Matthew 16:21-27
Chapter 16
21
From that day, Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, that he would suffer many things at the hands of the Jewish authorities, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that he would be killed and be raised on the third day.
First Announcement of the Passion and Resurrection
22
Then Peter pulled him aside and started to reproach him:
“Never, Lord! No, this must never happen to you!”
23
But he turned and said to Peter:
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path. You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.”
24
Conditions for Being a Disciple
Then Jesus told his disciples:
“If you want to follow me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me.
25
Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for my sake will find it.
26
What does a person gain by winning the whole world if he destroys his soul? Or what can someone offer in exchange for his life?
27
Know that the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels, and he will reward each person according to his deeds.
Commentaries
First Announcement of the Passion and Resurrection – Conditions for Being a Disciple.
Peter, who recently confessed his faith in Jesus, now rejects the idea of the Messiah’s suffering and death. Jesus responds sharply, calling him Satan (23), because he is acting as a stumbling block. Jesus rebukes Peter, who insists on fitting Jesus into one of the traditional images of the Messiah. Christian freedom and happiness are found only in the joyful acceptance of God’s will, which invites us to listen to his Son and follow him along the paths and ways that he traveled (25f).