Day 2... The Lenten Journey Continues...

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, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

     ~Matthew 16:21-24 (NIV1984)


No, Lord, never!!  You, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, suffer??  Be killed??  No... that is not the way it should be... We should die for you... in glorious battle!!


And we disciples, who like Peter, might so willingly follow you into battle against an enemy, find instead that we must follow you on a much harder journey...  for instead of calling us to arms, you call us to suffering... to self-denial... you call us to the cross... and to death... 


But you also mention something about being raised to life?


Is it just possibly true that following your path... journeying with you through self-denial and suffering, following you to the cross and death... that all of this leads to... new life?


Yesterday's ashes are gone... but the journey continues...