Matthew 16:24-28
Chapter 16
24
Then Jesus told his disciples:
“If you want to follow me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me.
Conditions for Being a Disciple
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.
28
Truly, I tell you, some here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
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).