Greatness: Matthew 14-20Sample

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? We know what’s true, but sometimes we are ruled by our emotions, and seemingly out of nowhere, our emotions lead us to believe things that are not necessarily true, but what feels true in that moment. I certainly have. Maybe that is why I have an affection for Peter. He is so loyal, but he is also a bit emotional. You see, he knows who Jesus is, and he deeply loves Jesus. He got out of the boat—he knew the power of Jesus. I believe that is why he is quick to say, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16, ESV). He was right, and when reading the passage you can almost hear his earnest tone and his joy in declaring what he knew to be true! Jesus honours that.

Which makes it so easy to picture the next bit. Imagine taking Jesus aside, knowing just earlier you declared He was the Son of the living God… only to rebuke Him! Peter, knowing what is true, is so convinced that he is right—that nothing could happen to Jesus—that he almost misses the point. For Jesus to be the Messiah, He must do what’s next. It is easy to chastise Peter in this moment—rebuking Jesus! So bold, so misguided, so mismatched from his true view of who Jesus is.

But it is a little bit relatable. I know that sometimes, whether I am keen to admit it or not, I am pushing my own agenda forward when I know it’s not what Jesus has for me. Or, maybe I don’t know what Jesus’ agenda is, but I am so convinced that I know what I want, and that it’s a good thing, and it should be what Jesus has next for me, or my family, or my ministry, or my friends. This is held in total tension with a deep view of Jesus as Messiah.

Today, ponder this: What would it look like for you to surrender your own view of how something should go (small or large) and truly trust that Jesus is the Messiah and that His plans and words are what is best?