In our Gospel reading for tomorrow (Matthew 16:21-28) Jesus reveals to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, undergo great suffering at the hands of the religious authorities, and be killed. But the good news is that Jesus will be raised to life again on the third day. Somehow the disciples missed the part about Jesus' resurrection. Here we take up part of the narrative:
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he [Jesus] 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."
These verses have often been pointed out to emphasize self-denial, taking up of crosses, and losing our lives to save them. But I note that first of all, Jesus told Peter that he had his priorities off-balance. Peter was not setting his mind on divine things.
It isn't easy to keep our mind in heaven when our feet are firmly planted to this earth, but I believe that this is where trust in God enters into the equation. When we trust in God and set our minds and hearts toward our relationship with God, everything else will fall into its proper place. We might find ourselves losing our lives to save them, and we did not even know when that happened.
In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar
Holy Cross Church - Episcopal
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org
406-208-7314
Photo by Linda McCloud
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