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Gospel: Matthew 16: 21-27
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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What are four words that can make a person cringe?
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“We need to talk.”
Imagine coming home from a stressful day at school or work. Suddenly, you see your family seated on the couch. As your heartbeat picks up and your stomach drops, you begin to wonder, “What happened?”
Feeling everyone’s eyes gazing upon you, someone breaks the uncomfortable silence with those four loaded words: “We need to talk.”
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Some people try avoiding conflict at all costs. They’d rather bury their heads in the sand, hold things in, make excuses, downplay important issues, or remain silent than speak up.
But working to preserve a fragile ceasefire or surface-level peace may only lead to further problems.
For example, parents cannot remain silent if they see their child being bullied, running with the wrong crowd, or slipping into an addiction. Nor should one spouse stay silent if the other is exhibiting harmful or inappropriate behavior.
Such crucial conversations, although difficult, are meant to preserve a relationship, keeping it from taking a turn for the worse, or ending.
Even Jesus had to have these conversations with his disciples.
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In last week’s Gospel, Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven after he professed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”
Peter must’ve been on cloud nine. But today he takes a precipitous fall as Jesus rebukes him sternly, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”
Why the abrupt change?
After handing over the keys, Jesus opens his heart and reveals more about his future to his disciples, which will include being arrested and crucified in Jerusalem. To that devastating announcement, he adds that after three days, he will be raised from the dead.
Peter seemed to have missed that part.
Confused and upset, a newly empowered Peter pulls Jesus aside, saying, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
Peter scoffs at the idea of a cross. Why should Jesus walk into a trap that he can easily avoid? Why lead himself and his disciples to a humiliating and excruciatingly painful death? After all, Christ is a miracle worker, not a criminal!
It seems Peter’s faith has suddenly evaporated, crushing Christ’s heart. But the Lord will not give up on his “rock.” So, it’s time for a crucial conversation. They need to talk.
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It’s been said, the eyes are the windows into the soul.
Staring into Peter’s eyes, Jesus sees fear, shock, concern, confusion, and disappointment. As if Peter wanted to drop his keys, raise the white flag, and go home.
So, the Lord rebukes him sternly, saying, “Get behind me!” He was not telling Peter to leave; rather, he was instructing him to reassume the role of disciple.
Humbled, Peter accepts the rebuke, gets behind Jesus, and follows him to Jerusalem.
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Yet shortly thereafter, these two will have yet another crucial conversation.
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On the night of Jesus’ arrest, while he is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter falls asleep. Meanwhile, the Lord prays in angst as the night sky is illumined by torches descending from Pilate’s court.
Leading the pack of armed soldiers is Judas Iscariot, snaking his way down the Kidron Valley. Scholars estimate it would’ve taken him forty-five minutes to reach Jesus.
With each second passing, Peter falls deeper into slumber, while the Lord struggles to resist the very temptation Peter proposed in today’s Gospel – getting out of town, fleeing from the gory humiliation of the cross.
When Peter is finally awakened by the soldiers’ arrival, Jesus is arrested and led off to be crucified. As he shuffles off into the night, Jesus gazes upon Peter with that unnerving look, “We need to talk.”
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After his victorious resurrection, Jesus reappears to Peter on the shores of Galilee, where their journey began. Not to condemn Peter, but to repair their relationship.
Seated around a charcoal fire, Jesus asks him one simple question – the one question that should guide these intimate, crucial conversations. Not, “Why did you abandon me?”
But, “Do you love me?”
To which Peter responds emphatically, “Yes, Lord! You know everything. You know that I love you!” So, Jesus asks only one thing of him in return, “Feed my sheep.” In a sense, this is how their reconciliation is satisfied, by Peter reassuming his role as shepherd.
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What might this mean for us?
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Sometimes, like Jesus and Peter, “We need to talk.” Whether it’s directly with the Lord, spouse to spouse, parent to child, friend to friend, or colleague to colleague.
Though uncomfortable, the purpose of these conversations is never meant to sever relationships; rather, to repair them.
May God give us the grace to listen to each other, the strength to speak honestly, and the humility to be reconciled whenever needed.
“For wherever two or three are gathered in my name,” Jesus promises, “I am there in the midst of them.”
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Image credits: (1) (2) LDS Blogs (3) Etsy