‭Psalms 22:26-29 NRSV‬
[26] The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever! [27] All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. [28] For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. [29] To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. https://bible.com/bible/2016/psa.22.26.NRSV

This is hard to see sometimes, but in Faith, we persevere. Peter struggled to see the one he named Anointed as achieving this through death. Jesus begins the story, saying,

‭Mark 8:29-33 NRSV‬
[29] He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” [30] And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. [31] Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. [33] But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

https://bible.com/bible/2016/mrk.8.30.NRSV

The promise of the psalm is fulfilled in Jesus, not the way of violence. This is a new and everflowing, everlasting rule. Abundant life comes through denial.

‭Mark 8:34-36 NRSV‬
[34] He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [35] For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. [36] For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?

https://bible.com/bible/2016/mrk.8.34.NRSV

But we are not called to a martyr complex, to be door mats. In fact, Paul tells us,

‭1 Corinthians 13:3 NRSV‬
[3] If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

https://bible.com/bible/2016/1co.13.3.NRSV

Love is always the test of the authenticity of a call to self-denial, not duty or obligation. We all well and truly muck up; wilfully say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, hurt, and get hurt. We can push our feelings down or over share, but there is no healing to the cringe we feel. Only love completes anything we might have to do. Peter has to learn the extent of this love, the love of Jesus that has the power to heal, to strip us of our self-reliance and open our eyes to the new way. This way is the way of freedom, freedom from sin, and freedom to walk in forgiveness. Faith in Jesus’ birth death and resurection is the foundation of all love and abundant life.

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