Sermon transcript:
I’m wary of tattoos. No judgment on anyone who has one—it’s personal. The thought of putting something so permanent on my body—and maybe regretting it later—unsettles me. But if I were to get one, I might choose Peter. I love Peter. If you’ve ever felt unworthy of a life of faith, if you’ve been intimidated by the idea of getting more intentional about aligning your faith with your life, if perfectionism or the fear of being called a hypocrite has held you back, then Peter is your person. Your spirit guide.
To understand Peter, and the role he plays in scripture, think of him as Michael Scott from The Office. The most beloved TV characters are usually the most human. We identify with them because they’re full of flaws—and still capable of redemption. That’s Peter. One minute, he’s season-seven Michael: thoughtful, wise, selfless. The next, he’s season-one Michael: egotistical, self-centered, insecure, afraid.
Just before today’s passage, Jesus looks at Peter and says, “You are Peter, the rock. On this rock I will build my church.” A huge vote of confidence—an affirmation of Peter’s faith. And today? That same rock becomes a stumbling block that trips Jesus up.
You can imagine Peter floating on air after Jesus’ praise. He likes being part of Jesus’ ministry: learning, healing, praying, putting the know-it-all religious authorities in their place, drawing big crowds. Then Jesus says something confounding, disorienting: “Give up this successful ministry…for ridicule, persecution, and death?!” Peter thinks he’s going to be the rock of a thriving church. He’s going to be a megachurch pastor: glass cathedral, private jet, pyrotechnics, a professional band every Sunday, a massive TikTok following.
Jesus isn’t making any sense. So Peter pulls him aside—maybe to avoid embarrassing him in front of the others—and tries to talk some sense into him. Jesus’ response is intense, stinging: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.” Matthew is echoing Jesus’ temptation in the desert by Satan, who promised him adulation and success if Jesus would bow down and worship Satan.1 Perhaps there’s frustration here as well: Peter still doesn’t get what Jesus is about. In this moment, Peter is season-one Michael: falling for the allure of ego and success, even when it’s wrapped in genuine fear and concern for his friend.
But Jesus’ words are not banishment. “Get behind me” doesn’t mean “get lost.” Jesus knows his life of love is leading to the cross. And if the disciple is going to follow, the disciple must walk that same road.2 Jesus doesn’t give up on Peter; he calls him to a deeper faith. I love the beauty and simplicity of the First Nation’s Bible rendering of this passage:
“To walk the road with me,” Jesus said to his followers, “you must turn away from your own path, and always be ready to carry your cross with me to the place of ultimate sacrifice. The ones who hold on to their lives will not find life, but the ones who are willing to let go of their lives, for me and my message, will find the true life.”3
Society celebrates celebrities. It rewards those who get the most attention. Jesus would make a terrible social media influencer.4 Faith calls for ego death: to see ourselves in relation to others and to God, and to let love guide us into our place in that web of relations. Faith asks us to put love above everything else in our lives—even above earthly notions of success. Remember: by all earthly measures, Jesus dies a failure. The late theologian and author Walter Wangerin Jr. put it this way:
We are not called to succeed at anything in this life.
We are called only to love.
And in a world where love and success so often come into conflict,
that means we are called to fail—vigorously and joyfully.5
Because faith asks for surrender—a deep commitment to love—we will be confronted with fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being misunderstood. Fear of the consequences of clashing with the dominant values of our society. Sometimes, as Scripture says, even fear of death.
So Jesus doesn’t give up on Peter. Peter stays in the story, continuing to alternate between glory and failure along the way. Jesus knows how hard this is. He calls Peter to a deeper faith. He knows how hard it is to take up your cross: to lose the life the world wants to impose on you, so you can live your true life. That’s why he forms a community around Peter and the other disciples—a means of support on the journey of faith.
It’s not easy. Jesus says: keep traveling this journey of faith together. That’s the church at its best: a group of disciples dedicated to supporting one another in learning about, celebrating, and enacting a life of love. It’s not easy. Jesus says: keep going. There is no judgment. No need to fear failure or banishment. We’re all Peter. We’ll make mistakes. We’ll fall for the ease of fake lives.
Jesus says: keep going. Keep being confounded. Keep being confused. Let that unknowing become an entry point for God’s wisdom—which is the same as foolishness in the eyes of the world. Keep standing in your truth: before anything else, you are a child of God, in relationship with other children of God.6
Keep going together. It will be hard. But if you lose your life for the sake of love often enough, faith will no longer be just belief. It will become a deep inner knowing7 that nothing can separate you from God’s love. It will be tattooed on your heart—like it was on Peter’s. And like Peter, you will have gained your true life. May it be so.
Rev. Joe Gaspar
1 Chapter 4.
2 Eugene Boring, Commentary on the Book of Matthew, “New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary”, vol. 8, Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1995, p. 349.
3 16: 24-25, https://www.bible.com/bible/3633/MAT.16.FNVNT
4 Nadia Bolz-Weber, Sermon on Losing Your Life and How Jesus Isn’t Your Magical Puppy, Patheos, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/2012/03/sermon-on-losing-yourlife-
and-how-jesus-isnt-your-magical-puppy/, March 8, 2012.
5 Ragman and Other Cries of Faith, p. 108.
6 Alice McKenzie, Jesus’ Passion and Ours: Reflections on Matthew 16:21-28, Patheos,
https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2011/08/jesus-passion-and-oursalyce-
mckenzie-08-22-2011?p=2, August 21. 2011.
7 Nadia Bolz-Weber.