Matthew 16.21-28

In the early 2000s, former pro soccer star Landon Donavan was the standard-bearer of American soccer for more than a decade. Six years ago, in 2020, he was voted “The Best U.S. Soccer of All-Time,” in a poll taken by ESPN.

When Donovan was growing up in California, he was known around the neighborhood for always wearing a T-shirt that read: “Soccer is Life. The rest is just details.” 

In a recent interview Donovan admitted, “[Soccer] was my identity.” But in the last stage of his career that identity started to crack. From 2012-2013 Donovan struggled with depression, watched his celebrity marriage disintegrate, and took a four-month break from soccer.

The pressure to perform and keep pleasing fans and coaches became too much. Donavan said:

[Fans, coaches, and the media] want us to live, breathe, eat, and die the sport. Every game they want you to go out and do everything you can to make the fans feel good, make the coach feel successful, make the owners successful … After the ’06 World Cup … I realized, clearly, that it was a business. And that it was fickle. I was foolish enough to think that these people who were showing me so much love genuinely liked me .… [But after the ’06 World Cup people said], “Now you had a bad World Cup. We don’t think you’re that cool anymore.” That, for me, was a very eye-opening experience. And it made me very sad.

In this interview, Donovan points out something about humanity that is as old as time and space—one of the common traits that we all share is fickleness. 

To be fickle is to continuously change our mind on what we want based on our ever-changing feelings and emotions.

As Donovan’s story illustrates, we will rally behind someone as our hero and champion one minute but call for their crucifixion the next.

In an issue of Christianity Today, prolific Christian author Warren Wiersbe, shared that Oliver Cromwell, who took the British throne away from Charles I and established the Commonwealth, said to a friend, 

“Do not trust those who are cheering, for those persons would shout just as much if you and I were going to be hanged.”

As humans we are fickle.

We will sing the praises of our job and boss on Monday because they pay our bills and put food on our table but on Tuesday we will hand in a resignation letter because we can’t take the burden of being told what to do and how to do it anymore.

When a friend posts a picture on social media with us in it, we hit the like button, but when they post pictures with other friends on an outing that we weren’t invited to, we sulk, we curse, sometimes we contemplate the solitude of the monastic life, or sadly we may even think about suicide. 

We will clap and applaud inauguration day when a new President takes office, but quickly share our dissatisfaction with his policies and leadership at the next, “How’s he doing?,” poll.

We feel encouraged when 8 people show up to Bible study, but the following week we will go home depressed when only 2 came out to discuss God’s love for us as revealed in His Word.

When our favorite athlete is scoring goals and leading his team to championships, we wear his jersey out in public 7 days a week.  But, the very second he has a bad game or two in a row, we are burning that jersey and petitioning the team owner to replace him.

We are fickle people.

In our fickleness, pride and arrogance rule the day!

We think we always know the best way to do everything.

In this morning’s Biblical text from the book of Matthew, or, in other words, Matthew’s biography of Jesus, we are going to hear about the fickle human heart of one of Jesus’ disciples when he is confronted with the way God plans to work out the forgiveness of sin and eternal life in Heaven.

Let’s hear from Matthew 16.21-28 together now.

The Biblical text says this:

[21] From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. [22] And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” [23] But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

[24] Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [25] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. [26] For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? [27] For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. [28] Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (ESV)

In the first verse of this morning’s Biblical text, several very important historical and eschatological things happen.

This moment with Jesus and the disciples marks a change in Jesus’ communication with them.

Up until this point, Jesus has used metaphors and similes to describe who he was and what he was doing amongst them.

For example, Jesus said he was a Shepherd, Jesus said that he was a gate, Jesus said he was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus said he was God’s Son, Jesus said he was the Son of Man, Jesus said he was the Word, a Light, the Lamb, a Vine, and the Bread of Life.

However, at this turning point, Jesus begins to very clearly, very confidently, and very transparently, share about who is and what he is doing amongst them

Jesus tells them outrightly that he is God’s Messiah, the Savior of humankind, the One spoken of for thousands of years by the prophets, priests and kings.

And, Jesus brings his position as Savior and King to the forefront by sharing with his disciples 4 key points about his person and work that will unfold before their eyes.

First, he must go to Jerusalem, the Holy City, where His formal presentation to the public as Savior and King would take place.  Here he was referring to what we call Palm Sunday.

Second, he must suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, the three groups that made up the Jewish “Supreme Court,” also called the Sanhedrin throughout Scripture. Here he was referring to his rejection, mocking, imprisonment, and beating.

Third, he must die. For only though His death could the key to the Kingdom of Heaven be made for you.  There could be no good news of forgiveness of your sin without the just judgment on sin being poured out.  Here, Jesus was choosing this path of death on the cross for you and your eternal good.

Fourth, he must be raised up, back to life from the dead, to verify His office of Savior for you, continue His work as the Great High Priest for you—always mediating your relationship with God for you—and be prepared to reign over all Creation as King of Kings and Lord of lords, remaining true to his Word and Promises.

And, all of that is found in just our first verse for this morning!

