Are You Willing to Die to Follow Jesus? (Matthew 16:21-27)

From the N to the S. The Galilean period of Jesus’ ministry has reached its climax at the most northerly point of his travels. This central section (essentially parallels Mk 8:31-10:52) bridges the gap between the N and the S, bringing Jesus and his disciples out of their home territory in the N, and for the 1st time in the Synoptic plan, ito Judea in the S, where they’ll confront the hostile power of the religious authrities.

Focus from the crowds to teaching the disciples: The shadow of the cross during the whole southward journey. “From that time on Jesus began…” (Mt 16:21) coincides with the geographical transition [from N to S] by a significant change in the pattern of Jesus’ activity and teaching. The declaration that he is the Messiah (Mt 16:16) leads Jesus immediately to clarify what his messianic mission must involve–the plain declaration that he must suffer, die and be raised–repeated again and again (Mt 17:22-23; 20:18-19) to get his disciples to understand the paradoxical and unwelcome nature of his mission.

I. Jesus says, “I must die” (Mt 16:21). Dying was necessary and nonnegotiable.

“From then Jesus began to show [explain/point out to] his disciples that it was necessary for him to [he must] go off to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

“From then” changed the whole thrust of Jesus’ instruction of the Twelve. Now that they understood that that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah, he would teach them what messiahship meant. They likely thought Messiah meant unadulterated glory. But the Messiah would be opposed, rejected and killed on the way to majesty and splendor. Suffering was the essense of messiahship. “From then” Jesus would say so again and again (Mt 17:9, 12, 22-23; 20:18-19, 28; 21:38-39; 26:2), which the disciples found very hard. But “it was necessary” and nonnegotiable. The suffering will come from the Jewish leadership–“the elders and chief priests and scribes,”–the ecclesiastic holding the highest position and the highest court in the land. “…and on the third day be raised,” which apparently the disciples did not take it in, for they could not fit into their understanding of what it means to be the Messiah.

Mt 17:9, 12, 22-23 “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” / “…the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” / “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Mt 20:18-19, 28 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to … They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” / …just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” [rescue, redeem]

Mt 21:38-39 “…the tenants … said…, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”

Mt 26:2 “..the Passover is 2 days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Is there a “from that time on“ in your Christian life, i.e. life after your conversion?

Did Paul Preach a Different Gospel Than Jesus? | NT Wright. Why each generation must rethink the Bible afresh.

One of the funny things about the Christian faith and indeed about the Bible is that it seems to be as it were designed that every generation has to chew it through afresh.

None of us can live on what was done before because the culture is always changing. That’s always been so. Language is always changing. The pressure points for people are always changing again and again. This is not just in our generation. Every generation has found this.

The things the way that people said things before seem to go stale on you.

It’s like the Israelites with the manna in the wilderness. You just have to go out and get the fresh stuff each day. The good thing about that is it means that we all have to grow up. There can be no passengers. We’ve all got to think it through.

That’s what Paul said about being transformed by the renewal of our minds. That has to happen. The only way that that happens, I think, for most of us is when we’re faced with new situations which demand that we think through afresh just what is it that we say and what do we mean by it? We’ve got to do that.

II. Peter strongly objects (Mt 16:22). He was triggered; he really doesn’t like dying.

“And Peter took him aside and began to remonstrate with him, saying, ‘God forbid, Lord; this will never happen to you.'”

Peter is now assuming that he knows better than Jesus does about what the Master should do and presumes to criticize him. For Peter it is incredible and unthinkable that “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” should be rejected and killed.

III. Jesus calls Peter “Satan” (Mt 16:23), an address unparalled in the NT.“But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Go away behind me, Satan [Accuser]. You are a trap to me, because you are not thinking the thoughts [things] of God but those of men.'” [“…you are not thinking God’s ways but the ways of humans.” (McKnight)]

* Jesus death was so central to the gospel he came to establish and so central to God’s plan that to try to avoid it was to do the work of none less that the evil one himself. Essentially Peter was taking up the position of Satan in the tempatation narrative (Mt 4:1-11). Peter’s mind was set on purely human ways of thinking. It comes naturally for us to think of glory and honor, of comfort and security.

