When the Self is at the Center - The Rev. Dr. Herschel Wade

Sermons from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer

He had on multiple occasions, masterfully bested fierce opposition for the most respected religious authorities. He astounded the crowds with his teachings and actions. And he demonstrated both the power and authority expected of a Messiah. However, such an expectation comes up short. It distorts one's vision and makes one see with the human eyes on one level, Peter's eyes did not cause him to miscalculate Jesus's power. Peter was able to see all of Jesus's wondrous feats. However, he was not understanding what Jesus was aiming to accomplish. He and the other disciples seem to be more preoccupied where Jesus' messianic power and title are rather than his life-giving mission. Of course, the title Messiah is important for establishing an authority bestowed by God. But what good is a title when detached from Jesus' counter cultural mission to seek and save the lost, the broken and outcast? No. Peter's mind wasn't capable of envisioning all the possibilities accessible to God, especially not a God who came to serve and not be served. Not when the stakes are so high, when doing what is accomplished by the human eye and mind would not accomplish what God accomplished through Jesus Christ for humanity. So, maybe Peter doesn't deserve any partial credit at all. Maybe placing limits on God because of human desires is something exactly from the devil. Because there is just too much at stake. To announce Jesus as the Messiah before his true glorification would be inadequate and incomplete. For the Son of Man must undergo suffering, rejection, and death. It is precisely for this reason that his followers, including Peter, would eventually take up their crosses and lose their lives.