Today’s passage: Matthew 16:21-28
Helpful thoughts:
- On the heels of telling His disciples not to spread the word about being the Messiah, Jesus tells them about His mission, to die on the cross. His disciples give evidence to the difficulty it would have been for everyone to understand.
- Following Jesus includes putting off immediate worldly gain and looking forward to future glory.
- Jesus is coming again.
- The meaning of verse 28 seems tough to understand. Jesus hasn’t come back yet and all the disciples are dead… So, either the phrase “some standing here” just means people on the earth and is not specifically referring to the disciples. Or, this statement is fulfilled in the next chapter when Peter, James and John get a sneak preview of Jesus’ glory at the transfiguration. This second option makes the most sense to me.
Questions to consider:
- How was Peter setting his mind on things of man and not on the things of God? What are some ways that we get stuck in the here and now, and forget about the Kingdom of God?
- Who did Jesus blame for the worldly thinking of Peter? How would this exchange of words coincide with Ephesians 6:12?
- Is there anything in your life, in your heart that you treasure more than Jesus Christ? Ask yourself the question from Jesus, “What will it profit a man…?”