Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again…. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. (Mark 8:31-32)
Peter hated this ‘loser’ talk coming out of Jesus’ mouth. Suffering and dying is no way to win. Yet that is exactly the way Jesus chose. That is part of God’s ‘upside-down’ way of bringing us salvation and healing. Through the shocking event of Jesus’ death on the cross comes the wonder for forgiveness for all sin, and the promise of new life.
Peter was so sure he was right and that he was strong enough to never fail. Jesus and Peter exchanged strong words, and I can imagine Peter holding on to the thought that he wasn’t going to back down.
When they got to Jerusalem, it went the way Jesus had predicted. Peter found himself stumbling along in the dark behind the soldiers who had arrested Jesus. He dared to come into the courtyard of the house where Jesus was being interrogated. When challenged, he vehemently denied that he was one of Jesus’ group. He even took an oath to clear himself. When the rooster crowed, and Peter realised what he had done, he was shattered and deeply shamed. His whole idea of himself as strong and competent was in complete ruins.
Jesus loves to meet us and pick us up when we are n complete ruins or desperate need. At the empty Easter tomb, the angel instructed the women (first preachers of the resurrection!) to tell the disciples, and Peter, that the risen Jesus was going ahead of them and would meet them back in Galilee.
‘And Peter’. Sure, these was stuff to work through between Jesus and Peter, but it was going to be worked through with deep acceptance and love from Jesus.
There are times when we fall and fail. There are times when we may get something seriously wrong. There well may be deeply uncomfortable or even confronting conversations. There well may be serious changes of attitudes and behaviour needed. But we are always covered by Christ’s love and forgiveness, and we are always being called into new life and healed relationships.
