Now let’s go back and see what led up to this incident and what it might mean for us.
Jesus had recently been probing his disciples’ understanding about his identity. He was deeply concerned for their progress – most of all that they came to a proper understanding of who he is and how they could share in his mission. Did you realise that this is God’s greatest goal for you – that you should know him well in his Son, Jesus Christ?
Matthew 16.13-17.
Peter rightly understood and confessed that Jesus was the ‘Christ, Son of the living God’. Peter and the others had recognised that Jesus was more than a prophet and certainly not John the Baptist brought back to life. He was more than a mere man – he was the son of God, the leader appointed by God: Christ - or Messiah.
There is a hunger in people everywhere for good, strong, caring, just and noble leadership. The inauguration of Barak Obama confirms this. Even beyond
Peter had come a good way to grasping the significance of Jesus. So Jesus answers ‘yes… but’ to Peter’s correct answer. He tells them that although he is God’s Christ, he has to be rejected, killed and raised. Peter and the disciples had begun to understand two aspects of Christ’s identity: that of Prophet and King – that is, one who would reveal God’s message for mankind (prophet) and rule God’s people (king).
But Christ has been given not only as a King and Prophet he has also been given as a Priest. Prophet, Priest and King is what the Old Testament prophets revealed the Messiah would be.
As Priest he would deal with the sin that makes men and women the enemies of God – offensive to him. And to be that priest, he must make an offering – not an animal offering, but himself. The disciples did not yet grasp that his priestly work for us meant suffering, death and resurrection.
When the disciples thought of Jesus’ saving work, they thought of him saving and improving their current lives – they could not conceive of the new lives they would be living once the Spirit came.
When Jesus began to speak of his suffering and death, Peter – who a moment before had correctly identified him as God’s Son, the Christ – needed to be rebuked by Jesus for serving Satan’s interests! 16.22,23. Peter was tempting Jesus to reject his mission as self-sacrificing, suffering, dying Saviour. Jesus called this the man-centred rather than God-centred thinking: “You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God but on the things of man.”
Jesus told them that they must lose their lives in order to save them, because even if they accrued all the temporal worldly glory available (‘gain the whole world’) and yet lose their souls they would suffer deep, utter loss. 16.24-27.
Jesus taught them that his kingdom was different and more glorious than they could imagine. He would return with his Father’s glory plus his holy angels to bring in his kingdom. Then he said that in a day or two some of them would get a taste of the glory of that kingdom. 16.28
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