Maybe he needed to find out more about this guy he was following.
Simon thought he knew who he was following.
From the time that he responded to Jesus calling him, Simon had been fascinated by this man. The way He healed, the way He taught, the way He treated people. His brother, Andrew, had told him that this was the guy they were waiting for. So much of what he’d seen fit right in with his expectations of the man he was waiting for.
This was highlighted by that time at Caesarea Philippi. What an unforgettable moment that was for Simon. Jesus had asked them all about what the others were saying about Him. The regular answers came up – He was this prophet, He was that prophet. Then that golden moment in Simon’s life to that point. Jesus asked them who they thought He was. Simon had no problem in expressing what he believed,
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
The response that Jesus gave to Sion at that time was so affirming. He heard that He was the rock again. More than that He heard of exactly how Jesus was going to do the amazing work of building His church on this revelation. What an honour. What a wonder.
Simon had no problem following Jesus’ request that they kept this revelation to themselves. He was just pleased to get it on point. So now it was all confirmed – Jesus is the Messiah, the one they’ve been waiting for to deliver the people of God from oppression and to lead the people to a new Davidic Kingdom. Jesus was the One!
So it was a bit odd to hear Jesus then go on to talk about suffering many terrible things at the hands of the religious rulers. That was odd and hard to take. Then to hear Jesus talk about being killed by them? What? Never. Not the Messiah. This was no way to talk about the Messianic rule to come. No, this was a time for triumph and rule, not persecution and death. Seeing as though he had been at the place to let the guys know who Jesus was, it would probably help if he just took Jesus aside to straighten his head out. Maybe it was the pressure of being the king, but here was Simon – Peter after all – to help his friend.
The response of Jesus was startling.
Such a sharp rebuke. Such a humbling rebuke. It shook Simon up to hear it. Not only that but then to hear Jesus go onto establish just how much following Him would cost. It was sobering for Simon to hear.
Maybe he didn’t know this guy after all.
Simon thought he knew who he was following.
Maybe he needed to find out more about this guy he was following.
(Photo by Christopher Sardegna on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 