Matthew 16:21-26 (2)
Matthew
21 Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ⸂ὁ Ἰησοῦς⸃ δεικνύειν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ⸉εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἀπελθεῖν⸊ καὶ πολλὰ παθεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ ἀρχιερέων καὶ γραμματέων ⸆ καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι καὶ* ⸄τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγερθῆναι⸅. *22 καὶ προσλαβόμενος αὐτὸν ὁ Πέτρος ⸂ἤρξατο ἐπιτιμᾶν αὐτῷ λέγων⸃·* ἵλεώς σοι, κύριε· οὐ μὴ ἔσται ⸄σοι τοῦτο⸅. 23 ὁ δὲ ⸀στραφεὶς εἶπεν τῷ Πέτρῳ· ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου,* σατανᾶ· σκάνδαλον ⸂εἶ ἐμοῦ⸃, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ⸄ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων⸅.
*24 Τότε ⸂ὁ Ἰησοῦς⸃ εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι. 25 ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει αὐτήν·* ὃς δʼ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν. 26 τί γὰρ ⸀ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ;* ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;
Those that engage in any great good work must expect to meet with hindrance and opposition from friends and foes, from within and from without. [2.] Those that obstruct our progress in any duty must be looked upon as an offence to us. Then we do the will of God as Christ did, whose meat and drink it was to do it, when it is a trouble to us to be solicited from our duty. Those that hinder us from doing or suffering for God, when we are called to it, whatever they are in other things in that they are Satans, adversaries to us.
Thou savourest not the things that are of God, but those that are of men. Note, [1.] The things that are of God, that is, the concerns of his will and glory, often clash and interfere with the things that are of men, that is, with our own wealth, pleasure, and reputation.
Pain, Purpose of
“There is an ancient Chinese philosophy which says: ‘To be dry and thirsty in a hot and dusty land—and to feel great drops of rain on my bare skin—ah, is this not happiness? To have an itch in the private parts of my body—and finally to escape from my friends and to a hiding place where I can scratch—ah, is this not happiness?’ Pain and pleasure are inextricably linked. The pleasure would not exist, or least be recognized, if it were not for pain” (Philip Yancey, Where Is God When It Hurts [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978], p. 46).938