Right and Wrong Answers (Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

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One of the questions you should always ask when you read the Bible is, “Why is this story – or this detail – remembered?”  After all, unlike the ever-expanding memory capacity of our phones and cloud services, there was a limited amount of space the ancient biblical writers had to record stuff.  They knew plenty of stories, and plenty of details, that they just didn’t have space for.  So why write down these particular things?

Why was this detail remembered? And that question is especially interesting when the detail makes one of the heroes of the story look really, really bad!

For example, it would have been easy for Mark to record, in today’s Gospel reading, that Peter had confessed Jesus to be the Messiah, and then to simply go on and say that Jesus then taught them all about what being the Messiah would entail. 

But instead, Mark records that right on the heels of Peter’s confession that Jesus is the guy everyone should listen to and learn from, Peter begins to “rebuke” the Messiah.  And Jesus not only tells him he’s wrong, but calls him “Satan”! 

Peter, the Rock of the Church, is called “Satan” by Jesus the Messiah.  Now, it’s not surprising that adversaries of Jesus, like the Temple authorities, or betrayers of Jesus, like Judas, would have nasty details remembered about them.  But why Peter, a “hero” of the faith?

Mark doesn’t have space to explain it all, but perhaps the reason this detail is remembered and recorded is to make a point about Peter – one of the people most revered by early Christians.  And it seems to me that the point the early Gospel writers want to make by recording this story is that Peter:

• Is not accepted and included by Jesus because he gets the answers right – Peter was accepted and included by Jesus before he ever confessed him to be the Messiah, as were the others who didn’t get it yet.  In fact, in the other Gospel accounts, Jesus makes it clear that Peter’s right answer is the result of God’s work in him, and not something that Peter himself deserves credit for…

• Is not rejected because of his wrong answers – Jesus calls him “Satan” for being opposed to God’s plan and purpose, but he doesn’t dismiss Peter. He doesn’t send him away.  He doesn’t cast him out.  Peter is wrong.  But he’s still part of Jesus’ disciples…

• Needs to continue to learn and grow in his faith, whether he’s right or wrong – even Peter’s “right answer” isn’t the end of his growing in faith. He hasn’t “passed the test” so that he’s now got all the answers.  After all, this is only the mid-point of the Gospel story.  Peter, as well as the others, are continually called to learn and grow, even after the Resurrection…

And I also suppose this story was included because, if these things are true about Peter – a famous “hero” of the faith – they’re also true for us.  As modern disciples of Jesus, we’re also called by Jesus to follow, to learn and to grow.  Yet, like Peter, we’re also called to keep in mind that we:

• Are not included and accepted by Jesus because we get the answers right – or at least, because we think we have the right answers!  It was probably a good feeling for Peter, and I know it’s a good feeling for me, when I think I’ve done what Jesus asked me to do or when I feel like God has given me a good answer to a difficult situation.  But that’s not why Jesus loves and accepts me.  And it’s not why Jesus loves or accepts you…we’re loved, called and accepted because Jesus wants us to be God’s children, not because we’ve scored enough points on a test…

• Don’t get thrown out because we screw up – and this is sometimes hard to remember in our society right now when so many people get rejected and “cancelled” because at some point or another, they said or did something that makes them seem like “Satan.”  Partly, this is because EVERYTHING is now written down and recorded!  And so, we have an almost knee-jerk reaction to saying or doing bad stuff – we try to pretend we’ve never said or done anything like that, and we often reject being in relationship with anybody who ever – even once – said or did something wrong.  But Jesus didn’t do that to Peter.  Jesus doesn’t do that to us.  And Jesus calls us NOT to do that to others…

• Are people who continually need to grow, learn and develop in God’s grace. Jesus wasn’t done with Peter – ever!  And Jesus isn’t done with us.  Simply because of school schedules, churches often tend to program faith formation events (like Sunday School) concurrently with when people aren’t on summer vacation.  And this has often led to the sub-conscious idea that, once I’m done with formal schooling (and I’ve read the Bible and been through Confirmation class) that somehow I’ve got all the info God needs me to have.  But as with Peter, Jesus calls all of us to continual growth in faith, learning and living.  And that’s true whether we think we’ve got the right answers or not…

Like Peter, Jesus calls all of us to be his disciples, and to follow him in a life of continual growth and learning.  And today’s Gospel reminds us that, like Peter, we should celebrate those times when we realize God has given us insight, strength and even the right answers.  But today’s Gospel also reminds us that, like Peter, Jesus continues to accept and forgive us when we get things wrong, just as he calls us to forgive and accept others.  And like Peter, Jesus always calls us to continue to journey with him and to continue to grow and learn, whether we think we’ve got the right answers or not.

Amen.