Mark 8:31-38
I personally think this is one of Peter’s shining moments. Not because he’s right, but because he speaks for us. I think he says what every one of us would say. I think he encompasses in that one sentiment the whole problem between us and God, “I know better than you, Jesus.”
Listen to ELCA pastor and author Walt Wangerin as he shares what may have been Peter’s perspective in the early part of this text [the Book of God]:
He [Jesus] said, "Things are going to change now." He heaved a sigh. We all were moving with him now toward the little spring of water. He said, "I have to go to Jerusalem. When I get there, I will suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes. I'm telling you now so that you need not be surprised when it happens. It will happen."
Jesus knelt down by the spring, cold from the earth. He made a cup of his hands and scooped water. Just before he started to drink, he said, "I will be killed in Jerusalem, and on the third day be raised --"
I spoke again. I said the most natural thing there was to say. Well, my feelings were so hurt by Jesus' words. Be killed? Was this the gloomy thing he'd been thinking about all the time?
I grabbed his wrist and shouted, "No!" The water splashed from his hands. "No, God won't allow it!" I cried.
On account of my feelings, I was gripping him with all my strength. But he started to pry my fingers from his wrist. He had terrible power in his hands.
I blustered on. Surely he knew that I was arguing out of love for him! "O Lord," I said, "this can never happen to you!"
When we disagree with God, I think it’s usually for good reason; our motives are generally good. We largely want good things in the world, good things for others, good things for ourselves. And there are times when we simply don’t understand God, because things don’t always seem good. And so we disagree.
I disagreed with Dan Primak once about an issue of church finances. My intentions were good, but it took Dan about 3 seconds to point out the error in my thinking. My good intentions simply wouldn’t produce the good result I was after. Although he understood my desired results, in order for it to work we’d simply have to do it correctly. And he knew the correct way. It became very obvious that I did not. For this particular financial issue to work out, I’d have to follow Dan.
In order for redemption, salvation, peace, new life, meaning, purpose, and wholeness to occur in the world – in our lives, we have to follow Jesus. Period. We may disagree with him – even if our motives are good – but he knows better than we do! He told Peter that the Messiah must suffer and die in order to be raised from death. Peter, even though it was out of love for Jesus, disagreed. And Peter was wrong.
The way to life is to follow Jesus. He picked up a cross and walked to his death. We follow. He did what made very little sense to his disciples. And we follow. Sometimes following Jesus looks ridiculous to other people. But he knows better than we do.
How much time and energy do we spend trying to make our faith look reasonable or credible? How often do we feel the need to justify the rationality of Jesus? Rather than trying to convince people we’re right, or we’re reasonable, or we’re not idiots, why don’t we spend more time simply following?
If Jesus is raised from the dead, if he’s loose in the world, if he’s about self-sacrifice for the sake of others, if he’s about loving the unlovable and showing mercy to the undeserving, why aren’t we spending more time doing the same thing, instead of trying to explain it?
Peter speaks for us, “I know better than you, Jesus.”
When God’s road differs from mine, when the way of the cross isn’t the way I would choose to go, when I disagree with Jesus, when following Jesus benefits others but doesn’t seem to benefit me, which road will I choose?
“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." {34} He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”