Jesus and you

Jesus and you

“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, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.  
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  
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 he has done.  
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 
Matthew 16:21-28

Here Jesus begins to prepare for his death. Telling his disciples what must happen.
Peter thinking in worldly terms says it will never happen. Even at this point Peter was still thinking of Jesus as a conquering king.
Jesus uses what is translated ‘Satan’ in English but commentators say the actual word is borrowed from the Hebrew meaning adversary or accuser.
He’s simply saying to Peter you don’t understand all this is for the greater good and glory of God.
You see God does not do things the way man does. If so Jesus would have been born to a prominent family of the day, yet he wasn’t. He was born to an average family. Grew up in a small village. Experienced the things average people experienced. This way I believe he could better understand mankind as only a very small minority live a life of wealth and opulence.
  Jesus also goes on to explain,
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
I think what Jesus said he is important especially for the new convert.
In Judaism when a person becomes a convert the Rabbi tells them what to expect and holds nothing back.
It’s important to tell new Christian converts this.
Here in North America it’s fairly easy to become a Christian and live the Christian life. Still there are people around that scoff at Christians and at times make life hard.
There are families that reject people who become a Christian or accuse them of getting into a cult.
Then there is the spiritual factor. Many times after the new convert makes the decision doubts come into their mind.
All of this needs to be explained to them in addition to telling them to study the Bible and attend a good church.
Jesus goes on to say,
“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
This is a very true statement. What good are all the riches of this world if in the end you end up in the wrong place in eternity.
“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 he has done.”
Everyone both Christian and non-Christian will stand before God and be brought to account for what they’ve done and be rewarded accordingly.
Finally Jesus notes,
“I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 
I believe like many commentators that this is a prediction of the transfiguration that would happen a week later. Something that demonstrated Jesus will one day return in His Fathers glory.
Think about it.