Last week we saw Jesus praise Peter for recognizing that Jesus is the Christ, and now moments later Peter gets Jesus completely wrong. Peter recognized the victorious Christ, but he completely missed the need for the suffering Christ, including his death. The two can’t be separated. As we celebrate communion this week, we embrace the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. We must also hear Jesus’s call: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

Matthew 16 is the first time Jesus presses his disciples to say out loud who they think Jesus really is. Peter gets Jesus right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus grabs that testimony and makes it the foundation for his people – the Church. If as the Church we don’t get Jesus right, we lose our foundation and our identity. May we see Jesus this week as we open his Word. Next week we’ll look at the second part of this scene where Peter gets Jesus all wrong.

This week we are looking at Jesus’ encounter with a Canaanite woman. This woman approaches Jesus with great faith that he will heal her daughter, but Jesus defies our expectations by ignoring her, ostracizing her, and even insulting her. The woman, however, persists in her request. Her actions prove an understanding of Jesus that goes beyond the surface level of his words, and Jesus praises her faith. May we listen beyond the words so that we truly hear the God who speaks.