Scripture
Jesus Predicts His Death
21From then on Jesus[1] began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
22But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him[2] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
23Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?[3] Is anything worth more than your soul? 27For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
Translation notes (3)
- 16:21 Some manuscripts read Jesus the Messiah.
- 16:22 Or began to correct him.
- 16:26 Or your self? also in 16:26b.
You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. James 4:4
As we read through Scripture, it becomes clear that there are two paths we can take in life: the way of the world or the way of God. These paths take us in two very different directions. The world leads us toward death and destruction. God's path leads us toward life. The question is, do we have the humility to turn to God instead of the things of this world?
If we want to embrace humility, we must understand that we cannot live for God and the world. James said it this way in James 4, "Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. These are strong words. We cannot have a friendship with both the world and God. If we want to live humble lives, we must let go of a friendship with the world and a desire to live according to the world's ways. We have to choose to follow and honor God above anything else. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 16:24, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me." This is a call to lay down our desires, hopes, and dreams for the sake of Christ. It is a call to live radically differently than the rest of the world. This is true, genuine humility.
We get to choose who to live for: God or this world. We cannot choose both. If we want to embrace humility, we have to choose God and His kingdom over the things of this world. This means choosing generosity over hoarding, sacrificing when the world does not understand, and living to please God over people. Living this way requires humility, setting aside our own desires for something far better: the Kingdom of God. Will you live for Him today?
Moving toward action
Pull out your journal or a notebook and reflect. What things of this world have you been holding on to instead of living for God and His kingdom? What would it look like to humbly let go of these things and turn to God instead?
Going Deeper
Matthew 16:21-28
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