Matthew 16:21-28 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 16:21-28 on biblegateway.com
Verse 21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. Verse 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." Verse 23But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
Verse 24Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Verse 25For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Verse 26For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? Verse 27"For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Verse 28Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Devotion
On a dark and stormy night in northern Minnesota, driving into the woods on a narrow winding road, you simply trust that the deer have bedded down for the night, because from the tree line to the fender is too short a distance to make any difference.
So it was for Peter in Matthew's Gospel. Short-sighted, anticipating the dark and stormy days ahead, one moment rock, five verses later a stumbling block.
Parents wonder too about the well-being of pilgrim son or daughter. Short-sighted fear of inevitable storms ahead sets in. But like a dark and stormy night, soon the rain stops, headlights seem to intensify, and reflections of the town ahead begin to show the way. He or she calls home excited by a new friendship, affirmed by the first assignment, passionate about what can be done to be better stewards of God's creation.
Believing takes time and patience and it is a journey that needs partnering. Stumbling block to building material. Storm to moonshine. A God who knows the way in Jesus and always has a longer vision of grace and mercy.
Prayer
Thank you, God, for pointing us beyond our own limitations and making stumbling blocks into building material for your world. For Jesus' sake. Amen.