In Matthew 16, Jesus revealed the unthinkable to his disciples. He told them that He must suffer, die, and rise again. Peter’s response? “Never, Lord! This will never happen to you!”
Can you hear the desperation in his voice? The fierce loyalty? Peter wasn’t being rebellious; he was being protective. He loved Jesus too much to let Him walk toward suffering.
But Peter’s protest was powered by human wisdom, not heavenly truth. And friends, we do the same thing.
Jesus whispers, “Love your enemies,” and we whisper back, “But Lord, you don’t know what they did to me.”
He says, “Forgive seventy times seven,” and we counter, “Surely there’s a limit to forgiveness.”
He commands, “Don’t worry about tomorrow,” and we respond, “Easy for you to say.”
Like Peter, our hearts mean well. We love Jesus. We want to follow Him. But when His words challenge our comfort zones, we suddenly become His advisors rather than His disciples.
Here’s what Peter forgot that day—and what we often forget too: Jesus sees what we cannot see. His perspective spans eternity while ours barely covers next Tuesday.
The very thing Peter tried to prevent became our salvation. The cross he rejected became our hope.
So when Jesus asks the hard things, to love, forgive, and trust. He’s not asking because it’s easy. He’s asking because it’s right. And He’s always right.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.