No Way J

Things don't always go the way we want them to.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."- Matthew 16:21-23

In today's reading, Peter's view of the future is shattered and he speaks up about it.

He can't accept what Jesus is telling him must happen.  Jesus tells him he must die and be raised again, but all Peter hears is the first part of that statement, and he rejects it.

How many times have we reacted before understanding?

Why must the bad happen for the good to follow?

Peter gives us a way of seeing ourselves in the story.  Through him we can see our frustrations with God and His ways.  And they are His ways that drive us crazy, because they are not our ways.

Jesus does not respond well to Peter's outburst.  He calls him Satan and a stumbling block.

We associate with Peter, because we would have resisted as well.  The thought of having someone we love go through torment and death is beyond our capacity to handle.

So we shout out, "No way!"

But what are we supposed to do?  Should we accept all the bad that comes our way in the hope of something good to come out of it?

It doesn't sound right, especially if we have no way of knowing if it is God's will.

So, Peter is us.  He shows us our frustrations and fears.  And he takes the lumps for us, so we can face the world knowing God is in it, even if we can't see how or why what happens happens.

The message, therefore, must be to have faith. 

That's not always easy, is it?

More to come...