Getting in the Way...

 

Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

As we have seen throughout Matthew's Gospel, Jesus faced a lot of opposition.  That is brought to the forefront at the beginning of Jesus chapter, when He is directly challenged by the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus then warns his disciples to not fall into the same trap.  Matthew then records Peter's famous declaration of Who Jesus is: the Christ. It is at this point that the above event took place. Peter had just proclaimed Christ's authority as the anointed one, then tells Jesus He cannot do what He came to do. As much as the religious leaders tried to "get in the way" of Jesus, His own had a tendency to do the same. May we beware our own tendency. The answer is, of course, as Jesus goes on to say, is to take up our cross and follow after Him, not get in His way.