Foreshadowing of the Cross
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near when He would establish His kingdom. That the hatred of the
priests and rabbis would never be overcome, that Christ would be
rejected by His own nation, condemned as a deceiver, and crucified
as a malefactor,—such a thought the disciples had never entertained.
But the hour of the power of darkness was drawing on, and Jesus must
open to His disciples the conflict before them. He was sad as He
anticipated the trial.
Hitherto He had refrained from making known to them anything
relative to His sufferings and death. In His conversation with Nicode-
mus He had said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:14, 15
. But
the disciples did not hear this, and had they heard, would not have
understood. But now they have been with Jesus, listening to His
words, beholding His works, until, notwithstanding the humility of
His surroundings, and the opposition of priests and people, they can
join in the testimony of Peter, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God.” Now the time has come for the veil that hides the future
to be withdrawn. “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His
disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things
of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised
again the third day.”
Speechless with grief and amazement, the disciples listened. Christ
had accepted Peter’s acknowledgment of Him as the Son of God; and
now His words pointing to His suffering and death seemed incompre-
hensible. Peter could not keep silent. He laid hold upon his Master, as
if to draw Him back from His impending doom, exclaiming, “Be it far
from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.”
Peter loved his Lord; but Jesus did not commend him for thus
manifesting the desire to shield Him from suffering. Peter’s words
were not such as would be a help and solace to Jesus in the great trial
before Him. They were not in harmony with God’s purpose of grace
toward a lost world, nor with the lesson of self-sacrifice that Jesus had
come to teach by His own example. Peter did not desire to see the
cross in the work of Christ. The impression which his words would
make was directly opposed to that which Christ desired to make on
the minds of His followers, and the Saviour was moved to utter one of
the sternest rebukes that ever fell from His lips: “Get thee behind Me,
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