Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah as the Teacher who will show his disciples the Way that leads to salvation and to eternal life in the Kingdom. “No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left.”(Is 30,21f) Jesus speaks about his hour that is coming and his need to abandon himself and trust in the Father’s plan for salvation: “”I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”…Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”” (Jn 12,27-32) To be “lifted up” Jesus must first “lay down” his life.
Peter will have to learn a new way of walking in the Way of the Lord if he is to be a true leader of the Church. If one wishes to get ahead then one must walk behind. As John the Baptist taught, “He must increase; I must decrease.” (Jn 3,30) Fullness comes from emptying. (Phil 2,6-11) One will find his life by losing it: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 16,25) Glorification comes through humiliation. (Phil 2,6) New life and resurrection comes through death. We are meant to become nothing so that God may become all: “When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.” (1Cor 15,28) As Paul exhorts us, “Become sober as you ought and stop sinning. For some have no knowledge of God; I say this to your shame.” (1Cor 15,34) Peter doesn’t know anything yet, but he will soon learn the paradoxical nature of God’s ways.
Suffering seems absurd to us until it is united to the sacrifice of the Cross. In the light of the cross, we are able to see the love of God revealed. “Love is patient” (1Cor 13,4) means that love suffers long and a love that suffers long is a love that “never fails”. (1Cor 13,8)(Jon Bloom) Peter must learn first this long-suffering love if he is to be the rock of foundation for the Church.