Matthew 16:21-23

“But 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.’” vs. 23 

Peter, obviously basking in the recognition given him by Jesus, mistakenly assumes that his new role gave him permission to question the dismal picture of the future painted by Jesus. Like most Jews he strongly believed that the messiah would restore the kingdom of Israel. So when Jesus said he was going to suffer, be crucified, and die, he refused to believe it.

But Jesus was insistent. He’d heard the whispering of Satan before, and Peter’s words were but an echo of the wilderness temptations. He doesn’t fire Peter or replace him with one of the sons of Zebedee. Peter would still be the rock on which he would build his church, but he still didn’t get the vision. He still didn’t know how critical suffering was to the big picture.

It’s hard to put aside the rose-colored glasses that allow us to ignore the pain and suffering of this world. We want so badly for everything to be nice and according to plan. We want good people to triumph and prosper while evil folks get what’s coming to them. We just can’t see that it’s in the crucible of life, where pain and suffering abound, that we find our strength and our glory. It’s there that we come face to face with resurrection and are raised up to be our true selves.

Thought for the Day: What am I doing to avoid suffering?