If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it

 

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  

 

 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:18–27 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.   When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.  

 

  And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."   My study Bible comments here that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided. 

 

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."   Here my study Bible tells us that Who do you say that I am? is the ultimate question in Scripture and in all theology.  This is because how this question is answered will define the universe.  Christ (Hebrew Messiah) means "Anointed One."   This declaration of Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God reveals that Jesus isn't simply another anointed king or prophet.  It distinguishes Jesus as the long-awaited Savior.

 

  And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."    My study Bible says that Jesus desires to keep His identity as the Christ hidden in order to avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings, which are rife at His time, as they have been at so many others.  It is only after His Passion and Resurrection that His identity as Messiah can be properly understood.  Isaiah prophesies this secrecy (see Isaiah 42:1-4).  Various reasons for secrecy include the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders (and in yesterday's reading -- above -- we read of Herod Antipas' desire to see Jesus); the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and Christ's desire to evoke genuine faith, which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  My study Bible asks us to note two things.  First, that each person must take up one's own cross.  That burden in this world will be different for each person; each has been chosen, my study Bible says, to bear certain struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of those around oneself.  Second, Our cross is to be taken up daily.  That is, commitment to following Christ is not simply a one-time event.  Instead, it is the continual practice of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world.  

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study Bible says that this is a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (in our next reading, Luke 9:28-36), as well as to those in each generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

In today's reading, Jesus asks, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  And then He deliberately contrasts that with the answer of His disciples, "But who do you say that I am?"  St. Peter answers on behalf of all of them:  "The Christ of God."   But how does Peter know this?  Do we stop to think about how we have this kind of faith, or this kind of knowing?  There is a type of certainty that goes beyond all of our training in life, our parental upbringing, our being raised in the Church (or not), or what others around us tell us.  Certainly this contrasting set of questions as posed by Jesus teaches us that on some level, and to some extent.  After all, as my study Bible comments, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually misguided, then as now.  So let us explore where Peter's correct answer comes from.  First of all, what we know about Peter is that he is a core person in Christ's "inner circle" of His key disciples.  That is, Peter forms a trio, together with Sts. John and James Zebedee, of Christ's disciples with the strongest faith.  It is this three that goes into the home of Jairus when all else are put outside in order to help facilitate the healing, and raising, of Jairus' daughter (see Tuesday's reading).  Peter and the others were first disciples of John the Baptist, and John directed his disciples to Christ (see John 1:35-42).   Certainly we know that from the time these men left their nets "and forsook all and followed Him" (see Luke 5:1-11), they have been companions of Christ through His ministry, living with Him and learning from Him.  Now they have already been sent out on their first apostolic mission as well (see yesterday's reading, above).  But what is it -- what is that mysterious component within St. Peter -- that gives him the kind of faith that he has to know who Christ is?  Certainly at the time when Christ told the men (Peter, James, and John) to let down their nets for an extraordinary catch of fish, the result was something that spiritually struck St. Peter like a blinding light, a slap in the face, causing him to fall down at Christ's knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8).  We can understand that such a response tells us only one thing:  that St. Peter's perception of Christ as Lord makes a brilliant visceral contrast to the way he sees himself, as one lacking such perfection and holiness.  This, too, is a mark of a holy person who can see this truth, and recognize the difference between the Lord and ourselves on these spiritual terms.  Perhaps the biggest answer to this question of where Peter's faith is rooted comes from another Gospel.  St. Matthew tells the story in Matthew 16:13-28.  In Matthew's Gospel, when St. Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus replies to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).  How does God the Father work through St. Peter to create this revelation of faith?  That is a mystery that one wonders if anyone knows.  But certainly we can say that St. Peter's heart is open to the promptings of God.  We can see throughout the Gospels, that Peter is a man who speaks from the heart, often with very little filter, it seems from what we know of the Gospels.  He is a man who is able to humbly take a stunning rebuke from his Lord, because we also read this in St. Matthew's account of Peter's confession of faith.  When Jesus follows with His prophecy of His own death and Crucifixion, St. Peter sincerely says, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  Jesus' response is to say to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23).  How is it that Peter's faith is such that he can bear such a rebuke from Christ?  Yet his loyalty is unwavering, and he continues to follow as disciple.  Rebuke or no rebuke, he trusts in his Lord, and he trusts who Jesus is.  Perhaps the greatest and surest victory of the Cross comes in our security in God's love, for Peter's steadfast love of Christ will overcome this obstacle of rebuke, and the temptation and shame of denial at the time of Jesus' arrest and trial at the home of the High Priest (Matthew 26:69-75).   Even Peter's bitter tears of failure do not stop him from returning to Christ and the disciples, and from his final challenge from Christ, which is all about love:  asking him three times, "Do you love Me?" the risen Christ charges Peter to feed His sheep, also teaching him by what death he would die, following his Lord (see John 21:15-19).  In St. Peter's faith, we see the story of the struggle that encompasses all the highs and lows of human experience, for love conquers all of it.  It's Christ's love that defeats and encompasses everything else, and Jesus' words of response in Matthew's Gospel are proven true:  "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).  From the heights and the depths of Peter's journey all that lasts is Christ and the strength of faith that encompasses everything, for love is the key to it all.  In today's reading, Jesus teaches, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."  It is the bonds of love to Him that allow us to "lose ourselves," allow St. Peter to overcome all of his own stumbling, and remain unyielding in clinging and returning to Christ.  For, like St. Peter, where we find ourselves in losing, He is there for us.