IV. Absolute conditions for discipleship (Mt 16:24). You must be willing to die.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone sets his will on coming after me, let him deny himself [utterly], and let him take up his cross, and follow me.'” [“…let that person renounce oneself…”] To follow Jesus, one needs:

1. Decision. …set his will to come after Jesus.
2. Desire. …deny himself. Deny his right to himself and give up his right to himself to Jesus.
3. Devotion. …take up his cross. Devotion must be to a Person, not to principals or to a cause. Salvation and sanctification is not only the removal of the wrong disposition, but the radical alteration of identity.Gal2:20.
4. Direction. …follow Jesus. We cannot consecrate our gifts to God–they are not ours to begin with.

Addressing the disciples as a whole, he tells his followers that just as he must suffer those who follow him must likewise expect suffering. *“…sets his will” is important. The disciple must exercise his will; no one becomes a follower of Jesus by drifing into it. There must always be the wholehearted decision. Such a person must “deny himself;” cf. our natural tendency is to affirm oneself, focus on what serves one’s own interests, desires and wants–all the “p”s: people, pleasure, possessions, profit, popularity, prettiness, prestige and power. But Jesus calls his true followes to renounce self-interest, to “leave self behind” (NEB), to meet the needs of others rather than promoting ourselves, like what Peter just uttered (Mt 1622).

V. The paradox of life (Mt 16:25). If you die you’ll live, if you live you’ll die.

“For whoever sets his will on saving his life [soul] will lose it; but whoever loses his life [soul] for my sake will find it.” [“…but whoever destroys one’s self because of me, the person will find it.”]

Jesus enunciates a principle of universal application–which is a confounding paradox. The emphasis as in v.24 is on the action of the will. If we spend our time and resources concentrating on our own selfish concerns to get as much out of this life as best we can, Jesus is saying, we lose life in the more important and most meaningful and fullest and best sense. It is a self-defeating life to live for oneself. He exists but does not live. It is the selfishness that makes one’s personal happiness the ultimate criterion. The way to truly live is to “lose his life for Jesus’ sake,” to put the service of God’s Messiah before all else, and to devote all his time serving Christ and other people for Christ’s sake. That person will find life. Full and abundant life is the life of service, the life in Christ (Gal 2:20).

VI. The logic of life (Mt 16:26). Would you gain everything and lose yourself?

“For what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world and loses his life [soul]? [“…damages one’s self.”] Or what will a man give as an exchange for his life.”

With 2 questions, Jesus appeals to the profit motive and compares the value of the whole world and that of a person’s life. Clearly, nothing in all the world has a value comparable to that of one’s life, his essential being. One’s life is in a different world; nothing can compensate for its loss.

VII. The reward of life (Mt 16:27). You will be rewarded for what you do.

“For the Son of man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will recompense [reward] each person according to his behavior [conduct].” [“…he will pay back to each person consistent with one’s practice.”]

For 3 consequetive verses (25, 26, 27) Jesus gives a tightly reasoned argument. To exchange life for this world is nonsense (Mt 16:26), for in due course this world will be replaced by something new. The end will be ushered in by Jesus coming back to this earth “in the glory of his Father,” unlike the lowliness of his 1st coming. At the judgment each will receive the appropriate requital, of paying exactly what one is due. There will be a final reckoning: those who exchanged their essential being, their “life,” for ephemeral profil or pleasure will receive the recompense that is due. In the end there will be a righting of wrongs.

VIII. The taste of life (Mt 16:28). What do you want to taste? Life or death?

“Truly I tell you, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” [“This is true to say to you…”]

Reference:

1. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. R. T. France. 2007.
2. The Gospel According to Matthew. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Leon Morris. 1992.