What Jesus Did! 'Messiah's Cross' — Matthew 16:22-23

Thursday, August 7, 2025

[After Jesus told the disciples he would be killed,] Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said. "This will never happen to you!"

Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."

— Matthew 16:22-23 NLT

Key Thought

Ouch! In just a few moments, Peter goes from receiving a blessing from Jesus and the affirmation of his inspiration from God himself to being aligned with Satan and drawing the rebuke of the Messiah himself!

The issue at stake is the nature of God's salvation and the nature of Jesus the Messiah's redemption. The way of the cross will be the way of salvation. There are no shortcuts. Satan had offered those earlier - according to Satan, just a quick bow to him and the nations could have belonged to Jesus without the cross. But there is no Messiah without the way of the cross.

For us as disciples, it is easy to quote "God causes everything to work together for the good" but harder to emphasize "of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose for them," and much harder still to "be conformed to the image of his Son" who goes to the cross. In other words, ultimate good from God's perspective does not mean ease, success, riches, or glory in the short run. Our ultimate glory is a gift purchased at a costly price and given to us through the faithful passage of time and the lavish outpouring of God's grace.

Today's Prayer

Thank you Father, that the road home does not always follow the safe and boring path. I know deep in my soul that my character needs to be forged, molded, and matured so that I may be more like my Savior. Please, give me strength for my journey, escape when I am weak, and courage to face the challenges with joy and expectation. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

5 Related Resources by Heartlight

Satan Wants Us to Use Only Human Wisdom
Devo: Spiritual Warfare
"Jesus turned to Peter and said, 'Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view,..."
The Misunderstanding
Article by Phil Ware
Without understanding the cross, we turn Christianity into another human contest about self-importance. Phil Ware shares his third post on The Question, Peter's confession of Jesus and how he had to be broken before he could really understand what his confession meant.
The Question
Article by Phil Ware
When's the last time you thought about life's most important question? Phil Ware begins a four post series on Jesus' question to the disciples about who they thought he was and Jesus comes and asks us this question personally, so what will our answer be?
Heaven's Window
Article by Phil Ware
Doesn't discipleship involve more than just saying the right words? Phil Ware shares his second post in his four article series on Peter's confession, focusing this time on our tendency to reduce faith to words and not actions and discipleship.
See All 5 Related Resources about Matthew 16:22-23

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 16:22-23 NLT — "Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Thursday, August 7, 2025

Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
Matthew 5:11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: Matthew 7:7
"We know of a place in England still existing, where a dole of bread is served to every passerby who chooses to ask for it. Whoever the traveller may....."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'The World Hated Jesus, First' (Jn. 15:18-19)
"If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part...."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Sowing Faith, Hope, Love' (Co. 1:3-5)
"Dear Father, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, We thank you for every brother and sister, young and old, who has faith in our Lord Jesus..."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!