‘From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised’ (Matthew 16:21).
In Matthew’s time many Jews were waiting for the Messiah, the Saviour promised by God (Isaiah 9:5). There was great hope that He would deliver Israel from the Romans, who were the occupiers at that time. If you live in an occupied territory yourself, or if your country suffers at the hands of extremist groups, you can imagine what that must have been like.
Jesus’ work as Messiah, however, went far beyond ‘mere’ earthly redemption. He would root out all evil through the humiliation of self-suffering. To the people, this seemed contradictory. Jesus’ disciples had their own expectations of what the Messiah would accomplish. Peter felt the urge to admonish Jesus. Jesus responded sharply. Through Peter’s words, Satan tempted Him (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan wanted to prevent Jesus from doing God’s will. Jesus refused to be hindered by the hidden ‘stumbling block’ in Peter’s remarks. And that is why Jesus had to go to Jerusalem. To fulfil the will of the Father there.
Food for thought: Jesus had to go to Jerusalem. Meditate on those words for a few minutes. How do they speak to you? What would you like to say to Jesus about this?