Isn't it funny what people remember?
What is recorded in the Gospels is what people remember from the stories that were passed down to them about the events that transpired around the life of Jesus.
In Matthew 15 and in Mark 7 there are similar accounts of Jesus giving a parable about "That Which Defiles".
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules (Matthew 15.8,9; Mark 7.6,7; Isaiah 29:13)
Both are strikingly honest and parallel. The same crowds, the same listeners, the same words said.
Though, in Mark's account, it is said that 'his disciples asked him about the parable'.
Matthew's account is much more personal. He says it is Peter who does the asking.
Matthew 15
New International Version (NIV)
the parable about That Which Defiles
It's funny what we remember about that one person.
They made us laugh or cry. They made us angry or sad.
How they stuck their foot in their mouth.
How they said exactly what we needed to hear.
How they said exactly what nobody needed to hear.
Peter might just be that person.
I would venture to say that what we see in the 16th chapter of Matthew is a man who thinks that he knows what he's talking about.
And, maybe he does. Maybe he has a premonition or some insight that allowed him to open his mouth and utter boldly those words.
Or, maybe he's just full of it. Full of himself. Full of something.
Jesus is about to ask that all encompassing question, "Who do men say that I am?"
Does he know already that Peter is going to answer? Quite possibly, yes.
Does Peter have any idea just what those words truly mean or how they would change his life?
Most likely, no. But, it doesn't stop him from uttering them.
It also doesn't dawn on him what following this Savior and Messiah will cost himself in the long run.
Or, the battle that will ensue. For his soul. For the world. For mankind's salvation.
Take a look.
Matthew 16:13-24
New International Version (NIV)
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
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.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
There's alot of things with we wish we could take back in life.
Words we wish we could rephrase. Sentences that need editing.
Isn't it funny how so many things come to us after the moment has passed?
After we have uttered so many unforgivable things, or after having said nothing at all.
OH MAN, I wish I would have said THIS.
Man, I wish I had never said anything at all.
The malady for many a human being is we think that we are the ultimate authority.
Whatever the subject, whatever the problem, we tend to think we have the answer.
And, for too many a human being, the problem comes from opening our mouths to quickly.
We don't take the time to listen some more, give the first speaker time to explain themselves.
"Jesus, what are you talking about, what do you mean you have to die? I don't understand?"
Isn't it true that too often we take matters into our own hands, handling it with our own mouths?
“Never, Lord!”What can cure this sickness? What can take away the virus of the wicked tongue?
“This shall never happen to you!”
The truth about viruses is that they are always around us, in us, affecting us.
What sets the virus off? That is the big question.
If the virus is always around and yet everything is quiet and seems fine, what happened in this moment to stir the thing up and make us lose control like a sneezing maniac or an endless runny nose?
What happens to us, humanly speaking, that causes us to lose control of the tongue?
Is it the other person's fault? Is it something they said or something they did?
Is it our environment? Is it the raucous behavior around us they truly makes us lose it?
Maybe, if we truly want to grow and change, we should consider this alternative.
Maybe its us.
Maybe we have this thing inside of us that causes us to think we know it all already.
Maybe we tend to think we have all the answers and we don't need any further learning.
Maybe we are hot-headed, incorrigible, quick to speak, unforgiving, ...and that's just for starters.
Maybe we tend to make it all about....me...myself....I.
Maybe that's where Peter fell into trouble here.
Even as I type this I realize this is an awful lot of 'maybes'.
The bible doesn't give us the whole story. We don't know exactly what was going through his head.
We can only speculate about his thoughts and wonderings.
I tend to think he's sitting there thinking...
Ok, First you ask us who you are...and I answer with the correct answer...
Then you tell me that I am the rock that we will build this church upon....
And, you give us these 'keys to the kingdom'...like we are in charge....
Then you tell us that we can't tell anybody who you are....??????
THEN, you tell us that you have to die????
Now, lets just put a stop to this!
What happens to us that we think we have the boldness to step up and tell other people what to do?
And, in this case, Peter thinks he has the kahunas to talk to the Savior, The Messiah, The Son of God, as he was just referenced by 'yours truly', to say to him whatever he wants however he wants to say it?
Oh, you think you're bold Peter? Here's a few words for you.
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.”It should be noted that Jesus is not truly speaking to Peter.
He is speaking to the enemy, to Satan.
But, how crushing it must feel to know that we were somehow used by the enemy for his purposes when all along what we wanted to do was the right thing for God.
And,that's the learning curve.
Knowing when to speak. And, knowing when to shut up.
If we think that we can just walk through life saying whatever we want to say, however we want to say it, and all the while expecting the world around us to just deal with it....
That's a quick way to flunk the learning curve.
Matthew 12:35-37
Knox Bible (KNOX)
35 a
good man utters good words from his store of goodness, the wicked man,
from his store of wickedness, can utter nothing but what is evil. 36 And I say this, that in the day of judgement men will be brought to account for every thoughtless word they have spoken. 37 Thy words will be matter to acquit, or matter to condemn thee.
