03032021 – Mark 8. 31-38
In a lot of ways Peter is us and we are Simon Peter. The guy is so easy to relate to. Peter could be clueless. He DID NOT know everything.
I will be the first to admit it and acknowledge it, I am clueless about a great many things. Completely clueless.
If you think about it…Peter leaves wife and mother-in-law, grabs his bro-Andy, and starts trapsin’ around after some charismatic rabbi guy. Who does that?
He gets to see and witness all kinds of cool stuff. He sees the guy healing, walking on water and sees him feed crowds of people on what amounted to just a few crusts of bread…and a couple of tiny fish.
He sees a vision of Elijah, Moses and Jesus all chattin’ it up. This Jesus guy gets all sparklin’-white and glistenin’ in the sunlight. And God himself even pipes in…and agrees. He’s the boss.
The go everywhere in a day and a time when people went nowhere. NOWHERE, at all. Such amazing things they did and seen…it was a pretty sweet gig!
Halfway through the Gospel and Pete finally catches a break, he says something right. He knows WHO Jesus is. He is the first to say so among the 12. He just “puts it out there.”
Usually he is “a bit off” but in this moment in time, he was right on the money. Perfect!
He was so proud of himself. And it seemed like, Jesus was proud of him too! That is, until he opened his mouth up again…
Peter KNEW what the Messiah was going to be like. Everybody did. He would save his people. There would be no more occupations and no more domination. The Romans would be gone once and for all. The Messiah would restore everything that was taken from Israel over the centuries. Jesus was the one! He was the guy, the MAN. Why, he calmed the seas and even sent demons packing…The Glory days are just ahead…for sure, and Peter is going to be a part of it all…ON THE INSIDE.
That’s when Jesus said something about suffering, rejection and dying. Well, everyone knows Messiahs don’t suffer, they can’t, God would not allow it nor would he permit it. EVER!
Jesus and Peter were not seeing eye-to-eye on this one.
Peter is following a winner. And Jesus is a winner. Peter is not following some Jewish loser.
Jesus has to win. He has to be political. He has to take Jerusalem like a storm. He has to raise up all the people to follow him. He can do it. The guy can do anything.
Messiahs are strong. Gutsy. Capable.
They lead. They get things accomplished. The people will arm themselves and stand behind Jesus. Israel will be returned to its rightful place among the nations.
And the way Jesus was talkin’ the Messiah would be weak and vulnerable and be murdered. Messiahs do not suffer gruesome deaths. They can’t!
Nope Peter wanted a glorious political leader and Jesus was it. He was a man of miraculous powers. The guy could do anything. He was more than capable. There was no room for weakness or for showing mercy. And he intended on telling Jesus so…
Jesus was simply wrong. He might even appreciate being corrected by Peter.
Peter was RIGHT and he was sure of it.
But Jesus schooled Peter. In essence he said, Peter didn’t know what he was talking about.
Peter was going to school Jesus and instead, got SCHOOLED by Jesus. Jesus did not elaborate. But Peter got the message to back down…and to back down quickly.
We are not always right. We are not always “as knowledgeable” as we might think we are.
Sometimes we mess up. Sometimes we put our foot in our mouth. Sometimes we are wrong. We do not think as God thinks. And sometimes we need to backdown.
And Jesus went on to further challenge the disciples and the crowds by telling them all, the only things we can hold on to in this life are the things we give away; like love and mercy and kindness and compassion.
And I am probably sure that Peter was more confused than ever. Huh?
Amen.