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Matthew 16:21-23
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Watch the Sermon
Summary: This Sunday is traditionally called Palm Sunday as it is the Sunday Jesus enters Jerusalem to the crowds waving palm branches a week before his crucifixion. This celebration followed by the humiliation of the cross reminds us of the difficulty that many have in understanding the Christian faith. In our passage, we see the same struggle in Peter and the apostles to understand the necessity of Jesus' death. Following Peter's magisterial confession that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:12-20), he then immediately rebukes the Lord for saying that he must suffer and die and then be raised from the dead. In this exchange between Peter and Jesus, we see that the only way to understand Jesus and his mission is to see the necessity of the cross. Take time before Sunday to ask God for increasing wisdom to grasp the importance of his suffering and how it leads to his glory. Ask God for grace to walk the same road as we follow him.
Review and Apply
How does the phrase, "Jesus began to show his disciples" indicate a change or clarification in his teaching of his death?
What is significant and difficult about Jesus suffering in Jerusalem?
How does Peter's rebuke of Jesus show he was setting his mind on the things of man?
In what ways do you struggle to understand Jesus' death on a cross?
Why is understanding the cross necessary to understand the Christian faith?
What does it personally mean in your life to follow Jesus (See 16:24)? In what ways can you deny yourself and take up his cross?
How does glory follow suffering in the Christian life (16:25)?
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