Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Then 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 worldand 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 all according to his conduct.” Matthew 16:21-27
Take up your cross and follow Jesus and you will have salvation and eternal life. If you lose your life for Jesus’ sake you will find it. Do not reject the way of the Cross and fall into the trap of avoiding suffering but realize that Christ freely and lovingly embracing suffering at the hands of sinners was the greatest act of love the world has ever witnessed. Peter could not see that truth yet and that beyond the horror of suffering was the divine good that would come from Jesus sacrificial embrace of it. Reflect today that we must never run from the Cross. We must never run from the embrace of suffering no matter what the circumstances. God will transform our embrace of suffering into a means of His eternal glory and our sanctification. Reject the lies of Satan that suffering is meaningless. Choose to lay down your life with Christ and rise with Christ in his victory over sin and death as you overcome the sufferings of this life by your free and faithful embrace.