I love Peter. He’s a solid man of faith. But he’s also a classic “foot in the mouth” type of guy. I’m just like that myself, always saying things I shouldn’t, or finding the words coming out in unintended ways. In Matthew 16, Peter had two very different moments of speaking. In the first, he got it right. “Jesus, You are the Messiah, the Son of God.” And Jesus praised him for this bold declaration.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…”
Can you imagine Jesus saying that to you? I would be on the moon!
But then in the very next paragraph, Peter absolutely blows it. He tells Jesus He will not suffer in Jerusalem, and he surely won’t die there, even though Jesus had just said these things would happen.
But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Imagine Jesus saying THAT to you.
Our sin nature keeps getting in the way. Just when we think we have life with Jesus figured out, we go off in our own power and “wisdom” and blow it. The good news is as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, guiding us, correcting us, instructing us. And He uses the Bible to teach us.
It is possible Peter let Jesus’ praise go to his head. So may we, too, let praise go to our heads. Let us learn to guard hearts and minds in that moment of success and acclaim. (I Corinthians 10:12)
Perhaps Peter just let his tongue get away from him. So may we, too. Let us learn to speak little and listen much. (James 1:19)
And let us always be as Peter in our bold declaration of Jesus as Lord, or, as Peter said in one of his letters, let us always be ready to give an account for our hope in Jesus. The more we read and study the Bible, and the more we practice talking about Jesus, the less likely we will be to speak with that pesky foot springing to our mouths. (1 Peter 3:15)
Faith Gym 