 

 

 

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me

 

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"   Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."  And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

 

- Mark 8:27-9:1 

 

Yesterday we read that the the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch Him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"   Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  Here Jesus is once again in nominally Gentile territory; that is, places where there were populations of Jews but the towns established with strong Gentile presence and influence (as we can tell from the name of the region).  He and the disciples are once again traveling in the region east of the Sea of Galilee.  My study Bible comments that "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, because it is the question that will define Christianity.  It says that Peter's correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality, as it names Jesus as the one and only Christ.  In Matthew's Gospel, Peter adds, "the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).  This excludes all compromise with other religious systems,  my study Bible explains.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (Matthew 16:17; 1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One" and is equivalent to the Hebrew title, "Messiah."  My study Bible also asks us to note that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself which were popular at the time.  This is done in order to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

 

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  After Peter's confession, Jesus reveals the true nature of His messiahship:  the mystery of His Passion.  My study Bible comments that it was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the notion that Christ would die is perplexing to Peter, and still remained scandalous to the Jews after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  It says that Peter unwitting speaks for Satan here, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save humankind through suffering and death.  

 

 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."   The cross was the dreaded instrument of Roman punishment; but it is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  That is, as my study Bible puts it, we practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  In this sense, any suffering which we encounter in our lives can be given over to the Cross to be seen in its light as to how we approach our suffering.  Accepting suffering, then, becomes neither a punishment nor an end in itself.  Instead, as my study Bible puts it, it becomes rather a means to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  

 

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  My study Bible comments that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal; but in sacrificing everything in this world (that is, in giving up our lives to Christ and His gospel), we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9). 

 

 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."   My study Bible tells us that this question emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, for none of this can redeem man's fallen soul, nor benefit a person in the life to come.  That is, we focus our goal on the cross and Christ's gospel, and it is to this  end that our lives -- and all that is a part of our lives --  are dedicated.

And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."   This is a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13, our next reading), as well as to those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's kingdom.  

How do we take up our cross?  How do we give up all that is in our lives to Christ, and to the goals which Christ would prepare for us?  It is an even more profound question for us to begin to ask how our own suffering can become transfigured in the light of the Cross of Christ, as part of His mission in the world.  These are important and central questions to what it means to be a Christian believer.  In a certain sense, all suffering that we undergo in life can be used as an occasion for witnessing, for testimony to our faith.  We should remember, also, in this context, that the word "martyr" is actually the Greek word that means "witness."  It is the root of the noun that means "testimony" and the verb that means to "give testimony" or to "witness."  So we must consider how we live our lives in the light of the Cross, and how that life itself, the way we choose to live, becomes witnessing for the gospel.  When we undergo any kind of suffering in the world, enduring that suffering in the ways that our faith would teach us, dedicating ourselves to prayer and to seeking God's way through it, becomes a form of witnessing and participation in Christ's Cross through our own cross we bear in life.  We may recall that St. Paul also prayed for some firm of infirmity to pass from himself, but was told by God, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."   St. Paul's response:  "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (see 2 Corinthians 12:8-9).  Sometimes, also, we will suffer directly as a result of our faith, as the result of "witnessing" according to the teachings of Christ and our faith in Christ and what Christ would ask us to choose and to do in our lives.  We may stand up for values that are important to us via our faith, and this results in types of suffering, such as shunning by others, even family members.  But in this context we recall His words, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26), or Christ's teaching from the Sermon on the Mount:  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10-11).  Each occasion in our lives becomes an opportunity for witnessing and testimony, because every occasion is a choice for an offering to live our lives through the light of the Cross, through God's guidance and teaching to help us find our way.  Thus, we may glorify Christ and the Kingdom through our choices.  When we suffer, the great genius of God's gifts to us is that we are offered a choice to participate in the Cross with Christ through our own cross -- or we may choose to see ourselves as merely a pawn of fate, a victim of the world without recourse, without choice, and without meaning.  The illness of a parent becomes such an occasion, for example, when one may choose to either prayerfully address such a circumstance or to abandon it to fatalistic thinking, or too much faith in material means, or simply a tragic error of suffering in a meaningless life.  But Christ calls us to something much, much greater than that.  He asks us to step up, and to join Him at the Cross, each in our own way.  Why?  Because our own soul is worth so much more than even what the whole world would or could offer us instead.  He offers us our souls, and a Kingdom that has no end.

