Peter Gets It Right... And Wrong.
It's the biggest question we have to answer as believers: Who is Jesus?
Is He a prophet, a good teacher, or a human who became God? Or is He God in flesh, the Son of God who died for the Sin of humankind, rose again, and sits as the ruler of all Creation?
For us, the question is complicated by other religions that accept Jesus as a key leader as long as we focus on His commands to love and avoid some of the more controversial teaching about Him. Our current cultural forces readily accept a Jesus that is kind and loving and smiles all the time, but they don't respond too well to the Jesus the King who demands obedience and sacrifice.
Jesus once asked His disciples who the people of Israel thought He was. "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." (Matt. 16:14) The people got it wrong. Jesus was no mere prophet. As great as each of those men were, they were men.
Peter got it right.
Jesus turned the question from the people of Israel to a more personal, "But you, who do YOU say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
Peter got it right, because he nailed the exact nature of who Jesus is. The Messiah, God in flesh, on earth to establish the Eternal Kingdom of God.
Peter got it wrong.
With Peter's right answer Jesus spoke a blessing over Peter, then started to talk about His death. He was explaining that His death was necessary for God's purpose of atoning for the sin of humankind. This is not what you'd expect an eternal king to say. "Now that I'm here, I'm going to go willingly to my death."
So Peter began to rebuke Jesus. He'd just called Him the Son of God, now he feels he has the authority to rebuke God? Peter had expectations of how God operates that missed the point. Jesus was not here to establish the worldly empire that would conquer the Romans. He was here for a much deeper and more important reason. Peter wanted the Kingdom without the cross.
Jesus' death was the only way we would be reconciled to God. He was to take on Sin and give us the best gift: the joyful restoration of our relationship with our Creator.
Any view of Jesus that is less than Messiah, Son of God, Savior misses the point.
Is He a prophet, a good teacher, or a human who became God? Or is He God in flesh, the Son of God who died for the Sin of humankind, rose again, and sits as the ruler of all Creation?
For us, the question is complicated by other religions that accept Jesus as a key leader as long as we focus on His commands to love and avoid some of the more controversial teaching about Him. Our current cultural forces readily accept a Jesus that is kind and loving and smiles all the time, but they don't respond too well to the Jesus the King who demands obedience and sacrifice.
Jesus once asked His disciples who the people of Israel thought He was. "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." (Matt. 16:14) The people got it wrong. Jesus was no mere prophet. As great as each of those men were, they were men.
Peter got it right.
Jesus turned the question from the people of Israel to a more personal, "But you, who do YOU say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
You: Jesus of Nazareth, born of Mary, with family and friends and a job.
Are the Christ: The Messiah, "Anointed One", a title of the kings of Israel, but ultimately to be applied to THE King who would establish the throne of David forever. There were many 'messiahs', but there would be only one MESSIAH.
Son of the Living God: It was common for kings and emperors to claim to be a direct descendant of the gods, but this term would have been a claim to deity in a culture where there was only one God, YHWH, and to call yourself a son of God would be a high form of blasphemy.
Peter got it right, because he nailed the exact nature of who Jesus is. The Messiah, God in flesh, on earth to establish the Eternal Kingdom of God.
Peter got it wrong.
With Peter's right answer Jesus spoke a blessing over Peter, then started to talk about His death. He was explaining that His death was necessary for God's purpose of atoning for the sin of humankind. This is not what you'd expect an eternal king to say. "Now that I'm here, I'm going to go willingly to my death."
So Peter began to rebuke Jesus. He'd just called Him the Son of God, now he feels he has the authority to rebuke God? Peter had expectations of how God operates that missed the point. Jesus was not here to establish the worldly empire that would conquer the Romans. He was here for a much deeper and more important reason. Peter wanted the Kingdom without the cross.
Jesus' death was the only way we would be reconciled to God. He was to take on Sin and give us the best gift: the joyful restoration of our relationship with our Creator.
Any view of Jesus that is less than Messiah, Son of God, Savior misses the point.
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