Peter…such a life of ups and downs, highs and lows, moments of such nobility and others of abject disgrace.
So impulsive!
Slow to understand, yet the first one to give voice to the dawning recognition of who Jesus was:
[16] Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16 (NIV)
Then he messes it all up by failing to recognise why Jesus the Messiah had come:
[23] Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Matthew 16:23 (NIV)
Then to top it all, the promise of unflinching loyalty, even to death, which vanished like the morning mist as the cockerel crowed.
Peter…such a big mouth…and such a huge heart!
My favourite bit of his story comes in John’s Gospel.
[7] Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
John 21:7 (NIV)
You might have thought that he flung himself into the water in a bid to get away from Jesus, even to take his life in shame for what he had done. But no, despite everything, more than anything Peter wanted to be with Jesus. Whether he realised it or not, he had experienced a love that was completely unconditional and he wanted more. And we all know what happened next…
Why wouldn’t you love Jesus?
When we come to communion our focus is upon the things that Jesus achieved, what he did for us when he gave up his life for us. For the disciples it would have been very different. When they ate bread and drank wine they would remember a flesh and blood friend, who shared life with them, who laughed and cried, told stories, showed up hypocrisy and loved the people no one else did. Perhaps we should try to get beyond the benefits of Jesus death and think about our experiences of him in our lives and in the lives of others.
Betrayal is an ugly thing. It sets aside love and trust for some personal gain. Many of us will experience the bitterness of betrayal, often from those closest to us. And more of us than will like to admit it will have betrayed the trust of someone else…we all have our price. Maybe we’ll even betray Jesus because following gets just too hard, too dangerous at times. I wonder what my 30 pieces of silver looks like…
God’s Kingdom looks so different to any other. Those who are called to the responsibility and privilege of leadership need to be able to lead as Jesus did. They need to be prepared to teach and tell stories to win people’s hearts and take them along on the journey. They need to be prepared to love their followers even to the point of dying (whatever that might mean for them). And there will be more than a little work with a basin and towel, washing the feet no one else has bothered to wash. Take a long look at how leaders lead before you join a church…or decide to stay.
Especially for those destined to lead, like Peter. When you fail, and experience the sweetness of Jesus’ forgiveness and find that he still gives you work to do, it’s meant to make you more empathic towards other failures…you’ve been there, you know how it feels. Even the strongest among us may plunge confidently into abject failure.
Nothing is wasted in God’s economy. Our failures and successes in education. The dreams that wither and the dreams that thrive. The journey to a pig sty in a far country and the return to home and father when we finally come to our senses. The people who receive us and our message gladly and the ones who misunderstand, marginalise and persecute us. The prayers we pray, the answers we receive and the petitions as yet unanswered. Yes, sometimes Jesus provides what we need and more, but equally we need to make the most of the resources we can contribute to the relationship too.
Pilgrim Traveller 