The Way of Following Jesus (Matthew 16:21–28)

[Stephan Choe]

July 7, 2026

Key Verse 21: “From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and teachers of the law, and be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Last week, we looked at Peter’s confession of faith. When Peter confessed his faith in Jesus, Jesus promised to build his church upon this confession. Furthermore, Jesus declared that the powers of hell could not overcome his church and that this church would become the gateway to the kingdom of heaven (16:17–19).

Following this confession, Jesus explains to his disciples that he will suffer in Jerusalem, be killed, and rise again on the third day.

However, Peter tries to dissuade Jesus from this path of suffering and death. In response, Jesus explains the way of discipleship to his disciples—and to us.

The suffering of Jesus, his death on the cross, and his resurrection constitute his essential work. Therefore, we must understand the significance of his suffering, death, and resurrection for our own lives. Moreover, we must learn to take up our own cross and follow Jesus.

1. The announcement of his death and resurrection (21)

Simon Peter confessed to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

His confession is entirely correct, for Jesus is indeed the Christ and the Son of God.

Following this confession, Jesus begins to reveal to His disciples the nature of His ministry as the Christ. He says that He will suffer great agony in Jerusalem—specifically, that He will be tormented and killed by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, but raised to life on the third day (21). The thought of Jesus’s agonizing death fills us with deep sorrow. Why did Jesus have to die such a painful death?

The prophet Isaiah foretold His agonizing death some 700 years in advance, “He was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities... The punishment that brought us peace [i.e., forgiveness] was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all went astray like sheep; each of us turned to his own way. Yet the Lord laid the guilt of us all upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5–6).

Because of our sin, we ought to have been punished and condemned to hell. One may not be aware of any sin, yet there is no person without sin. And God’s Word states in Hebrews 9:22 that the price for all sin must be paid with one’s own life.

Although Jesus died through the malice of the elders, high priests, and scribes, He is the Christ of God. As our substitute, He took all our sins upon Himself and died on the cross. God accepts His death as an atoning sacrifice for all people; He forgives the sins of those who have repented and believe in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection, and He accepts us as His children. In this way, our sins are completely wiped away, and we become children of God.

Jesus’ death and resurrection constitute His principal work as Christ. This is the Good News that redeems us from the power of sin and hell and makes us children of God.

That is why the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

Whoever confesses their sin and believes in Jesus as the Savior and Son of God receives forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and becomes a child of God. Had Jesus not died on the cross, there would be neither forgiveness nor eternal life for us. Yet through His death and resurrection, the gate to forgiveness and eternal life stands wide open, for the death of Jesus and His Gospel are the Good News for all people. We should gratefully accept this Good News. The devil and his powers cannot rob us of the grace of forgiveness and eternal life—even though they try with all their might—for Jesus promised Peter and us, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (18).

We can be certain of our eternal salvation, just as Jesus says, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one shall snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). We call this the assurance of salvation. Possessing this assurance grants us deep peace and great joy. In peace and joy, we can thank God and serve others, thereby bearing abundant fruit of faith for God.

May God grant you such assurance of salvation, peace of heart, and joy.

Unfortunately, there are many false Christs who claim to be the Christ and the Savior of the world. That is why Jesus warns us in advance, “Watch out that no one deceives you! For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4–5).

Jesus Christ is the only Christ in all of history. We must not let anything or anyone lead us astray. Jesus alone is the Son of God and our Savior. Only through faith in Jesus Christ can we receive forgiveness and eternal life. That is why Peter says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Therefore, our thanks and worship belong to Jesus alone.

2. Jesus’ Rebuke of Peter (22–23)

Peter has acknowledged Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God. Yet, upon hearing Jesus’ announcement of His suffering, death, and resurrection, he takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him, “Far be it from You, Lord! This shall never happen to You!” (22).

We can certainly understand Peter. He left everything behind to follow Jesus. What would become of him if Jesus were to die now? Would people not mock him as a fool? That is why Peter tries everything to dissuade Jesus from walking the path to death. It is not just about Peter; no one wants to suffer, let alone die. That is human nature.

