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WORD AMONG US WAU.ORG Reflections
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Meditation: Matthew 16:21-27
God forbid, Lord! (Matthew 16:22)
It’s ironic that Peter would use these words to try to dissuade Jesus from the cross. God forbid? It was God’s plan in the first place! Not to mention, Jesus is God and is completely aligned with the will of his Father. So asking God to “forbid” something that was God’s eternal will? It doesn’t make sense.
Of course, Peter didn’t yet realize that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, one in being with the Father. How could it possibly be God’s wisdom that a man who was so righteous and holy should meet an early, violent end? God forbid! There was no way Peter would let Jesus go through with this.
You can also hear the love in Peter’s voice. He loved Jesus so much that he couldn’t imagine being separated from him. Neither could he bear the thought of Jesus allowing himself to “suffer greatly” and to “be killed” (Matthew 16:21). Especially not after Jesus had already revealed how powerful he was. No matter how many foes he faced, he could stop them with a single word. So God forbid that he would just surrender himself to death like this!
But what Peter didn’t yet understand was that Jesus would reveal his love to the fullest through his death. It was by submitting to his Father’s will—even if it meant surrendering to his opponents’ plan to kill him—that he would overturn sin and open the way to God for all who believe. This is love in action, and God forbid anyone should try to stop him!
This is the measure of Jesus’ love for us. It’s a love that scandalized Peter at first but that he would later embrace when he opened his arms and allowed himself to be crucified upside down. It’s a love available to each of us as we gaze upon our crucified Lord. God forbid that we ever lose sight of that love!
“Jesus, I am in awe of the depth of your sacrifice for me!”
