Jesus spoke these things openly. Peter, taking Him aside, began to rebuke Him.
Jesus spoke about this openly, because the time had come for the disciples to stop being impressed only by miracles and to accept the way of the cross as well. But Peter, who a little earlier had made a true confession, now becomes an opponent, because the same person who can receive divine light in one matter can be mistaken in another through human thinking. Moved by love and attachment, he could not accept that his Lord must suffer. Yet that love carried within it a human mind, not the counsel of God. This episode warns that even sincere zeal can go in the wrong direction if it does not submit to God’s plan. Peter wanted Christ without the cross, but such a Christ could not save. Many people today are also ready to accept a glorious, powerful, and comforting Jesus, but they accept the crucified Savior with reluctance. This verse shows how deep the mystery of the cross is and how contrary it is to natural human thinking.