Peter shrugged

Jock Stein April 16, 2026 2 0

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Mark 8: 22-33 (NIVUK)

22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spat on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’

24 He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’

25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don’t even go into the village.’

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, ‘Who do people say I am?’

28 They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’

29 ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’

Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah.’

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’

Peter has spent time in the company of Jesus. He has observed great works of healing (verses 22-26). God has opened his eyes (Matthew 16: 17). So he acknowledges Jesus as Messiah, God’s chosen one (verse 29). And then his shoulders tighten, as Jesus explains what being Messiah is all about, and Peter starts to give Jesus a telling off (verse 32).

Like us so often, Peter begins well, with real faith in Jesus. But then, having received faith as a gift, he starts to make it his own thing, the way he wants it. We can do this in so many ways – at one extreme, defining faith so tightly that only a small group who agree with us are really true believers, or at the other defining faith so loosely that just about anything goes. But if faith is the gift of God, then it is wise to give thanks that God knows those who are God’s.

1 Timothy 4: 16 speaks of the great ‘mystery’ of our religion. This does not mean that our faith is vague, or cannot be understood – the word means a secret which is revealed, which encourages a deep respect for God and for other people. We cannot engineer faith in any mechanical way, for God is a heavenly Father, not a heavenly Fixer – but we can expect faith to grow, in ourselves and others.

PRAY:

God our Father, you have planted a wonderful garden among humankind, that the flowers and fruit of faith might delight your eyes, and bless your people. By your word and spirit, grow this trust within us and among us, that your kingdom may come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen.