What would Peter do?
Lord, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer - Amen
When I was I kid we played a lot of games after school.
We played a bit of baseball
A lot of touch football
But mostly we played a lot of road hockey
When we played road hockey, would often pretended we were our favorite NHL stars
I was generally one of three people
I was Borja Salming if I was on defense
Darrel Sittler on offense
And if I came up with a last minute dramatic glove save
I was Mike Palmater in net
As a kid dreaming of playing in the NHL (the road hockey - NHL) we knew that we were just pretending
That notion of pretending or imagining yourself in another’s shoes, it never really leaves you
I think that it is a part of the human condition to imagine ourselves - or relate ourselves to another
That instinct of empathy is what draws us to books, or movies or TV, especially the current trend of reality TV
We imagine what we might do if we were in their shoes
Well as a new curate, fresh out of seminary - you might guess where my focus might be
Archdeacon Michael
- well a little
But actually in the characters in the bible
And particularly the disciples
The first followers of Jesus
You might have been thinking that I was going to say Jesus
Certainly in Jesus we have God incarnate
walking as one of us
to relate to us
and be a model for us
But to put myself in His shoes is expecting too much of me
No, the person that I most relate to is - Peter
The lead disciple
I say the lead disciple for a few reasons
There are those that believe that the other disciples were still boys
While Peter was the only adult in the group
Rabbis (teachers) took on disciples (followers - students) as the final stage in their education, after they had done three previous stages
and in order that the Rabbi’s teachings would continue on
It was the practice of the Rabbi to have the eldest or the brightest to be first to speak - the one to respond on behalf of the group
Peter is the disciple that we hear from the most in the Gospels
Peter and Jesus were the only ones that were considering the need to pay the temple tax
A duty of adults
Peter had a wife and was the main provider for his extended family
It was Peter’s mother in law that was healed
and lived together with Peter who was the provider for the whole family
Finally Peter had his own business - he was not merely a fisherman but owned two boats a somewhat wealthy and responsible role of the working class people of the time
But Peter’s role as the lead disciple is not the reason that I relate most to him
No, it is Peter’s humanity
Peter’s ability to get it right and to get it wrong
In Peter we see the ‘triumphs of Faith’ and ‘failures of human weakness’
In today’s gospel we have the most dramatic examples possible from the mouth of Peter
Mark’s Gospel today takes a break from the stories of Jesus power or proofs of who Jesus is
From the feeding of the 5000, and the 4000, Jesus walking on Water,
To Jesus Healing the Sick in Gennesaret, the Syrophoenician Woman’s daughter, a Deaf Man, a Blind Man
Mark takes a break from all of that to share with us the mystery of Jesus
The identity of Jesus
It starts out innocently enough
Jesus asks the disciples who THE PEOPLE say Jesus is
they (the disciples) answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
Notice that for a people where most don’t believe in the resurrection of the dead - they are all dead
Then Jesus asks the big question to the disciples - the people that know him the best
And if this were a Hollywood movie
- the surrounding lights would dim
- and the camera would move from a wide shot to a close up
- to catch the expression on their faces
- the music would rise to a crescendo
“But who do you say that I am?”
And it is Peter that responds
responds in faith
as the spokesperson for the group - maybe
but I think speaking out of his own heart
out of his own experiences
out of his own - faith
Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”
The one that Jews have been waiting for - the focus of scriptures
The Messiah
Peter has got it right - in faith - he answered
This is the moment that if we relate to Peter - as I do - this is the triumphal moment - the highlight of your life
And Matthew records it much more generously
Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven
Imagine how you might have felt when the Messiah - the hope of the nation for generations and generations - God in the flesh - Says that to you
But the story continues…
Then Jesus 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. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
Again if we were watching a movie - I think this is the moment where we would all groan
Groan at the huge mistake that Peter has just made
He has gone from declaring Jesus to be the Messiah - to rebuking Him
In three short verses
Rebuked the Messiah for the message that he is teaching
33 But turning and looking at his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Peter moved from - the Rock on which the church is to be built - to Satan
Moved there because he didn’t like the message of Jesus
He set his mind on human things
And what was the message of Jesus that Peter had the nerve rebuke
It is tough message - it is the cost of discipleship
Jesus was speaking of suffering
This was not the posterity gospel that has become popular in some Christian circles today
The notion that all will be well if you just turn your life over to Christ
That you will do better in business
Better in relationships
You won’t get sick
If you do - God will make you all better
All things will go your way if you are right with Jesus
No, Jesus was speaking of the price that was to be paid by Him
And in extension prophesying for us - as followers
That He and we would be rejected by the elders - the cultural leaders
That He and we would suffer
Even to the point of death
In rebuking Peter, Jesus went on to explain what followers were to do
That we are to take up our crosses
That we are not protect even our lives
That even all the benefits that this world are to be seen as nothing in comparison
That we are to deny ourselves
That we must not be ashamed of the Good news of Jesus Christ
In rebuking Peter, Jesus went on to say the most difficult thing imaginable
That we are to become something new - transformed
To be a follower we must live not as we have lived
But to deny ourselves and take up suffering in the name of Jesus
That we are to be willing to lose our worldly life
In exchange for salvation
And Jesus said in the gospel - Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?
I think that we have Peter - the apostle with the foot shaped mouth
Or Andrew the apostle of small things and the one that brought others to Jesus
Or Mary Magadelean the disciple’s disciple
Or James the passionate
Or John the beloved
Or Philip the bean counter and the one that went running to bring his friend Nathanial to the Messiah
Or Nathanial who our Lord identified as a true Israelite because Jesus observed him praying
Or Matthew the transformed tax collector
Or Mary and Martha who each choose to serve Jesus in different ways
Or little James, or Simon the political objector - the Zealot, Judas not Iscariot that had three names
Or Judas the traitor
Or one in the crowd that followed Jesus into a deserted place just to hear him speak
Or one of the 70 disciples that went two by two healing in the name of Christ
Or one the countless sick that were healed by Jesus because of their belief in Him
We have these examples to teach us to follow - in whatever way we can
I urge you to find yourself in one of these
See yourself in their successes and mistakes
When we make mistakes
And to except rebuking as the Love of God wanting to correct us
- wanting to continue with us
- to abide with us
So that we can proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ
His Earthly ministry
Death
Resurrection
Salvation through Him
That he is the fulfillment of Scriptures
And that he will come again
So that we might not be ashamed of the gospel
So that in salvation the son of Man will not be ashamed of us
Yes the cost of following Jesus is high
- it can mean suffering
- it is death to some things
- it does mean denying ourselves things of this world
But it is Life eternal in the Lord
Life eternal with the Lord
Praise be to God
Amen