Simon Peter: Defending (and Rebuking) the Saviour

All throughout last week there was a lot of speculation as to who the Vatican would nominate as the new Pope.

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Back in 2005, shortly after the death of Pope John Paul II, somebody called Roger Cadenhead,

registered domain space for Benedict.

He didn't know that the new Pope was going to be called Benedict,

but took a bit of a punt looking back at history, at popular names among Popes,

and so he registered the website www.benedict16.com.

Before the new Pope's name was even announced.

He secured it before Rome even knew they needed it.

See, domain space is quite lucrative.

He wasn't the only one in on this.

Somebody else had registered a very similar one, whereas he had registered Benedict 16.

Somebody else had registered Pope Benedict 16.com and put that on eBay and it surpassed $16,000, believe it or not.

But Cadenhead didn't want any money for this registered domain space.

A Catholic himself, he was happy for the Vatican to have the name.

He said this,

I'm going to try and avoid angering over one billion Catholics and my grandmother.

He did, however, ask for something else in return.

In fact, he asked for three things and these are the three things that he asked for.

Number one, a free stay at the Vatican Hotel.

Number two, one of those hats.

Number three, complete absolution, no questions asked for the third week of March 1987.

Now, it was never publicly said what actually happened during the third week of March 1987

and you can use your imagination.

But I would hazard a guess that every single one of us has got a third week of March 1987

somewhere lurking in our lives, whatever that was.

A week, a day, a weekend, a month, a year, even a decade that we just wish hadn't happened.

That we look back on and we cringe over.

These things can haunt us.

They can take a grip on us.

They can take a grip on us.

See, everybody is a combination of the good and the bad and the downright ugly.

And if you spend a lot of time worrying, preoccupied over whatever your third week of March 1987 might have been,

welcome to the club.

No, welcome to the human race.

Because every single human being on this planet has a combination of the good and the bad and the ugly.

Bring on Peter.

Bring on Peter.

And that's what I love so much about Peter.

And I want to suggest, whilst there are so many different things that we can draw on from his story,

from the character of Simon Peter as he's presented to us in the Gospels,

I want to suggest that what we have there is a combination of getting it spectacularly right and getting it spectacularly wrong.

But Jesus still called him his disciple.

And that's important.

You see, even in this one scene, he stands out as the one who gets it right.

When Jesus is saying, well, who do you say I am?

And Peter puts his finger right on it there and then.

You are the Messiah.

And yet, almost in the same breath, he finds himself being rebuked by Jesus,

because it becomes very clear that he has radically misunderstood what being the Messiah is about.

And we'll come on to that in just one moment.

The combination of the spectacularly right and the spectacularly wrong.

He got it right so many times, and yet he also finds himself rebuking Jesus, being rebuked by Jesus.

He eventually denies Jesus.

And yet, Jesus still went on to call him the Rock.

You see, God believes in you, even when you don't believe in him.

Jesus knew the worst things, as well as the best things, about Peter.

And it's okay.

Jesus knows the very worst things about you and me.

And it's okay.

What I love about Peter is the way he just blurts it out.

He hasn't got a filter.

Which means sometimes what he blurts out on those finer moments,

you're the Messiah.

Yes.

Comes completely unfiltered.

But at other times, no, I don't know him.

Unfiltered.

Spectacularly right and spectacularly wrong.

Jesus knows the very best and the worst about Jesus, about Peter.

And it's okay.

I think that lack of filter tends to apply in relationships,

when we're closest, with the people that we're closest to.

Those that we really love, those that we're really open with,

those who probably do know the worst things about us.

And it's okay.

We tend to let the filter down.

Just an illustration.

Just imagine that there's two people in a car.

That's a busy high street.

And that car needs to be parallel parked.

And it's a tight spot.

And there's loads of traffic queuing up behind.

And there's quite a lot of pressure on.

And just imagine that the two people in that car,

two people that have just met for the first time.

Maybe they're just work colleagues and they're on their way to a meeting.

And they haven't known each other very long.

