Resource Detail

2025 Study of Matthew’s Gospel

THE WAY OF THE MESSIAH, THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLE

Matthew 16:21-28

1. What did Jesus begin to teach his disciples about the way of the Messiah (21)? Why did Jesus sharply rebuke Peter, calling him a “stumbling block” (22-23)? What does Jesus mean when he says that anyone who wants to be his disciple must “deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow” him (24)? What does Jesus’ teaching reveal about the true value of life (25-28)?
2. What is your personal confession of faith about who Jesus is? What does following Jesus practically look like for you right now?

2025 Matthew’s Gospel September 21 , 2025

THE WAY OF THE MESSIAH,

THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLE

Matthew 16:21-28

Key Verse 16:24

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

It’s September 21 today. Just ten days ago, our nation stopped once again to remember September 11, 2001. That day is engraved on our hearts—when so many lives were lost in the collapse of the Twin Towers. Thousands of people were desperately running out of the buildings, trying to escape. But while everyone else was coming down, there were some who went the other way. They went up. They went in. They were the firefighters. On that day, 343 FDNY firefighters gave their lives. We honor their sacrifice. I want to ask you if you have heard of the “Forgotten 344th Firefighter.” His name was Keith Michael Roma. He wasn’t officially counted among the 343 because he belonged to the Fire Patrol, not the FDNY. Keith was only twenty-seven years old. On 9/11, he ran into the North Tower again and again. Witnesses say he escorted more than two hundred people to safety. He carried one woman in his arms who couldn’t walk through the broken glass. The last time anyone saw him, he was with nine civilians, guiding them down. When rescuers later found his body on Christmas Eve, he was still with those nine people. That’s why many call him the Forgotten 344th Firefighter. Jesus once said, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Keith Roma didn’t cling to his life. He gave it away so that others could live. And that’s the heart of discipleship—denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus.

Last week, we learned about Peter’s confession of faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” This confession means, “Jesus, you are my King, my Savior.” Right after the disciples recognized Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus began to teach them about the way of the Messiah. “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must 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.” (21) That phrase—“from that time on”—is a turning point. Up to this point, Jesus had been revealing to his disciples who he was—preaching the good news, healing the sick, feeding the crowd, and even walking on water. But now he was about to take them deeper. Now he would teach them what the way of the Messiah really is, and what it truly means to walk the way of a disciple.

Jesus says, “I must go to Jerusalem.” Not “maybe,” not “if things go wrong,” but must. Jerusalem was the center of religion, power, and politics. Going there meant confrontation, rejection, and death. This was a few months before Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus knew what was coming, but he still went forward. And he tells them, “I must suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that I must be killed.” That was not exactly what the disciples expected to hear from Jesus. They thought: “Wait—what? Messiah means victory, not suffering. Messiah means crown, not cross.” But suffering and death are exactly the way of the Messiah. Why? Because of our sins. The Messiah came into this world to forgive our sins and to save us. The punishment we deserved was placed on him. Jesus, the Lamb of God, carried our sins, bore our shame, and took our death. In Jerusalem, Jesus was flogged, beaten, nailed to the cross, and still praying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” That’s the way of the Messiah. But it doesn’t end there. Jesus says, “and on the third day be raised to life.” It leads to resurrection—victory over sin and death, eternal life for all who believe.

The disciples, though, didn’t really hear that part. They got stuck on suffering and death. Now look at Peter’s reaction. “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” (22) Peter—who just confessed, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”—steps forward. He pulls Jesus aside. Like, “Jesus, hold up. Can I talk to you privately for a second? We need to straighten this out.” And then Peter rebuked him. Think about that. A disciple rebuking his teacher. That’s bold. The NASB translates it, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” It’s almost like Peter is saying, “May God have mercy on you, Lord. Don’t even say things like that. This will never happen to you.”

