Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:31-38
Peter wasn’t really demonic; he liked having Jesus around, teaching and ministering and didn’t want it to change. But where would we have been had Jesus not gone to Calvary? We would be without hope. Paul, rebuking those in Corinth, who were saying that there was no resurrection reminded them that, “if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty.” (1Co 15:13-14 NKJ)
I know that Easter is not the beginning of the calendar year, but perhaps it’s the beginning of something new for all of us, a new journey, the next chapter, or the crucial piece in the puzzle. What will life be for us if we don’t take that next step of faith? The lyrics of an old chorus tell us:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives! (Gaither)
We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow.
