Peter's Rebuke

Peter was a reactionary, an impulsive man. He often spoke before he thought. He often charged into areas as much over his head as the sea of Galilee had been when he attempted to walk on water. The old saying, "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" was true of Peter. He opened his mouth and inserted his foot. He is kind of like a vice president I know. But he means well. His heart is basically in the right place. Which is worst? Someone who has an evil heart and plots evil against you or someone who has  a good heart and unknowingly gets in the way of God's business? Paul had a good heart when he persecuted Christians. He thought he was doing God's will. However, he was on the wrong side of it. Do we often get ourselves like Peter on the wrong side of God's will? Do we stumble into forbidden territory? There are somethings that are simply none of our business. We are not in charge of many things that we try to control. I know Peter was probably just being protective. But, really, should one who just confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, turn around and tell this same Jesus that he would not allow to happen to Him the very thing Jesus said MUST happen to Him? We think we are being noble at times when we are just being plain stupid.

The phrase Peter used translated "God forbid" is really one word. It means to be cheerful, propitious, favorable, or merciful. The sense of the phrase is "God please show mercy and prevent this from happening."  Now does this sound familiar? Didn't Jesus pray something similar in the Garden a few weeks later? Is Jesus rebuking Peter for something He himself would do? There are a number of differences between Peter and Jesus. Peter spoke out of ignorant impulse. Jesus had complete knowledge and spoke to His Father deliberately. Peter was not considering God's will in the matter. He simply did not want to see Jesus suffer and die. Jesus knew God's will and prayed that His will be done in the matter. Peter was being defiant and Jesus was being submissive. But in the end there was no other way. It was a MUST. It was imperative.

From my journal today: We tend to fight the things we think will upset our well-being. We often do not wait on the Lord to see whether a certain matter will turn out for our good and how. In this case if Peter had gotten his way it would have prevented that which gives well-being (eternal life) to the entire world. What Peter wanted would have compromised the very nature of God. It would have made God to be a liar, Jesus' coming to be pointless, all the prophets of the Old Testament to be false prophets, and made Satan the winner. There are so many implications when we seek to prevent what God has ordained. It really is not a good idea to rebuke God.