Why such a strong reaction? Because the Messiah Peter believed in and the Messiah Jesus described were two completely different pictures. Peter—and most Jews of that time—imagined the Messiah as the one who would restore Israel, rebuild the kingdom of David, overthrow the Romans, and establish a powerful and prosperous nation. Victory, not suffering. A throne, not a cross. So when Jesus started talking about rejection, suffering, and death, Peter couldn’t handle it. It didn’t fit his expectations. He probably thought he was being loyal—protecting Jesus, trying to give him encouraging words: “Jesus, don’t talk like that. Be strong! You’re supposed to conquer Rome, not get killed by them. You’re supposed to make Israel great again, not suffer at the hands of our enemies.” And maybe there was some personal interest mixed in. Peter loved Jesus deeply and couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. But Peter also had dreams. If Jesus became king, Peter would be right there at his side. Power, influence, maybe even wealth. A comfortable, successful life in the kingdom. He had already tasted some of Jesus’ power and believed he could do it. So, of course, Peter resisted the idea of a suffering Messiah. And that raises a question for us: What kind of Messiah are we looking for? Do we expect Jesus to give us success, comfort, and worldly glory? Or are we ready to follow the Messiah who walks the way of the cross?

Then Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Whoa. That’s intense. Just a few moments before, Jesus had praised and blessed Peter, saying, “Blessed are you, Simon, for this was revealed to you by my Father in heaven.” And now? “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter went from heaven to hell in just ten minutes. What a turnaround! When Jesus says, “Get behind me,” he’s basically saying: “Peter, you’re out of place. You’re not supposed to stand in front of me, telling me where to go. You’re supposed to be behind me, following.” Disciples don’t lead the Master—they follow him. Then Jesus calls him “Satan.” That sounds harsh, but Jesus isn’t saying Peter is Satan. He’s saying: “Right now, your words are echoing Satan’s temptation.” Remember the wilderness? Satan had already tried to get Jesus to avoid the path of suffering and take the easy road to glory. Now, through Peter, the same temptation is back: Skip the cross, go straight to the crown.

Jesus continues: “You are a stumbling block to me.” The word “stumbling block” comes from the idea of a trap, something that makes you trip and fall. And then Jesus explains the root problem: “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Peter’s mind was set on human concerns, not on God’s concerns. He wanted safety, success, power—the things we all naturally want. And honestly, that’s where we stumble, too. When I decided to follow Jesus, I gave up my human dream of becoming a judge. When my mother found out, she called me in tears. Over the phone, she cried, “Come back home. Let’s talk.” She tried to persuade me to join the military so I couldn’t go to church. Her words came from love for me, but they were driven by human concerns, not God’s concerns. Isn’t that how temptation often comes? Not through some evil-looking monster, but through a friend, a parent, even our own inner voice saying, “Don’t go that way. It’s too hard. Find an easy path to glory.” It sounds caring. But in reality, it can destroy us.

Jesus says: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (24) Notice that first word—whoever. It applies to anyone who says, “I want to be a disciple of Jesus. I want to follow him.” What does disciple mean? A disciple is someone who learns from and follows a teacher. Disciples walk with their teacher, live with him, learn everything from him, and then try to live the same way. Do you want to be a disciple of Jesus? Isn’t it enough just to believe in him? I once asked a young man a question: “Why do you want to be a disciple of Jesus?” Do you know what he said? “Because I love Jesus.” I was amazed by his answer. We love Jesus because he first loved us. He gave his life for us on the cross. Through his love, we received a new life. That’s why we love him, too. And because we love him, we want to follow him. We want to imitate him. We want to learn his heart—his compassion, his mercy, his truth, his grace. We want to live the way he lived, bringing God’s love into this world. We want to share the good news of salvation with others. And yes, we even want to learn the way of his cross—his death and his resurrection power—because that’s where true life is found. That’s why we long to be disciples. Because we love Jesus, and we want our lives to look like his.

