Matthew 16:24-38

Matthew 16:24-38

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross, and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world

and forfeit his life?

Or what can one give in exchange for his life?

For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,

and then he will repay each according to his conduct.

Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here

who will not taste death

until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I desire to lose my life and die to myself to gain eternal life. I will put off my old self and put on my new self through your Son and in your Spirit. I offer you my life and my deeds, empowered by the grace of your Son.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Rock or Stumbling Block? In the Gospel, Jesus has just rebuked Simon Peter for trying to tempt him from going to Jerusalem to suffer and be crucified. Peter was thinking as human beings do and not as God does. Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. However, when Jesus revealed to him that as the Messiah he must suffer and be killed, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him. Jesus turned and said to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men” (Matthew 16:23). Peter was the Rock when he listened to the voice of the Father, but he became a stumbling block when he listened to the lies of the devil. The same disciple who confessed Jesus as the Christ needed to be purified in his understanding of what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah. Peter wanted the glory of the kingdom without the suffering of the Cross. Jesus taught him that the path to resurrection must first pass through death, and the disciple must follow the same path.

2. The Way of Christ: Jesus then tells his disciples that not only will he suffer on the Cross, but that they, as his followers, must also carry their own cross. The way of Christ leads to glory but passes through the Cross. If we renounce our cross and try to hold on to the passing things of this life, we risk losing the gift of eternal life. To take up the cross is not simply to endure unavoidable hardships; it is to freely surrender our lives to the will of the Father, just as Jesus surrendered himself in love. The Cross reveals the pattern of Christian discipleship: we must die to selfishness in order to receive the fullness of life that God desires to give us. Every attachment that competes with our love for God must be surrendered so that Christ may live more fully within us.

3. Turning Our Gaze toward Heaven: Throughout his Gospel, Matthew records Jesus’ teaching on poverty of spirit, detachment from earthly wealth and creatures, and storing up heavenly treasure. The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit (5:3); we are to lay up treasure in heaven and not here on earth (6:19-21); we are not to be anxious about our life, for our heavenly Father knows all that we need; we should seek first the kingdom and God's righteousness and all the things we need shall be ours (6:25-34); the one who loses his life on behalf of Jesus will find life (10:39); finally, the kingdom of heaven is worth selling all we possess in order to obtain it (13:44-45). Jesus turns the gaze of the Apostles, and our gaze, from the things of earth to the things of heaven. As we look toward heaven, we see that he is the Son of Man who comes with his angels in the glory of the Father. In fact, three of the Apostles will see the glory, dominion, and kingship of the Son of Man in Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8). The glory revealed on Mount Tabor is the Father’s answer to Peter’s temptation: the Cross is not the defeat of the Messiah; it is the path by which the Son of Man enters into his glory.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, one day you will return to judge the world. I know that you will judge me at the moment of my death. As I contemplate that encounter, I ask you to enlighten my mind to know my faults, to move me to contrition and repentance, and to strengthen my will to resist temptation in the future.

Living the Word of God: Jesus comes in glory to repay each man according to his conduct. And so, the question put to us today is this: Am I greedily storing up treasure on earth for myself, or am I giving to the poor, serving my brothers and sisters, and storing up treasure in heaven? The first way, the way of pride and avarice, leads to death; the second way, the way of the cross and discipleship, leads to life.