Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:23-25.

Last night I caught the last part of a PBS news report on the war in Gaza. They were following an Israeli soldier as he moved among the rubble of a Palestinian city. He couldn’t wait to return home to his life. He said if Hamas would celebrate life more than death there would be peace. I pray for the hostages held by Hamas. I pray for the Palestinians held hostage in their life lived under Israeli control. I pray for those holding the hostages because they, too, are hostages to hate. I prayed for the Israelis held hostage by hate from their neighboring Arab countries. As I prayed this morning, a physical wave of despair swept over me. I asked God when would the violence stop? Reading our psalm, Psalm 44, I can’t help but see the continuation of what was written then to what exists now. Adversaries, enemies, reproach to our neighbors, scorn, derision of those around us, taunts of the enemy bent on revenge…put our adversaries to shame…all of those phrases are in this psalm. You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us. You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us. I live in disgrace all day long, and my face is covered with shame at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge. v. 13-16. And the psalmist’s final plea? Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love. v. 26.

How do we make sense of a world of enemies? Human concerns. The concerns of God? 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, the chief priest and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Matthew 16:21. God’s concern is His way of Love given for all of us. Peter didn’t understand. How could he? He knew the concerns of us humans. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, knew the concerns of the Father. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17. Do you want all enemies to be destroyed? Human concerns. So does our Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. But their way will be the way of Salvation.