The disciples didn’t get what Jesus was talking about. His statement about the cross confused them, and Peter jumped on it. The Messiah doesn’t die!
Or will He?
They’d been certain that God’s anointed one would not only survive battles with the Lord’s enemies; he’d win them. Every single one.
To the disciples, Jesus made little sense. Peter confesses Him to be the Christ, Jesus commends him for it, and then He tells them to keep the news to themselves. And to top it all off, He announces that the religious leaders are going to kill Him but that’s okay because God will raise Him from the dead. No wonder Peter objected!
“Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. 21From 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. 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” – Matthew 16:20-22
From our perspective, Jesus communicated the heart of the gospel to His followers. Unlike the Twelve, we not only accept the death of Christ on the cross, we brag about it.
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” – Galatians 6:14
Or do we?
We may resemble the disciples more than we realize. Like them, we also object to the cross. Because it involves our death, too.
Consider what Jesus told His disciples before He warned them about His own death.
“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” – Matthew 10:38
How would His disciples have interpreted this statement? They could have taken it as a portent that some of them wouldn’t survive the approaching battles to rid the world of God’s unrighteous enemies. Jesus would overthrow Rome but not every apostle would live to see it. They’d have to be ready, like good soldiers, to lay down their lives.
But they assumed that Jesus Himself would survive. Thrive even. If He died, what hope was there for them?
Or for us?
We can’t avoid the cross. God calls us to imitate our crucified Lord.
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’ 25For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” – 1 Peter 2:21-25
We have to prepare to face rejection, suffer the consequences, and even die. This principle guided Paul throughout his ministry.
“For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.” – 1 Corinthians 15:31 (NLT)
“As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” – Romans 8:36-37
Paul says “no,” not to contradict himself or to argue with Scripture (he quotes Psalm 44:22), but to declare victory! The cross didn’t defeat Jesus; it won’t beat us!
Theologians call this the cruciform life. Discipleship means conforming ourselves to Jesus’ example of death. Yet we do so trusting that as Christ arose, so also will we.
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” – Romans 6:5
Do we concur that Jesus died for us? That’s wonderful because His cross forms the basis of our salvation. But it also challenges us to die to ourselves. God calls us to accept both aspects of the cross–Jesus’s death and ours.
The Father raised Jesus by the power of the Spirit and He will raise us, too. Death and new life–it’s the secret of discipleship in Christ.
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” – John 12:24-25
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