God Things
Matthew 16:23 "Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me, you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man." In the past, whenever I've read this verse, my focus was on the first few words. I often thought how they must have hurt or offended or even shamed Peter. But, the point of this verse is not found there. The meat of this passage and when Jesus tells Peter that his earlier refutation of His future is because of Peter's lack of understanding about "God things". This trip to Jerusalem, the horror of Christ's suffering, the murder of the Messiah and the glory of His resurrection are all apart of a plan--God's plan. While the kiss of betrayal, the abandonment of ALL the followers was absolutely heartbreaking and the abuse and conspiracy of those claiming relationship with His own Father was incomprehensible and horrific, the entirety of this event is the vacating of the tomb! Protection of one's own life and...