Let's Talk About Death

OPENING PRAYER:

Holy Father, your thoughts are higher than my thoughts, as heaven is higher than the earth. What a mighty God I serve.

READ: MATTHEW 16:21-28

Jesus Predicts His Death

21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Footnotes

[a] Matthew 16:25 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 26.

MATTHEW 16:21-28

REFLECT:

How would you feel if powerful people in your community were plotting your death? How does your response differ from that of Jesus?

The story of Jesus’ life is wonderful enough but the central, vital purpose of his time on earth is his death. Each event in the gospels points this way, even from the time when the Magi brought the strange gift of myrrh (2:11), sometimes used for embalming a corpse (but also a symbol of joy! See Song of Solomon 3:6; 5:5). Notice the inevitability in verses 21 to 23: Jesus must go to Jerusalem; he must be killed (v 21).

At this stage, the disciples had no clear idea what their Lord meant by ‘raised to life’. Death is what registers with Peter (v 22). Like us, he seems to have days when he is more and then less in tune with God! However, this does not excuse Peter’s attempt to undermine Christ’s purpose. My first thought was relief that it was him and not me who received that sharp, frightening rebuke (v 23). But wait: the rest of Jesus’ teaching here is addressed not to the twelve but to all of us – and now he is talking about our life and death, not his. If we want to be followers of Jesus, we must give up our lives (v 25). If we choose not to believe in him, then our very souls will be lost (v 26).

APPLY:

What might it mean for you to follow Jesus today? Praise God that one day you will meet the risen King (v 28).

CLOSING PRAYER:

Dear God, when my world is shaken, I get shaky. Thank you for the strength and stability that’s mine in you.

WORSHIP:

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