Take Up Your Cross and Follow

Setting and Overview
From the heights of the Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, we see the limits of Peter’s understanding in the following two sections. On one level, these misunderstandings are shocking to see, but Peter is not the only key figure in the Gospels to follow a demonstration of remarkable faith and understanding with a later similarly remarkable failure or doubt. John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2-3), Jesus’ mother Mary (Mark 3:21), and the disciples in general (multiple occasions) all have somewhat similar incidents. While that should not serve to minimize Peter’s failure here, it should remind us of the limited understanding even Jesus’ closest followers had during his life, and how blessed we are to have access to the whole story.

Exposition
While Jesus has hinted earlier at his crucifixion (Matthew 9:15, 10:38, 12:40), the language was there obscure enough for it to be easily missed. While we don’t know exactly what or how he taught them from this point, the Synoptic Gospels are all explicit that he taught them fully about the betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection. While the disciples apparently did not fully understand at this point (evidenced by their shock when he told them again later (Matthew 17:23, Luke 18:34)), they apparently understood enough for Peter to push back. The way that he rebukes Jesus would be shocking and inappropriate for any disciple to do to his master, much less to the Messiah himself. This earns an even stronger rebuke back from Jesus. Peter has gone from speaking revelation from the Father and being declared to be a rock on which the church will be built, to serving as the mouthpiece of Satan and an obstacle to Jesus. This is because he is now looking not at the revelation that he has received but through the paradigm of human understanding and perspective, and he cannot fathom a suffering Messiah.
As he often does, Jesus uses the incident as a springboard to teaching. He begins with an exhortation that any true disciples must take up their cross and follow him. Although this is not the first time that we have seen such language, it would have still been shocking and confusing before Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus does not leave the statement unsupported, however, but instead gives three successive reasons that such obedience is not only expected, but even logical when seen from an eternal perspective. The first reason is that whoever would try to safeguard his life will end up destroying it, but those who willingly sacrifice their lives will actually be granted true full life. This is true because true life cannot be earned or exchanged for anything that we can accumulate or accomplish on earth and everything that can be accomplished will not bring us any closer to true life. This in turn is true because true life can only be granted by the Son, who grants such a gift to those who choose him (Mark 8:38.) Finally, Jesus gives an assurance that evidence of the power and glory of the Son will be coming, notably giving such a promise just before the transfiguration (II Peter 1:16-18.)

Examination and Application
Taking up our cross will not earn God’s favor. Those who took up their cross already had their fates sealed, and when they took them up, their path was leading unavoidably and without detour to their execution. Similarly, Jesus is calling those who would consider following him to understand the stakes involved (Matthew 8:18-22, 10:37-39) and to realize that to follow him means to sacrifice everything. To those who have made that commitment, he calls us follow accordingly, moving forward in a path with uncertain earthly consequences, but assurance of the faithfulness and victory of the one that we follow. While that path may be difficult, he has gone before us as both as goal and our example (Hebrews 12:1-3) and there is nothing that we could achieve or pursue on this earth that compares to the blessing of being secure in him.