When we read today, passage, we see Peter standing up and ready to defend Jesus as Jesus is explaining to the disciples that the time has come for him to “go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (verse 21). My brother, my sister, we all remember all the events, but what do they truly mean for us as followers of Christ today.
In fact, Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus but it is also a day that should make us remember that without the cross, the resurrection was not going to be possible. Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus showed He had the power and wisdom to do the will of God, but that also led him to the Cross. My friend, it is true that what happens on Sunday, the empty tomb is what we mostly celebrate. Yet we should not forget that the emty tomb is the result of the Cross. So, if the Cross was the road for Jesus, it s the road for every believer of Jesus because everything changes at the Cross and our faith in God grows at the Cross: “Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (verses 24-25). Indeed, Jesus demonstrates to us that it was his trust in the Father’s promise to resurrect Him that strengthened Him when He was afflicted (Matthew 27:26), beaten (Luke 22:63-64), spit upon (Matthew 27:30), when His beard was pulled from His face (Isaiah 50:6), mocked (Matthew 27:26-29), stripped naked (Matthew 27:35), nailed to the Cross (Matthew 27:38).
Let’s all remember that we need to go through the Cross and it is not an option for whoever claims to be a Christian. It is the road we all need to go through in faith, knowing that the Lord promised to be with us always. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.