21 ᾿Απὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς δεικνύειν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς ῾Ιεροσόλυμα καὶ πολλὰ παθεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ ἀρχιερέων καὶ γραμματέων καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγερθῆναι. 22 καὶ προσλαβόμενος αὐτὸν ὁ Πέτρος ἤρξατο ἐπιτιμᾶν αὐτῷ λέγων· ἵλεώς σοι, Κύριε· οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο. 23 ὁ δὲ στραφεὶς εἶπε τῷ Πέτρῳ· ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, σατανᾶ· σκάνδαλόν μου εἶ· ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
24 Τότε ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. 25 ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, εὑρήσει αὐτήν. 26 τί γὰρ ὠφελεῖται ἄνθρωπος ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ; ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; 27 μέλλει γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τότε ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ. 28 ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰσί τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστηκότων, οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ. Matthew 16:21-28
Today’s Gospel lesson contains those infamous words to Peter “Get thee behind me Satan” “ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, σατανᾶ·”. One might think that Peter is denying what fate has in store for Jesus or what God has in mind for Jesus, and Peter’s refusal to accept what is in store for Jesus is tantamount to sin, because it denies God’s will for mankind through Jesus. But perhaps a bit more is going on here.
Perhaps what follows verse 24 is most important in this passage. And perhaps losing one’s life for to find it, is what may be the most important. Is Jesus asking us to lose our lives, i.e. to be martyrs to the Kingdom. No I think not. Jesus is asking us to give our lives for the Kingdom and in that giving, we will find life. Perhaps this is what is meant by taking up one’s cross and following Jesus (καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι). Perhaps we are being asked not so much to die for Jesus. That merely justifies Martyrdom. What we are asked to do is give up our life of selfish desires, and take up the cross of a life for the sake of others, because that is just exactly what Jesus’ message proclaims. We find life in giving to others, and not necessarily those of the church either, but others in general. It is in the giving that we find a new life and lose our old. When two people marry that is exactly what happens (theoretically of course, no marriage meets the ideal), the old life is lost and a new life, giving to each other, begins, so we find new life and new meaning in that giving up of our old selves to the new life for each other. It is not altogether clear that taking up one’s cross is to suffer, perhaps it is merely to sacrifice our selfish ends for the greater end of the Kingdom.
Perhaps what follows verse 24 is most important in this passage. And perhaps losing one’s life for to find it, is what may be the most important. Is Jesus asking us to lose our lives, i.e. to be martyrs to the Kingdom. No I think not. Jesus is asking us to give our lives for the Kingdom and in that giving, we will find life. Perhaps this is what is meant by taking up one’s cross and following Jesus (καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι). Perhaps we are being asked not so much to die for Jesus. That merely justifies Martyrdom. What we are asked to do is give up our life of selfish desires, and take up the cross of a life for the sake of others, because that is just exactly what Jesus’ message proclaims. We find life in giving to others, and not necessarily those of the church either, but others in general. It is in the giving that we find a new life and lose our old. When two people marry that is exactly what happens (theoretically of course, no marriage meets the ideal), the old life is lost and a new life, giving to each other, begins, so we find new life and new meaning in that giving up of our old selves to the new life for each other. It is not altogether clear that taking up one’s cross is to suffer, perhaps it is merely to sacrifice our selfish ends for the greater end of the Kingdom.
What is also of interest in this lesson is the notion that some of the disciples will not die (taste death) until Jesus comes into his Kingdom (οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ.). Optimistically we may tend to think this means that Jesus’ Kingdom is coming within the lifetimes of those disciples. But I think that it simply means that the disciples with the exception of Judas will not die before Jesus is resurrected and ascends into Heaven. It does not mean that the Kingdom with Jesus as ruler will come about in their lifetime, i.e. Jesus will die, be resurrected and come again in glory before the disciples die. It simply refers to the resurrection and ascension not to a second coming. Note also, Jesus again refers to himself as the “Son of Man” the paradigm of Humanity. Mankind must die to selfish motives and move on to giving to others. Ought not to give be defined as a form of love. Giving of one’s self to/for another is love.
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