He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Mark 8:31-32 NIV
No one want’s to suffer and Peter reacted the same way we react when someone we love is suffering. Our immediate response is to cry out to God to remove the suffering. That’s our human nature. But Jesus was sharing with his disciples the plan of God to redeem mankind. This was the whole reason Jesus came to earth in the first place. The plan involved suffering; there was just no way around that!
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Mark 8:33 NIV
Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, and though he rebuked Peter, he addressed Satan. Why? Because Peter’s desire for Jesus to avoid the cross lined up with Satan’s plan rather than God’s plan. Peter’s response was a very human one; avoid suffering at all costs. That’s the goal of our human nature. But Peter didn’t consider the thought that God’s plans might require suffering. Do we fall into that same trap? Are we quick to assume, when we, or our love ones are suffering, that we are not in the center of God’s will? Do we, like Peter, cry out to God to remove our suffering, without considering that perhaps the suffering is part of God’s plan?
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. Mark 8:34-35 NIV
What does it mean to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus? I believe it requires a shift in our focus and a break from our human nature. Our goal must be to live in the will of God rather than to avoid suffering. God’s plans don’t always require us to suffer, but when they do, if our focus is on God, we will not experience a crisis of faith when God leads us through suffering for his sake. To lose our lives for Jesus and for the gospel requires us to accept that suffering will be part of the journey. Jesus suffered for us. Are we willing to suffer for Him?
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Mark 8:36 NIV
This question helps us keep the proper perspective. Human nature leads us to pursue an easy, prosperous life in this world. But what good is obtaining that if we end up distant from God and eternally separate from Him? Instead, we are wise to pursue God and let Him determine how our lives turn out in this world. If suffering is part of the journey, so be it. We will have all eternity in God’s presence to forget the pain and bask in the joy of our salvation!