And all the conversation is pretty polite, surface level stuff.

And one of them is trying to park this car.

And the other relatively, well, basically a stranger,

but a very new person in their life.

They interact with one another as this car is in the process of being parked.

The conversation couldn't be more polite.

Oh, sorry.

Just back a bit.

Yeah, no.

I think back a bit.

Sorry about this.

I'm not very good at parallel parking.

It's all right.

Neither am I.

Honestly, I don't think I would be doing a very good job either.

Just back a little.

Oops.

Oh, you nearly hit that thing.

The car there.

Don't worry.

There's a bit of traffic behind me.

Don't feel pressured.

No.

It's all right.

That's right.

Oh, thank you very much.

Same situation.

Stick a married couple in that same car.

I know I don't need to say any more.

The filter comes down with those that we're nearest to.

And I think that's what we see going on with Peter in the way that he interacts with Jesus.

Whatever Peter blurts out, when we see Jesus' response, it's really clear and it's consistent.

Jesus knows the worst thing about him.

And it's okay.

He knows the worst thing about you.

And it's okay.

You know, I often think to myself that, you know, probably if you knew the worst things about me, you would not want me to be your minister.

And if I knew the worst thing about you, I probably wouldn't want to be your minister.

Well, that's not how it works.

God does know the worst things about you and me.

And it's okay.

And it's okay.

So how do we see this in more detail actually played out in the life of Peter?

Well, let's zoom out for a moment

and let's see where this part comes

in Mark's telling of the story of Jesus.

So Mark's Gospel is structured in a very, very clear way.

16 chapters, two halves, eight chapters each.

And the first half is this kind of whistle-stop tour of ministry.

It's not very reflective.

It's just very fact-based.

It's to the point and it moves very quickly.

We've got a scene with teaching going on,

with healing going on,

with calling disciples going on,

with healing, with teaching, with miracles,

signs and wonders.

It happens really, really fast-paced.

That's the first eight chapters.

The second eight chapters, the second half of that Gospel,

is given over to the last week of Jesus' life,

his journey to the cross.

And landing right there in the middle is Mark chapter 8,

Mark 8 · chapter mention

where we have this story,

this scene at Caesarea Philippi,

where it brings it right into focus.

With all this going on,

who do you say I am?

Who is this guy?

Who is Jesus?

What is he about?

What's all this happening for?

Why all of this ministry leading up to this halfway point?

And why what is about to happen in the journey to the cross?

It's all played out in this one scene.

Who do you say I am?

The prophet?

John the Baptist?

Elijah?

No, you're the Messiah.

Now the other fascinating thing that runs through the Gospels,

and we find this in Mark's Gospel as well,

is what is often referred to as the Messianic secret,

which can seem a slightly bizarre thing

when we first come across it.

The Messianic secret.

In other words,

for all the proclamation about the signs,

about the kingdom of God,

about the stuff that Jesus is doing,

Jesus seems to want to keep it secret.

Where he says to somebody or other,

and we see it in this very scene with Peter,

he says,

don't tell anybody about this.

We see it on occasions when people are healed.

Don't tell anybody about this.

And here,

Jesus is saying,

the Messiah,

don't tell anybody about this.

Why?

Well,

we find that

becomes clearer

as Mark's Gospel unfolds

in that second half.

And it's focused in

on this middle

centrepiece

in Mark's Gospel,

because as soon

as Peter has said,

you're the Messiah,

that's who you are,

and then Jesus goes on to say,

and he said,

there's nobody about this,

but he then just goes on

to talk about how,

as the Messiah,

he has to go to the cross.

He must suffer and die.

In other words,

he wants this kept secret

unless it's properly understood.

It can only be proclaimed

when it's going to be proclaimed

accurately and clearly

as it is.

If you're going to go off

and preaching who Jesus is

for the wrong reasons,

then forget it.

The only way you can understand

who Jesus is

is when you grasp

that he has to go to the cross.

The only way you can understand

what being a follower of Jesus is

authentically

is when you understand

that it's not an easy ride.

