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Matthew 16:21-28 (Jesus predicts his death)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Miracles and Controversy, and today we come to a controversy over Jesus’ mission. Jesus begins to explain to his disciples about his mission – that his mission is to suffer and die in Jerusalem – and Peter tries to talk him out of it. Then Jesus proceeds to explain to his disciples what true discipleship involves. (Read Matthew 16:21-23 and pray.)

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What does it mean to be a Christian? Some people think you’re a Christian if your family is Christian. Others think you’re a Christian if you were baptized when you were a baby. Some people think you’re a Christian if you go to church, but that does not necessarily make you a Christian either. As one wise old person once said, “Just because a mouse lives in a cookie jar, doesn’t make him a cookie!” There are some people around the world who think if you live in America, that makes you a Christian. Imagine that!

So, what does it mean to be a Christian? There are different ways of describing Christians in the Bible but one very helpful one is what we find in this passage. A Christian is someone who is following Jesus. Are you following Jesus? Then you are a Christian. Are you not following Jesus? Then you have no right to bear the name.

Now being a follower of Jesus does not mean that you are perfect or that you never sin. We all sin every day. But it means that you have placed your trust in Jesus as God’s Son who died for you, you confess your sin as sin and turn away from it, and you have set your life to follow Christ and his commands. That’s what it means to be a Christian. You are a disciple or a follower of Christ. We sometimes speak of the twelve disciples, but they were only the first. Jesus calls all of us to be his disciples, to follow him.

In today’s passage Jesus talks about true discipleship, what it means to be one of his followers. However, he doesn’t begin with our mission but with his own mission. And that makes sense. If you are going to follow Christ, then you need to know about his mission, what his life was all about.

So today we are going to answer two questions. 1) What did Jesus have to do to fulfill his mission? And then, 2) what must you do to follow Jesus?

I. What did Jesus have to do to fulfill his mission? (21-23)

So, we begin with Jesus. What did Jesus have to do to fulfill his mission?

   A. Jesus had to suffer and die (21)

The answer is simple. Jesus had to suffer and die. Look at verse 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, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21)

If you remember last week’s message, this takes place right after Peter has confessed Jesus as the Christ. And now, immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus begins to teach his disciples about his suffering, death and resurrection.

We enter a new phase of Jesus’ teaching after Peter’s confession. Up to this point Jesus has largely been speaking to the crowds. But now Jesus’ teaching becomes more focused on his disciples. He is preparing them for what will happen when they all get to Jerusalem. In fact, this is the first of three passion predictions in the next several chapters – three passages where Jesus predicts his suffering and death in Jerusalem. (Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:17-19) What must Jesus do to fulfill his mission? He must suffer and die.

Notice Jesus said this was necessary. He said 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.” (Matthew 16:21) So, why was this necessary? Why did Jesus have to suffer and die?

      1) This was God’s plan from all of eternity
         – 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 13:8

First of all, this was God’s plan from all of eternity. The book of Revelation speaks of Jesus as “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) The book of 1 Peter says: “He was chosen before the creation of the world.” (1 Peter 1:19; see also Ephesians 1:4 and Revelation 17:8) So before God ever created the world, he had already chosen to send Jesus into the world to be our Savior. Why did Jesus have to suffer and die? Why was it necessary? First of all, this was God’s plan from all of eternity.

      2) This was the Father’s command to the Son

Secondly, this was the Father’s command to the Son. God sent Jesus into the world specifically to suffer and die for our sins. Jesus had to suffer and die, because it is inconceivable that he would disobey his Father’s command. God the Father and Jesus the Son are one. The Father sent the Son, and the Son willingly came and obeyed.

      3) This was the only way we could be forgiven for our sins
         – Galatians 2:20-21

And then a third reason why Jesus had to suffer and die is that this was the only way we could be saved. This was the only way we could be forgiven for our sins.

The apostle Paul understood this. He wrote in his letter to the Galatians: “The life I live … I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:20-21) Paul was adamant on this point. If there was any other way we could have been saved, then Christ died for nothing. But there was no other way.

And so, Jesus started this new phase of teaching, and he 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.

   B. Jesus’ confrontation with Peter

Next, we come to Jesus’ confrontation with Peter. First, Peter rebukes Jesus. Then Jesus rebukes Peter!

      1) Peter rebukes Jesus (22)

We find Peter rebuking Jesus in verse 22:

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22)

Peter wasn’t particularly thrilled about this new teaching about Jesus suffering and dying in Jerusalem, and so he takes Jesus aside to rebuke him.

