You’ll not want to miss reading the context found in Matthew 16:21-28 surrounding our theme verse (Matthew 16:25) for today.
As Jesus began to talk about the details of His imminent death and what He must suffer, Peter struggled. This was not what Peter envisioned for his future or for the future of HIS Messiah! I can definitely relate to Peter.
Peter was rebuked for not savouring the things that be of God. “Savour” in our passage means “to understand” or to have wisdom. Peter lacked not only spiritual understanding but he lacked an eternal perspective. He was wrapped up in the here and now. And I think he was enjoying it. I can definitely relate.
No doubt Peter loved the human presence of Jesus Christ. Being in the inner circle, he felt a closeness to Jesus that others did not. Peter served alongside God in the flesh. He sat at the feet of the greatest Teacher ever known in the history of mankind. He witnessed miracle upon miracle even within his own family. For three years he saw the face of love and compassion. He touched the healing hands of Almighty God. He audibly heard and saw the power of the spoken Word of God from the mouth of God. Who would want to lose all of that???
But there was so much more to gain from the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that Peter could not yet comprehend. So like Christ, Peter had his own cross to take up, but first He had to deny himself, deny his will and deny his own way. He had to lose his life in order to find it.
Where do you find yourself today? Losing yourself, taking up your cross and finding life in Christ? Or grasping to save those few things in your life you fear losing the most?
My Pastor shared this quote recently by Charles Spurgeon “...the most miserable person in the world is the half-committed Christian, just enough into God to be miserable in the world, and just enough into the world to be miserable in God.”
Peter visited the land of misery. He denied Christ after His arrest. He went back to fishing AFTER the bodily resurrection of Christ. Had the pain of loss been too heavy to bear? Was Peter unsure he had what it took to follow Christ? Had Peter just wanted things to stay exactly as they had always been? Or did he feel he just could not lose one more thing?!?
Scripture does not tell us.
I can relate to ALL of those feelings. I think you can too. And I testify that I have been there. In the land of misery. But I do not want to live there.
And Peter? Well, Peter came to terms with the suffering. Many believe suffering is the theme of the book of 1 Peter.
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”
1 Peter 2:21
”I have decided to follow Jesus...no turning back. ..no turning back.”
Theme Verse:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Mark 8:35
“Lose” from the Greek word “Apollymi” means “to destroy fully.” It is translated “lose” twice in our verse for today.
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:25