So, what we have heard and seen is that Jesus clearly says to his followers, “Hey guys, I know things haven’t been crystal clear up to this point, but here’s exactly what God’s plan is! I am your Savior, the One who will provide forgiveness for your sin and a place in Heaven for you.”  In an act of pure grace, Jesus does not leave any mystery to be solved.  Jesus lays out what will happen and why for the finite human mind.

In response, without hesitation, without truly listening or thinking through everything, Peter says, “No sir! I don’t like”

It is here that we see the fickleness of humanity in action.

In the Biblical text immediately before this, Peter is championed by Jesus as the first of the disciples to recognize and confess that He is the Savior, the Christ.

But, in the very next interaction that Peter has with Jesus, Peter changes his tune and says, “I don’t want you to do Savior things because it sounds like it will be unpleasant for me.”

Peter goes from being Jesus’ rock, in the previous Biblical text, to Jesus’ stumbling block in this week’s sermon text.

Why doesn’t Peter like what Jesus is saying? 

Because Jesus is saying that things are going to get difficult and bumpy on the next part of their journey through life together.

Jesus is going to suffer and be killed right in front of them.

And, because they are friends of Jesus and work beside him on God’s mission in this world, they too will experience moments of hardship and suffering.

Just like us, Peter in his humanity, doesn’t like suffering, or even the idea of suffering.

However, what Peter isn’t hearing in his selfishness, self-centeredness and self-righteousness, is that from Jesus’ suffering will come his personal salvation.

From Jesus’ death on the cross will come resurrection life with God in his Kingdom.

Peter’s feelings and emotions that caused him to waiver in his trust in God and God’s plan for him caused him to miss the point of the cross—the point that God’s love for him and for you is so great that He willingly suffers for our salvation.  

Some years ago, a 14-foot bronze crucifix was stolen from Calvary Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas. It had stood at the entrance to that cemetery for more than 50 years. The cross was put there in 1930 by a Catholic bishop and had been valued at the time at $10,000. The thieves apparently cut it off at its base and hauled it off in a pick-up. Police speculate that they cut it into small pieces and sold it for scrap.

The thieves figured that the 900-pound cross probably brought about $450. They obviously didn’t realize the value of that cross.

That is often our problem—misunderstanding the value of the cross. 

As Matthew begins to relate the story of Jesus’ crucifixion to us, the theme that runs through all the details is rejection. Not only did Peter not see the value of Jesus, he also didn’t understand the value of Jesus’ death on the cross.

It is easy to sit in front of a text like this and judge Peter.

But, the truth is that we are just like Peter.

We confess Jesus as our Savior in one moment and deny the way He works in our life in the next because the way God is working isn’t comfortable or easy and therefore not the way we want it done.

A friend of mine spoke this week on his podcast and made the very astute observation that God never shows up late, but he also never shows up early.  God always shows up on time.

And, for us, let’s be honest, we always want God to show up early—when we demand he shows up—like some cosmic genie in a bottle.

Where in your relationship with God are you being fickle right now.  I know there is a situation where your trust in God is rocky at best because you aren’t getting what you want when you want it.  I know that there is a place where God isn’t showing up early for you and you are throwing a temper tantrum like a demanding spoiled child?

There is always a place, for all of us, in our sinful humanity that fickleness is usurping our trust in God.

What we need to hear is what Peter needed to hear and what would be written later on by the apostle Paul to recalibrate our minds…

From Romans 5:3–6:

[3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

[6] For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (ESV)

And, from 2 Corinthians 4:6–11:

[6] For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

[7] But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. [8] We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [10] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. [11] For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (ESV)

What happened when Jesus suffered and died on the cross?

When Jesus died on the cross, your sins were forgiven—including your pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness that leads to your fickle attitude and behavior causing wavering trust in God and His desire to do good for you.

When Jesus died on the cross, your broken relationship with God was fixed.

When Jesus died on the cross, you were declared righteous and perfect in every way before God’s throne.

When Jesus died on the cross, the gates of Heaven were thrown wide open for you to enter.

When Jesus died on the cross, you are changed from the inside out to love others as you were first loved by God—even if it means suffering along the way.

All of this happened at the perfect time in the perfect way.

Out of suffering comes salvation.

Out of Jesus’ suffering comes your salvation.

And, sometimes, out of your suffering for others, comes their salvation as they are led back to Christ for ultimate hope and peace.

At the very end of the interview with Landon Donovan that we began this conversation with, he added: 

“At the time, it was by far the hardest thing that ever happened to me in my life. But the beauty is it was the best thing that ever happened to me, and it allowed me to wake up and see the world differently for the first time.”

Listen to these verses from the Bible:

Philippians 2:3–11 encourages you to:

[3] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)

Martin Luther spoke of our fickle hearts in relation to our faith and forgiveness when he said,

“When you don’t feel like singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving, that is the time that you need to sing hymns of praise and thanksgiving the most.” (My paraphrase)

I implore you to pick up your cross this week and follow Jesus, always seeking to find those lost in sin in order to bring them home to God through faith in Jesus the Son, our Savior.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

June 28, 2026.