“That the messianic mission of their rabbi would culminate in his crucifixion was not something Jesus’ first followers had imagined or bargained for. Thus, the impetuous Peter takes it upon himself to rebuke Jesus by saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you’ (Mt 16:22). Jesus’ retort is swift and severe: ‘Get behind me, Satan’ (Mt 16:23). The temptation to save the world while evading the cross first came to Jesus in the wilderness directly from Satan, and now it comes through the lips of his most prominent disciple. This temptation will return one final time in Gethsemane. Despite its seductiveness, Jesus always identified the impulse to achieve glory apart from the cross as satanic in origin. Having rebuked Peter’s suggestion of a cross-less Christ, Jesus now sets forth the terms of discipleship for all his would-be followers. Calling the crowd and his disciples near, he said to them, ‘If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me’ (Mk 8:34).”
Brian Zahnd, The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024, pages 44-45.
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