Saturday, February 29, 2020

In their own words. Day 4


Day 4 - Matt 16.22

Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This [death] must never happen to you.’

This passage comes immediately after the one we looked at yesterday, in which Peter made a huge statement of faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.
But now Jesus has started to talk about the fact that he must go to Jerusalem where he will face opposition and  arrest and will be killed because of the message he is preaching.
Peter is horrified. How can he think that God would let his Messiah suffer and die like this?
Jesus answers bluntly, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Satan” meant “accuser” in Hebrew - like the prosecution counsel in a trial. Peter’s words, though probably intended to support Jesus, actually risk undermining his resolve to take this brave, but frightening, course of action.

·         Have there been times when someone’s good intention to support you had actually made you feel worse? Have you done this to others?

No comments:

Post a Comment