But then Jesus gets specific. He says, “must.” This isn’t optional. “Must deny themselves.” What does that mean? It doesn’t mean hating yourself, but it does mean saying NO to yourself. It means surrendering your own will and desires so that God’s will comes first. It’s choosing Jesus’ way over my own way. It’s learning to let go of selfishness, pride, and comfort, so that we can follow Christ faithfully. This teaching of Jesus feels opposite to the culture of today’s young people. Our culture says: “Don’t deny yourself—say ‘YES’ to yourself! Do what feels right.” Every commercial, every influencer, every motivational speaker seems to tell us that the key to happiness is to give yourself whatever you want. But Jesus says something radically different: “If you want to be my disciple, you must deny yourself.” And the paradox is this: when you say “no” to yourself and “yes” to Jesus, you discover your true self. You don’t lose your life—you find it.

And then Jesus says, “Take up their cross.” Now, to us, the cross can feel like jewelry or a church symbol. But to the disciples, the cross meant death. It was the most shameful, painful way to die. So when Jesus said this, the disciples would’ve been shocked. Jesus was saying: “Following me isn’t about comfort, it’s about sacrifice. It’s carrying whatever burden comes with obedience to God, even if it costs you everything.” So what does it mean for us today to take up our cross? It means forgiving someone who hurt you deeply. It means walking away from a habit, an addiction, or even a relationship that keeps dragging you away from God. It means loving and serving someone who can’t give you anything back in return. It means putting generosity ahead of selfishness—choosing to give your time, your energy, your money—not just to make yourself more comfortable, but to bless others. It means saying “YES” to Jesus and “NO” to yourself—aligning your life with him, no matter what it costs.

Jesus invites his disciples, “Follow me.” That’s the heart of discipleship. It means saying: “Jesus, wherever you go, I’ll go. Wherever you lead, I’ll follow.” So here’s the question: do you want to be his disciple? It’s not an easy way. So why should you choose this way of denying yourself and taking up your cross? Jesus gives us two reasons.

First, because it’s the only way to find eternal life. “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” (25) Think about it. We only get one life. And all of us are trying to make something out of it. Some chase after money, some chase after success, some chase after romance, and some chase after power. And Jesus says: you can chase all those things, you can even succeed, but if you do it at the cost of your soul, what’s the point? “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” When I was kidnapped in Venezuela, the kidnappers asked me a question: “What’s more important to you—money or your life?” They told me that if I wanted to save my life, I had to give them money. Even the evil men of this world know that life is more valuable than money. Imagine someone offers you the entire world—every dollar, every car, every house, every position of power—but the price tag is your soul. Would that be worth it? When we lose our lives for Jesus, we will find eternal life.

Second, because when Jesus returns, he will reward us. “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” (27) This means that your sacrifice for Jesus isn’t wasted. Your obedience to Jesus isn’t forgotten. Every time you choose serving others over serving yourself, every time you give up something for the sake of Christ, it’s not meaningless. Jesus sees it. And when he comes, he will reward it.

I really appreciate each of you who is serving Jesus faithfully—on campuses, in homes, and in workplaces. Some of you open your homes to welcome those who are in need. Some of you serve Bible students with the love of Jesus. Some of you sacrifice your time to pray for others. Last Friday, we had a Young Adult Praise & Worship Night. Thank you to everyone who invited many young people. Joseph Han Jr. delivered a very insightful message. He shared how he made the decision to lay down his own life and serve Jesus. I believe his testimony touched the hearts of everyone who participated. Jesus will reward each of us according to what we have done for Jesus and His kingdom.

So let me ask you again: Do you want to be Jesus’ disciple? If you do, then Jesus is clear—deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. It won’t always be easy. But it’s the only way that leads to eternal life. When you lose your life for Jesus, you will find it. When you say NO to yourself and YES to Jesus, you discover joy, freedom, and the purpose of your life. And one day, when Jesus comes in glory, he will reward us. So follow Jesus. Be his disciple. Jesus will greatly bless your life.