That to follow Jesus

means following him,

yes,

through those first eight chapters

of the signs and wonders

and all the big amazing stuff

there is to happen,

but also it doesn't stop there.

If you're going to confess him

as Messiah,

you need to know

that you're following him

through the whole Gospel,

all 16 chapters

which lead to the cross.

In other words,

if you're going to be

a follower of Jesus,

if you're going to know

that God knows

all the very worst things

about you

and it's okay,

great,

but that's not just

some nice,

sparkly,

fluffy,

clean,

fluffy,

wrapped message

that just,

just to massage your ego

and to make you feel

good about yourself.

It's a message

that says,

yes,

he loves you

and accepts you

unconditionally,

but when you start

to accept that

and follow him,

it's not going to be

an easy ride.

Following Jesus

is not just

about having

a positive self-image.

Now you believe in God.

It is that,

but it's so much more.

And Mark's Gospel

tells us in no uncertain terms

what that is.

That the discipleship

is costly.

It involves

taking up your cross.

It involves

rolling up your sleeves.

It involves

taking risks.

It involves

life that will be difficult.

Because as Bonhoeffer

famously said,

God's grace

is free,

but it's never cheap.

If you're going to know

the unconditional love

of Jesus,

you need to know

that it's costly stuff.

He will call you

into places,

into situations

where frankly

you will not want to go.

Because that is what

being a follower

of Jesus is about.

He knows the worst

things about you

and it's okay.

God meets you

where you are,

but he will not

leave you there.

So back to Peter.

And let's just see

what happens here

because what we see

is he says,

you are the Messiah.

father.

Then,

we also see

that later on,

even after he has been

corrected by Jesus

and it's been explained

to him what

Messiahship means,

the cross

and resurrection,

and whilst it also

sees that

discipleship means

a tough ride,

we find him

later on

denying Jesus.

So what's going on there?

Why,

why would Peter

deny Jesus

three times?

Now for a long,

long time

I thought that was

something to do with

Peter being cowardly.

that he ran out of courage.

Then it became clear,

when you look at the life

of Jesus,

the life of Peter,

whilst he had many faults,

being a coward

was not one of them.

I mean,

just think about this.

Putting aside the fact

that he has just,

in front of everybody else,

he's the first one

to step up to the mark

and say,

Jesus,

you are the Messiah.

That's a bold,

risky and dangerous

thing to do.

Look at the other things

that happen in Jesus' life.

Think, for example,

of the way Matthew

regards the story

of when

they were out

at sea

and Jesus is walking

on the water

towards

the disciples.

There was one disciple

and only one

who gets out

of the boat

and says,

Jesus,

I'm coming out

towards you.

And it's Peter.

Of course,

he quickly sinks

but Jesus pulls him

back up again

because he's not a coward.

Or in John's Gospel

where we have the story

of when Judas,

the betrayer,

leads a group

of Pharisees

and Roman soldiers

to come and arrest

Jesus by night

and they're armed

and we're not told

how many there are

but we're told

that there are

the teachers of the law

and the Roman soldiers.

We're told that

one disciple

is not having this

and he stands

in front of Jesus

and draws his sword

and takes on

the Roman soldiers,

the greatest

fighting force

in the world.

Cuts off

the high priest's ear.

Who is that?

Peter.

Tempestuous,

yes.

Hot tempered

at times,

most definitely.

But a coward,

not Peter,

never.

So if it's not

being a coward

that would drive

Peter to deny

Jesus three times,

what is it?

I want to suggest,

and I don't know this,

this is just

guesswork,

but it's led

by the patterns

that we see

in the character

as he is presented

to us

in the Gospel narratives.

I want to suggest

that what we see

at Peter

by the time

we get to that

denial

is frankly

a broken man.

And that

he's at that point

where he denies

Jesus frankly

because he's lost

the plot.

He doesn't know

what's going on

anymore.

He's invested

everything

in following Jesus.

He's given up

everything,

walked away

and followed

him

for three years.

