Those who lose their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel will save their lives. Immediately following Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ of God, Jesus proceeded to unpack for the disciples what being the Christ constituted. It was an unpacking that drew a protest from Peter because it was not what they had expected. What was the point of risking their lives for a cause that was doomed from the very beginning? Was following a Messiah who would eventually be killed worth the risk they were taking? Were they barking the wrong tree? It was a protest that might have worried Jesus: If the likes of Peter were this slow to get it, how about the rest? It was something that had to be addressed fast. “If you guys want to follow me and to be with me,” Jesus told them, “you must be ready to deny yourself by risking it all for a good that cannot be measured using earthly standards.” In other words, Jesus laid to them the conditions for discipleship.
So far, the disciples had experienced only one aspect of Jesus’ messiahship. Jesus was now inviting them to make it all the way. As followers of the messiah, they had to identify with him and take the very path that he had taken. This was the path to salvation, and their ministry very much depended on it. This was also the path to finding out who they were as co-partners with Jesus in ministry. 
Jesus’ response to Peter’s protest is a challenge to all of us, believers. Peter in his protest was speaking for all of us. We would naturally want to invest in something that we know has a future, something that is profitable. That future and profit must be tangible and within our reach. However, from the words of Jesus, we come to learn that following him doesn’t fit in this mold. There are no quarterly reports to be given, and for the most part, it involves giving rather than receiving. He/she who wants to be a follower of Jesus must be able to approach life as being more than the earthly existence to which we are used. To a disciple of Jesus, then, gratification comes not from the things that can be offered in this present life (losing oneself) but rather from the knowledge that one is doing the will of God (finding/saving one’s life). This is the only way by which a disciple will see no hesitation in immersing the self both in the Gospel and its demands. It is about this that Peter and his comrades needed to be aware. And it is this that we too must understand and embrace.