Matthew 16:21-28

This week, Matthew’s Gospel turns from Jesus’ journeys to the regions north of Israel, laying the groundwork for his redemptive death and resurrection in Jerusalem. The drama begins to heighten with our passage for September 3 — Matthew 16:21-28.

There are three dramatic parts to this passage: Matthew 16:21-23, in which Jesus tells the disciples about his crucifixion and resurrection; Matthew 16:24-26, in which he describes the cost of discipleship; and Matthew 16:27-28, in which he talks about the end-times.

Can you trace how these three parts connect and interact with each other?

Jesus talks not only about losing his life for the sake of his mission, but of the need for us disciples to lose our lives: “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). What do you suppose this means? Jesus does not mean that we all must die a sacrificial death (though many of his disciples have through the years). What then is it to lose one’s life for his sake?

Behind all of this lurks love — God’s steadfast love for us, and our love for God as God is revealed in Jesus Christ. How would you describe love’s role in our discipleship?