Now, I am sure Peter meant well. I am sure he was concerned about Jesus here, but I believe he was also concerned about himself. Earlier in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus told Peter, “Follow me,” Peter left everything to follow Christ. (Matthew 4:18-20) And he had followed Jesus faithfully all this time.

But now if Jesus was going to suffer and die, what did that mean for those who were following him? It meant that they would possibly suffer and die, too. Peter didn’t like that, so he took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him.

      2) Jesus rebukes Peter (23)

How did Jesus respond? Look at verse 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 things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23)

That’s about as strong a rebuke as you will find in Scripture. It is even more striking when you recall that Peter had just confessed Jesus as the Christ a few moments before this. Peter had just experienced probably the high point of his entire life. He confessed Jesus as Messiah, and Jesus gave him the strongest of all affirmations. Jesus told him: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:17-18) It doesn’t get much better than that! But now Jesus tells Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” It doesn’t get much worse than that!

So why such a strong rebuke? Because remember, Jesus had to suffer and die. Jesus had to go to the cross. It was God’s plan from all eternity, it was the Father’s command to the Son, and it was the only way we could be saved. This was Jesus’ mission, and Peter was trying to turn Jesus away from his mission. Jesus recognized the source, and so he said: “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.” (Matthew 16:23)

Peter understood that Jesus was the Messiah. But he did not yet understand what kind of Messiah Jesus was. Jesus did not come as a political Messiah to deliver the Jews from their bondage to Rome. No, Jesus came as a suffering Messiah to deliver us from our bondage to sin.

Peter didn’t truly understand yet what it meant to follow Jesus. So, Jesus decides it’s time to set the record straight. Which leads us to our next section, where Jesus answers the question: “What does it really mean to be a disciple? What must you do to follow Jesus?”

II. What must you do to follow Jesus? (24-28)

What must you do to follow Jesus? Too many people want the blessings of Christianity without the burdens. They want success without sacrifice. They want the promises without the pain. But there is a cost to discipleship, and that’s what Jesus emphasizes here.

   A. The demands of discipleship (24)

Jesus begins by presenting the demands of discipleship. Look at verse 24:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

Jesus already told the disciples what must happen to him when he got to Jerusalem. Now he tells us what we must do in order to follow him. Jesus gives us three demands of discipleship here: 1) you must deny yourself, 2) you must take up your cross, and 3) you must keep following Jesus. Let’s take a look at each of these.

      1) Deny yourself

The first demand of discipleship is that you deny yourself. Before you followed Christ, let’s face it. You were number one. You made decisions in life according to what you wanted, how they would most benefit you. But now you have a new master. You are a disciple of Christ. Your first loyalty is to him, not to yourself. You need to make decisions according to what will bring the most glory to Christ, not the greatest benefit to you. It’s not about you. It’s all about Jesus.

This first demand of discipleship flies in the face of what we sometimes call prosperity theology today. Prosperity theology says that it is all about you. You see a house you like? Claim that house in prayer! You want a bigger paycheck? Claim that promotion! Prosperity theology says God wants you healthy, wealthy, and even more wealthy. And if you just send that check to the man on the TV screen, God will bless you with even more.

That’s not denying yourself. That’s all about self. You can either affirm yourself and deny Jesus, or you can affirm Jesus and deny yourself. Jesus says the first demand of discipleship is that you deny yourself.

      2) Take up your cross

The second demand of discipleship is that you take up your cross. When a person took up a cross in Jesus’ day, that meant only one thing. It meant that person was going to die. You see, the Romans made you carry your own cross to the place of execution. Jesus started out carrying his cross, but he was so exhausted from the beatings and floggings that they eventually made someone else carry it the rest of the way for him.

We sometimes talk about the minor pains and inconveniences of life as a “cross we have to bear.” I don’t like that phrase. It minimizes the cross. It cheapens what Jesus is talking about here. Carrying the cross does not mean suffering the normal frustrations of life that all people suffer whether they are Christians or not. Carrying the cross means suffering for Christ. It means dying to self and living for God. It refers to the sacrifices you make because you are a Christian, including the willingness to suffer the greatest sacrifice of all – the willingness to give up your life rather than deny Jesus as your Lord and Savior. That’s the second demand of discipleship. Jesus said, “Take up your cross.”

      3) Keep following Jesus

And then the third demand of discipleship is that you keep following Jesus. The first two demands emphasize the actions you take right at the beginning of your walk with Christ. You deny yourself and take up your cross, ready to follow Jesus right to the end. But this third demand emphasizes the continuing nature of discipleship. Following Jesus means that you go the distance. You don’t just start out on the path, but you continue to die daily to self as you keep following Jesus for the rest of your life.

