Scripture Scribbles: August 30, 2026
the Gospel
Matthew 16:21-27
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct."
the scribble
“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
These are strong and challenging words. Taking up my cross and following Jesus means being betrayed, stripped, falsely condemned, tortured and killed…with love, mercy and steadfast knowledge of one’s identity.
When I survey my heart’s response to these words from the Gospel, I feel the tightening of the armor that covers my most tender places. I am thinking not as God does, but as human beings do (“Protect yourself!”).
When I look back across the story that God is writing in my life, I can see that he is faithful in every place I have allowed him to be my protector, provider and healer.
But I also do not know how nor (in all honesty) do I have the courage to unfasten the armor in this particular place. I am white knuckling my shield. The vulnerability there seems like more than I can bear.
Putting down my shield and armor to pick up my cross would mean stepping onto a battlefield completely naked.
“Foolish! Don’t do it!” my internal alarm system screeches, “You will be hurt again!”
But that is in fact, literally and exactly what Jesus did.
He stepped into the greatest battle ever waged completely naked.
His perfect vulnerability received the betrayal, the condemnation, the pain, the wounds and finally death. His triumph did not come from human strength or strategy or Peter’s plan of protection, it came from perfect trust and love and his unshakable knowledge that he is God’s beloved son.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
1 Corinthians 1:25
And what is more, he did it because he longs to be with me even while I hide and forget who I am.
“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”
Song of Song 2:14
This brings me to tears. While I mix mortar to reinforce the walls I have built around my heart, he continues to pursue me and show me his love and faithfulness. When I lack courage, he is patient. When I strike out, he is merciful. When I am at my ugliest, he reminds me of my beauty. When I forget who I am, he reminds me that I am his. Anyone else would have left me by now. But he never will.
And so maybe, under his protection, I can begin to loosen the armor.
“O, Lord our God, grant us to trust in your overshadowing wings. Protect us beneath them and bear us up. You will carry us as little children. And even to our gray-headed age, you will carry us still. When you are our strong security, that is strength indeed. When our security is in ourselves that is but weakness. Our good abides ever in your keeping. Amen.” St. Augustine
Today’s devotion was written by Lucia Parker DeMarco
