The Gospel of Matthew 16:21-28
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. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 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.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Let us Pray: Loving God we recognize our responsibility to encourage and uphold one another and to live together in peace and love. We also recognize our needs and our human weaknesses and come to you now with our prayers and petitions. Amen
It is always amazing the timeliness of the Lessons each week and how they seem to fit into not only our lives but into the situations in the world around us. That is why I had to include a few thoughts about the Scripture of Romans.
Romans 12:9-21 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.
As we read the Lesson of Paul’s letter to the Roman’s, Roman’s 12:9-21 it is a lesson for today. One can see that we need to be aware of other people’s needs not just during these uncertain times but every day. The great principle of Christian life is summarized in one word: love. It is the golden rule. It is how the greatest commandment is summarized. Love for God. Love for neighbor. The greatest of all is love. But so often in church life, while we know this in theory, we forget it in practice. Our nose gets put out of joint by some slight or other. And while piously we affirm love, even sing about love, we can still fail to practice love. What to do about it? Paul here gives two great overarching principles that he breaks down into enough detail to make the most godly squirm, and challenge us all by encouraging us by the beauty of love in community.
The first principle is sincerity. “Love must be sincere. The second principle is even more pertinent. Not only is our love to be sincere our love is to be even for those who we perceive as doing us wrong.
Then this week’s Gospel, Matthew 16 is again a guide for us.
The importance is the way this announcement of Jesus’ coming passion and death is tied so closely to Peter’s confession (Peter’s confession was clear and direct: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”) and, in turn to what it means to follow as a disciple of this Messiah. It is a reminder that speaking the words “Jesus is the Messiah, Son of the Living God” requires only lip service, but living those words is a gift of God. Living with our beliefs in the Messiah is an act of God’s love. In Matthew’s gospel, Peter’s confession serves as a springboard from which Jesus makes his first prediction of his passion and death. We learn through Peter that Jesus is the Messiah and then from Jesus what his confession will mean for his future. Jesus showing his disciples what is about to happen marks this event as one of revelation and as a gift of special knowledge now being imparted to this disciple community. At the heart of that special revelation is the clear witness that Jesus’ identity as Messiah is integrally tied, even constituted in the necessity of his suffering and death in Jerusalem. So, it is ironic, or even almost tragic, that immediately following his boldly precocious confession of a few verses before, Peter now not only denies the implications of his words, but even begins to rebuke or chastise Jesus for his prophetic words of mission. In equating such a response to being in league with “Satan” Jesus’ harsh words recall his own testing by Satan in the wilderness In pressing the issue, Peter has become a “stumbling block” From Rock to stumbling block, from “holder of the keys” to “mouthpiece of Satan!”. In Peter’s defense, Jesus hasn’t yet helped him understand the why question, only Jesus has affirmed that this grim future must happen but has not backed that strange statement up with reasons. Jesus’ teaching on cross-bearing as the substance of the disciple’s life is addressed to Peter, to the disciples, and to us. This teaching answers the “why” question. Why are you going to suffer and die? The answer is basically this: because of the risky way I choose to live, because of my commitment to be a doer and not just a hearer. Jesus’ chosen way of life is summed up in one of the wisdom sayings he coined to edify his followers. “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it”. We can understand Peter’s impulse perfectly. In fact, Jesus should have been flattered that a key follower cared this much about him? Why doesn’t Jesus thank him and then gently explain and correct? Perhaps resistance to his own future had been growing in Jesus’ thoughts. When Peter puts it into words, Jesus recognizes their source: his old nemesis Satan. Since Satan couldn’t get anywhere with Jesus, he is now trying to erode the devotion of his disciples. Peter’s sentiments must be sternly condemned, because they lead people to choose not just to let Jesus go it alone, but to actively oppose his mission. The lack of trust Peter shows in Jesus is doubly disturbing in light of the tremendous trust Jesus has just placed in him.
Because not everybody has their faith evaluated the same way. So, it may be unwise to assume that when the chips are down, we should be confident of our response. We know that Peter, identified by Jesus as the rock, after many months following Jesus backed down and denied Jesus, and in the same way more than one confident and gifted Church leader has fallen massively from grace when genuine temptation comes their way. How often do we read of some Church leader or elder accused of fraud or immoral behavior? If such people can fall from grace perhaps the best, we can do is to resolve to face whatever life throws our way that we at least will attempt to hold true to our chosen path. Whether or not we will manage the form of the cross we are asked to lift cannot be decided in advance.
Let us pray: As we walk the procession of Life let us be thankful that Jesus walks before us, clears the way so we do not stumble. He provides the light of the future, gives us hope that we will survive and will overcome the challenges of today. This we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen
Reflections by Bob 