   B. Reasons for discipleship

You might say, “Wow! Those are some pretty strong demands of discipleship.” And you’re right, they are. Jesus knew that this was a hard saying, so he followed up the demands of discipleship with some reasons for discipleship – three reasons why you should accept these demands and follow Christ.

      1) Your life depends on it (25)

The first reason is that your life depends on it. Look at verse 25. Jesus says:

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)

Verse 25 states a paradox. If you try to save your life by living for yourself and for your own goals or desires, you will end up losing it. But if you lose your life for Jesus, if you deny yourself and follow Christ, your life will be saved.

In the parallel passage in the gospel of Mark, Jesus says: “Whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35) Once again, why did Jesus come to earth? What was his mission? To suffer and die for sin, and to rise from the dead on the third day. That is the gospel. That is the message that we must share with our family and friends and neighbors and co-workers. That is the message that we must spread around the world through the work of evangelism and missions. Jesus said if you lose your life for him and the gospel, you will save your life.

Why should you accept Jesus’ demands of discipleship? First of all, because your life depends on it.

      2) What is more valuable than your life? (26)

And then, the second reason is related to the first. What is more valuable than your life? Look at verse 26:

“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?” (Matthew 16:26)

These are what we call rhetorical questions; in other words, they are left unanswered because the answers are so obvious. What good is it if you gain the whole world and yet forfeit your soul? The answer is, “No good at all!” You could gain everything, you could have more money, wealth and power than any other human being who has ever lived, and it means absolutely nothing if you lose your life or your soul in the process. And then, what can you give in exchange for your soul? Nothing! Nothing is as valuable as your soul.

And so, our lives need to be focused on Jesus and the gospel, not on the accumulation of money and material things in this life. Contrary to the way so many people live their lives, you can’t take it with you. You never see a hearse towing a U-Haul. You can’t take it with you, but you can send it ahead. If you lose your life for Jesus and the gospel, you will store up treasure in heaven that will never fade away.

      3) Christ will return in power and glory (27-28)

Why should you accept Jesus’ demands of discipleship? 1) Your life depends on it. 2) What is more valuable than your life? And 3) Christ will return in power and glory. Look at verses 27-28:

“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. 28 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 16:27-28)

Christ died, Christ rose again, and Christ will return in power and glory. When Christ returns, there will be a judgment. He will reward each person according to what he has done. You will be judged on how you lived your life, whether you lived for self or lived for God.

When Christ returns, the time of suffering for his followers will be over. All those who followed Christ into suffering will now follow him into victory. Remember, that is what Peter wanted. He wanted the victory! He just wanted it without the suffering. But you can’t go around the cross. There’s an old song that goes, “Everyone wants to go to heaven, Lord. Nobody wants to die!” Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

Jesus also said that some who were standing there “would not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28) We will talk more about that next week when we look at the account of the transfiguration in Matthew 17. For now, though, just realize that Christ could return at any time. No one knows the hour of his return, and so we need to be ready at all times.

CONCLUSION: In conclusion, let me end with three words of application.

1) Discipleship is for everyone. There are not two classes of Christians, those who just believe in Jesus and then those who follow him in discipleship. No, discipleship is for everyone. If you are not following Jesus, then you cannot call yourself a Christian.

2) Not everyone who starts following Jesus keeps following Jesus. The gospels tell us that many who started following Jesus turned back when they realized the demands of discipleship. Does that mean they lost their salvation? No, I don’t believe they were ever really saved to begin with. When you truly believe, when you have truly taken that first step of denying yourself and taking up your cross, you will demonstrate that faith by persevering in your faith. Not everyone who starts following Jesus keeps following Jesus. Starting out is not enough. You know that your faith is genuine when you keep following Christ.

And then finally, 3) Following Jesus is the best decision you will ever make; not following Jesus is the worst decision you will ever make. “If you don’t bear the cross, then you can’t wear the crown.” The demands of discipleship may be severe, but the rewards are great. There is nothing that compares with following Jesus. Following yourself is a dead-end street. You weren’t made for yourself. You were made for God. You were made for Jesus. When you follow Jesus, you will find peace and joy and meaning in life. But if you don’t follow Jesus, you will miss out on your ultimate purpose. And you will experience God’s fierce judgment for your sin. Following Jesus is the best decision you will ever make; not following Jesus is the worst decision you will ever make. God calls every one of us to true discipleship.

© Ray Fowler

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