How does Jesus respond to Peter’s advice?

Let us look at verse 23! Jesus says to him, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jesus openly rebukes Peter. He calls him “Satan” and tells him not to lead Him into temptation. Of course, Jesus does not mean that Peter is Satan himself. Rather, He means that, because of his human way of thinking, Peter is being used by the Devil as an instrument to destroy God’s work of salvation. Early in His ministry, the Devil had already tried to divert Jesus from the path of suffering by urging Him to choose the path of earthly glory instead (4:8–10).

Jesus resolutely resists the Devil’s temptation—which confronts Him through Peter—and says: “Get away from me, Satan!”

The most difficult temptations often come from people close to us—from people who sincerely love us. They try to shield us from potential dangers and risks when we want to follow God’s path.

What can we learn from this story? Jesus says to Peter, "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Peter’s problem is that he focuses not on what God wants, but on what people want. His well-intentioned opinion does not align with God’s will.

Many Christians today assume that their own intentions are automatically God’s will. They view all suffering as something bad. Jesus himself desires neither suffering nor death; that is why he prays to God in Gethsemane. What does he pray for? Does he pray primarily for what he himself wants? No. He prays that God’s will be done.

We should learn from Jesus to pray to God that He allows us to follow His will. We should take these words to heart, "Without the cross, there is no glory." That is why one translation renders Jesus’ words in verse 23 as follows, "Get away from me, Satan! Christians must love the way of the cross and follow Jesus in this respect as well."

We should ask ourselves whether we want to follow our own desires or God’s will. We should remember what we ask for in the Lord’s Prayer: "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

3. The Path of Discipleship (24–28)

The twelve disciples had followed Jesus for nearly three years. Now, Jesus wishes to teach His disciples the true path of discipleship so that they may become faithful followers.

However, discipleship is not limited to the twelve apostles alone. Jesus leaves the door open for anyone to follow Him, He excludes no one. Anyone can become His follower, provided they adopt the right attitude as a disciple of Jesus. Paul is an outstanding example. Although he came to faith later than the twelve apostles, he became a faithful disciple because he took Jesus’ call and His teaching on discipleship seriously.

Jesus calls his disciples and the crowd to himself (see Mark 8:34) and says, “Whoever wants to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

He explains to us what the path of following Jesus looks like:

First, His follower denies himself.

Jesus says, “Whoever wants to follow me must deny himself...”

“Denying oneself”—this expression‎ can seem daunting when one faces the decision to follow Jesus. But what does “denying oneself” actually mean?

“Denying oneself” means overcoming one’s own narrow perspective and following the good will of God. Our human thoughts are often one-sided and limited. We tend to focus primarily on our own well-being, and our thinking is often shortsighted. God’s will, however, is higher, more comprehensive, and deeper than our thoughts. Therefore, we must overcome our own will and follow God’s will.

The Bible states that a life driven by the self characterizes the sinful person who does not please God (Romans 6:4 ff.). Conversely, those who lead a life guided by God’s will please God (Romans 8:6b). Therefore, if we wish to be true followers of Jesus, we must overcome ourselves, seek His will, and follow Him. The Bible calls this "denying oneself and following Jesus."

When we follow Jesus, our will sometimes comes into conflict with God’s will. We must then decide whether to follow our own limited will or the will of Jesus.

Denying oneself may seem very difficult to us. That is true. Yet, whoever allows their life to be guided by the will of God is wiser than the one who lets their life be determined by their own will. Moreover, God helps us through His Holy Spirit, and we come to realize that this path leads us to eternal life and glory.

Secondly, a follower of Jesus takes up his own cross.

By the words "take up his cross," Jesus does not, of course, mean that we are to carry the very cross that Jesus carried. Rather, he means that each of us must bear his own cross. Jesus’ cross represents his suffering and his death for our sins. Only Jesus can bear that cross, for he is the Son of God and the Christ. His death was an atoning death for all humanity—a unique event in human history. None of us can be an atoning sacrifice for others. That is why Peter says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Jesus says that anyone who wishes to follow Him must take up his own cross. Every disciple’s cross is unique. Peter was called to bear the cross of the leading disciple: he was to shepherd Christ’s church. As Christ’s chief apostle, he became a target of persecution and ultimately died as a martyr in Rome in AD 64.