He's the one

who dared

to call him

Messiah

before anybody

else.

He's the one

who got out

of that boat

and tried

to walk on

water towards him

and found himself

he did for a while

whilst his focus

was on Jesus

and now

he sees

that same Jesus

who's taken away,

arrested

and his whole world

is coming

crashing down.

Have you ever

been in that

situation

where it feels

that there is

no hope left

only despair

to the point

where you would

deny

everything

that you've

previously held

dear about

who God is

and what God

is like

that you come

to that conclusion

that you cannot

stand God

that you cannot

bear the word

God

that church

is something

you won't

when I go

anywhere near

I'm thinking

here of the

image of the

child who

who screams

to their

parents

I hate you

I hate you

I hate you

when deep

deep down

inside

is that

security

that enables

them that

space

to be able

to blurt

that out

even in

that brokenness

in his grief

where he is

torn apart

and he's

completely

and utterly

lost his way

to the extent

where he denies

Jesus

not just once

not twice

but three times

Jesus

does not

stop

believing

in Peter

and even

though there

may be times

that you may

have gone

through

I don't

know

maybe even

going through

quite now

right now

where you

might feel

like throwing

the whole

thing in

and everything

inside you

screams God

is not there

or if he

doesn't care

I don't know

who he is

or what he's

about

even in those

moments

Jesus knows

the worst

things about

you

and it's

alright

we're going

to pray

in just a

moment

and as we

come to

pray

I invite

you to

hold

everything

about you

before

him

knowing

that there's

nothing you

can hide

from him

anyway

but he

knows the

worst things

about you

and it's

okay

you see

it doesn't

end at him

knowing the

worst things

about us

because he

actually knows

the best

things about

us as

well

including

the best

things about

us that we

don't know

about or

may struggle

to accept

things that

in eternity

will become

complete

but even in

this life

he sees

things that

we can't

see

when he

looked at

the Peter

who denied

him three

times

Jesus

didn't just

see the

one who

let him

down

he saw

the rock

the one

upon whom

he said

he would

build his

church

he knows

the worst

and the

best

of each

one of

us

and calls

us like

he did

Peter

to follow

him

so let's

pray together

now

I'm going

to close

my eyes

because I

like to do

that when I

pray but

don't feel

that you

have to

invite you

in this

moment just

to

hold

your

everything

about

yourself

before

God

the good

the bad

and the

ugly

and hold

before him

the worst

things that

you know

about you

here's a

prayer as we

confess those

things to him

Lord you know

the worst

things about

us and

although we

can't really

get our

human minds

around this

it's okay

because you

are love

you accept

us and

you call

us to

be forgiven

and to

know we

are forgiven

and there

are no

exceptions

there

we thank

you

and we

confess to

you our

humanness

our brokenness

and our

sin

and we

are sorry

Lord in

this moment

touch our

lives afresh

with your

Holy Spirit

and remind

us that we

are forgiven

Lord we

bring to

you those

moments those

experiences where

we feel perhaps

so crushed and

broken where we

may feel so

distanced from

you where we

are calling you

into question

where we may

even deny you

and Lord we

lay that before

you

Lord touch our

lives afresh by

your Spirit

and remind us

afresh

that just like

Peter you know

the worst about

us and it's

okay

Lord we're

mindful that

you not only

know the

worst but you

know the best

about us and

that you

meet with us

but you don't

expect to leave

us in that

place

and so Lord

we pray that

your Holy Spirit

would touch us

and lead us

and mature in

us and grow

us to the

point that we

would become the

very best version

of ourselves

help us

every day of

our lives

this week

this day

to hear your

voice

to respond to

the challenge of

your voice

and to rise and

to become the

people that you

long for us to

be in every

situation

in every

conversation

whether that be

in the home

in the workplace

in our interactions

with people that we

find difficult to

interact with

faith

Holy Spirit

move in us

we pray

that your

kingdom would

come in our

lives

that we may

become the

people that you

long for us

to become

now

and in the

time to come

in Jesus name

we pray

Amen

Amen