DYING TO SELF” by Dr. D. W.
Ekstrand: In dying to the
self-life, we discover an “abundant life” by depending on God, who
provides much more than we can imagine. Jesus put it this way: “Unless a grain
of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it
bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24; Gal 5:22-23). Part of the life we discover
when we give our lives to Christ, is freedom from a life of self-obsession; as
such, we experience the joy of Christ, and we become more accepting, generous
and loving of others. So when we die to self we set aside “our wants and
desires” and instead focus on loving God and valuing others as highly as we
value ourselves (Mt 22:37-39). This moves us away from “self-centeredness”
and more open to being a follower of Christ who cares deeply for others – it’s
much easier to pay attention to the concerns, interests and needs of other
people (Phil 2:3-4) when we are no longer obsessed with our own interests.
26 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? 27 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.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will
not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
What
is the most important investment you can make with your life? Jesus poses some
probing questions to challenge our assumptions about what is most profitable
and worthwhile. In every decision of life we are making ourselves a certain
kind of person. The kind of person we are, our character, determines to a
large extent the kind of future we will face and live. It is possible
that some can gain all the things they set their heart on, only to wake up
suddenly and discover that they missed the most important things of all. Of
what value are material things if they don't help you gain what truly lasts in
eternity? Neither money nor possessions can buy heaven, mend a broken heart, or
cheer a lonely person. Jesus asks the question: What will a person give in
exchange for his or her life? Everything we have is an out-right gift
from God. We owe him everything, including our very lives. It's
possible to give God our money, but not ourselves, or to give him lip-service,
but not our hearts. A true disciple gladly gives up all that he has in
exchange for an unending life of joy and happiness with God. God gives
without measure. The joy he offers no sadness or loss can diminish. The
cross of Christ leads to victory and freedom from sin and death. What is
the cross which Jesus Christ commands me to take up each day? When my
will crosses with his will, then his will must be done. Are you ready to
lose all for Jesus Christ in order to gain all with Jesus Christ?
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