Paul initially persecuted Christians. Yet he became an apostle of Christ and bore his own cross: he actively proclaimed the Gospel to the world—despite persecution—and died as a martyr. In short, Paul’s cross consisted of actively spreading the Gospel throughout the world and suffering for Jesus’ sake.

Each of us, too, has a different cross. I have my cross; Andreas has his; Renate has her.

We bear crosses in our roles as fathers, mothers, students, or working professionals—in addition to the cross of mission. Everyone is called to bear their cross well, in accordance with God’s calling. The cross represents both a task and the difficulties associated with it. We desire a meaningful task, yet every such task brings challenges; there is no meaningful task without difficulties. If we strive only for glory but shrink from the hardship, we cannot experience that glory. We must embrace both the divine task and the difficulties with a positive attitude. The cross then becomes less burdensome than we had imagined. One brother once said, "When I hesitated to carry the cross and merely dragged it behind me, it felt incredibly heavy. But when I lifted the cross onto my back, I felt great joy. It seemed to me as though I were not carrying the cross, but rather that the cross was carrying me."

The Cross is a mystery of God. When we accept the Cross in faith, it is transformed into God’s glory. There is no glory without the Cross. As the saying goes: “No glory without the Cross!”

Thirdly, Jesus says, “Follow me!”

Jesus says: “Whoever wants to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” It seems almost self-evident that, as disciples of Jesus, we follow Him.

But what does it mean to “follow Jesus”? Does it simply mean walking behind him?

Let’s think about the meaning of Following Jesus:

"Following Jesus" means first that Jesus Himself is the goal.

When we follow Jesus, we therefore strive to know Him, worship Him, and have fellowship with Him. Jesus is thus the goal, the purpose, and the guiding principle of our lives. When we embrace Jesus as the goal and purpose of our lives, we can enjoy fellowship with God and experience great joy and a deep sense of meaning in life. That is why Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Following Jesus is the way of life and the way of fellowship with God.

"Following Jesus" means secondly taking Him as a model and emulating Him.

To be a disciple of Jesus means to be His student. There is no better teacher or role model in this world than Jesus Christ, for He is the Son of God and the image of God. By getting to know Jesus and emulating Him, we can grow and mature. Even though it is impossible to become exactly like Jesus, we nevertheless strive to become somewhat like Him.

"Following Jesus" means thirdly taking up and continuing His work.

What is Jesus’ work? His work consists of revealing God and His truth through His words and deeds, and of taking away the sin of the world through His death on the cross and His resurrection. Through the proclamation of the Gospel, we are to save others from the power of sin and death and bear credible witness to Jesus Christ through our daily lives. We are to follow the Great Commission—"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19)—and obey His commandment to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves (22:37–39). In this way, God’s will is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus says in verses 25–27, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his life? Or what can a man give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done."

We should gratefully accept Jesus’ teaching on discipleship and be good followers of Jesus. This is the path of life and glory.

Thanking Jesus for His Grace and Following Him

How can we become good disciples of Jesus and truly follow Him?

We must deeply internalize Jesus’ grace and thank Him for it. He is truly God; yet He left His heavenly glory and came into this world as a human being. He took all our guilt upon Himself and died on the cross. In doing so, He denied Himself and obeyed the will of God. He also rose from the dead. Through this, all our sins are washed away, and we are now children of God. We possess eternal life and will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is an unimaginably great grace of God.

We should sincerely thank Jesus for this grace. We should follow Jesus with a grateful heart. We must deny ourselves; this means not following our sinful human nature, but rather the divine will and His Word. It is God’s will that we imitate Jesus Christ and become like Him, while simultaneously fulfilling His mission. Day by day, we should become more like Jesus. Furthermore, we are called to share the Gospel with others and help them grow as disciples of Jesus.

May the Lord Jesus Christ make us His grateful, good disciples. Amen!