 

  

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it

 

 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

 

- Matthew 16:21-28 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  My study Bible explains that after Peter's confession (in yesterday's reading, above), Jesus reveals the true nature of His messiahship:  the mystery of His Passion.  It was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the concept that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  As Jesus indicates, Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save mankind through suffering and death. 

 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  The cross was a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment; my study Bible points out that it is at the same time a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  Christians practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  My study Bible comments that to accept this suffering is not a punishment, nor an end in itself.  Rather it is a means to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."  My study Bible notes that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal.  But in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).  It is important that we put this in the context of choice, what we put first as priority in life, what we choose over all else (Matthew 6:33).

 "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."  Christ's question emphasizes the foolishness of putting first in life the accumulation of worldly wealth or power in the sense that it cannot redeem our fallen soul, and neither will it benefit us in the life to come.  We are being given illustrations of the choices we will be asked to make.

"Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."  My study Bible calls this a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (our next reading, Matthew 17:1-9), as well as those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

The concept of exchange is one that we continually come across in the Gospels and in the teachings of Jesus, but often it seems to elude conception to picture it this way.  In today's reading, Jesus speaks about an exchange of perceptions, a way of giving things up to God, putting our material lives in God's hands for God's priorities.  It is in this sense that we are asked to deny ourselves and take up the cross and follow Christ.  For He will give His life in following God, even if it means going to the Cross, for this is the exchange of His worldly life for God's plan of salvation for all -- for all people, and all time.  When we make choices between the true need of the soul for redemption and meaning, and a more worldly understanding of what our proper goals are, then we do something similar.  We do as He did, and as He asks.  For example, one may find what one thinks is an open pathway in life, a job or other opportunity.  But if in prayer we seem to be directed away from what looks in every respect like a great material choice, and we forego that seemingly obviously good choice for the place the word of God directs us and our souls, then we are making a redemptive exchange.  We are "handing over" that material reality to God and seeking to follow God's way, even when there is a conflict we might not quite understand.  This is something done in faith:  it gives us meaning, it asks us to make choices, it sets the world and our lives out as that which we return to God for God's purposes and meanings which are given to us, and create a true weight and value in the soul.  When Jesus tells Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!" it is not because Peter has deliberately chosen to advocate something which is obviously bad or evil.  But Peter's concern is a worldly perspective that conflicts with the life and choices the Father has commanded for Christ, and hence He says to Peter, "You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Our own "fallenness" or "brokenness" is a kind of broken communion with God, in which our material lives might frequently be in conflict with the places God asks us to go, and choices God would ask us to make, if we but pay attention and emphasize that relationship with God that comes through prayer and worship.  Christ asks us for a deepening of that relationship, an exchange of a purely worldly perception which might seem perfectly reasonable and good, but for a deeper relationship in which God will guide us to meaning and direction which serves God's purposes and far grander goals than we could set for ourselves.  Let us note that this takes great faith and is not merely a question of following formal rules, but of true listening and prayer, and a deepening relationship with God, a commitment to faith and the work of God in us, which will change and transform the ways that we see things.  What sounds good on one level is frequently not the depth of good that God calls us to, but we can see and hear this only with the eyes and ears of faith, the perceptions of the heart that Christ calls us to.  It is a question of exchange:  what would we give up for our souls?  What meaning and depth can be preferable to that which God will give us, the deep place to which God calls us?  Many times it is the very things the world seems to approve of that we will find God asks us to turn down, just as Christ Himself was the ultimate example of scandal and scorn in order to follow God's purpose.  In making an exchange, we're asked to make a sacrifice -- but it is a sacrifice in order to receive something deeper, grander, of a far different and unknown substance than the merely worldly or material alone -- and that is something that nothing in this earth can buy for us but our own loyalty and faith to God.  Worldly fame and glory is very impressive, and so many chase after it and the approval of the world. But it takes courage to find the deeper understanding of real conviction, the often perplexing and hard to understand life of faith that pays out so much more albeit in ways not obviously seen or immediately present.  And that takes strength, the kind of strength He asks us to learn in following Him and the truth He gives.