Morning Prayer 

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Inspiration 

The Jews of Jesus' time understood about the glory of the Messianic Kingdom, but they seldom understood that the Messiah would also suffer and die for the sins of the world. When Jesus openly declared this, Peter began to rebuke him and say these things must not occur. But Jesus rebuked Peter. Jesus came into the world to be God's suffering Servant and to lay down his life as a ransom for many.

Prayer 

O Father, you have called us to be servants and often called us to suffer. You do not allure the world with promises of health and wealth but offer us a cross. If suffering for you offends us, we are not of the right spirit of mind. Humble us, Lord, for why should we be "too good" to suffer when even your Son suffered so much? Amen.