Peter's Mistake
Mark 8:22-33
What did Peter do wrong here?
Photo by Thomas Dumortier on Unsplash
They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Can you see anything?" And the man looked up and said, "I can see people, but they look like trees, walking." Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, "Do not even go into the village." Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 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. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 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." - Mark 8:22-33
Peter always does something wrong, doesn't he?
He has figured out who Jesus is, but he has trouble understanding why this Messiah isn't acting like the Messiah he expects him to be.
His expectations are off, and it gets him in trouble with Jesus.
Of course, what Jesus expects of his apostles is a bit above their heads. He teaches them with cryptic stories, claims he doesn't want anyone to know who he really is, and yet goes around healing the sick and crippled, and he walks away to pray whenever they need him to explain things to them.
No wonder Peter is confused.
Jesus tells him he is focusing on worldly things rather than on the divine, but that is all Peter knows, right?
It's as if God has given them this puzzling version of Himself in human form to drive them crazy.
And when Jesus tells them that they will suffer for knowing him, you have to wonder what they are thinking. No wonder Peter criticizes him sharply, putting Jesus down.
Jesus has messed with their minds, and Peter has had enough.
Of course, he doesn't leave. He stays. He will become their leader when Jesus leaves. But he will also deny that he knows Jesus when he is threatened.
We could say that Peter is making mistakes, but Peter is us. He is showing us how we would react. We would be frightened. We would want to run away.
It takes faith and commitment to follow Jesus, this enigmatic figure who turned the world upside down.
If you find it hard to accept him, you are not alone. His chosen apostles had the same problem at times. Accepting who he is and why he came to be among us is a leap of faith.
Jesus is the nerd who didn't play sports but studied in the library instead. He is the weird kid whom bullies would pick on. He is the kid who pointed out the mistake on the exam to the professor. He is the kid who helped the kid on crutches get to their classroom.
The mistake we make is the same one Peter made. We think we understand what is right and what is wrong, by human standards, not by divine standards. We have no way of knowing the divine without knowing Jesus.
That is how we develop our faith.
Following Jesus is not about worshipping a man of God. Jesus did not ask us to worship him. He asked us to listen to him and represent him to others who didn't know him.
Sounds easy, doesn't it?
We will make mistakes.
More to come...