Mar 19 - "Open Mouth and Insert Foot"

Mark 8:27 – 9:1
"Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that I am?' And they answered him, 'John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.' He asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, 'You are the Messiah.' And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.'"
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Do you have times when feel like you just can't say the right thing? Do you find yourself in situations where you have a chance to make a great statement or pass wisdom along to another, but you end up tasting shoe leather because you have inserted your foot squarely into your mouth? How about times you were concerned about saying something the wrong way, so you kept silent?

You gotta love this guy, Peter. He is all about trying to do and say the right thing. Of all the disciples, he comes across as the most human, down-to-earth bloke of the whole bunch. I picture Peter as someone who tries really hard, but just can't seem to get it right some of the time...just like me and you. In this conversation with Jesus, he thinks he answers Jesus' question correctly of who He is: "You are the Messiah!". Peter is probably thinking, "Yahoo! I know I got this one right!". But then Jesus comes back with a warning about Peter's answer. I imagine Peter slapping his hand against his forehead in a "coulda had a V-8" moment, realizing he got the answer only partly right.

After this dialogue, it seems that Peter pulls Jesus to the side for a private conversation. We don't know what he said to Jesus, but it was probably something about what could be done to avoid the pain and death Jesus has just foretold. Once again, his heart is in the right place. He may have said, "Jesus, look...why don't we go off to another part of the country, avoiding this local group of Pharisees who seem to have it out for you? Or maybe, let's just lie low for awhile, stop all the miracles for a bit? The local bakers are really upset about all the bread you've been creating and giving away lately. Maybe all of this can blow over if we keep it cool for awhile?"

How does Jesus respond? He basically tells Peter that he is the devil. He rebukes Peter for putting his mind on short term goals...things of this world...not on things eternal. Poor Peter. He probably slunked away from the group, saying to himself, "I am SO stupid!! Why do I say those things?!? Arrggh!" Haven't we all felt this way?

But look at Peter, he was right there in the thick of it. He gave everything up to follow Jesus. He did not get caught up in wondering if what he was doing was right. He was no Hamlet; he said what he thought, wore his heart on his sleeve and took action. Although he ends up denying Christ at one point when he wanted to stand beside Him, he was also the guy who jumped out with his sword, ready for a fight, when the authorities came to take Jesus away.

I love praying. I believe one of my spiritual gifts is gathering a group of people together and leading them prayer. I don't know where the words come from, but I seem to find them when needed. I do know that the gift came from my Dad, because he is a great prayer leader. When I am in situations where asked to say a prayer for a group, his words, which I have heard spoken countless times, always come to mind. I find myself fashioning these prayers in the form of the words he has spoken, picturing my Dad with head bowed in reverent gratitude. (Yes, sometimes I opened my eyes and peeked when he was praying.)

When we pray, it can be hard to find the right words. Even though I love praying, I have had many times where I felt like Peter after I had led a group in prayer. I think, "That was the worst ever! Man, that prayer stunk. What was I thinking, imagining I could lead these people in a solemn, heart-felt prayer?!?"

But the truth is, there are no "bad" prayers. Prayer represents an opening up. It is a way for each of us to recognize that God is the one who can make it happen. We can work hard, try hard, focus on doing and saying the right things in order to move forward in our lives. But when we ask for help, give thanks or offer praise in prayer, we are showing there is something more than our own efforts at play. We don't have to worry about saying the right thing. We just have to say it.

So, don't let your fear of saying the wrong thing keep your voice silent. Put your words, your thoughts, your dreams out there with love and sincerity. Be Peter. For although Peter put his foot in his mouth every once in awhile, Jesus smiled upon him; he was Jesus' most beloved disciple and Jesus loved him to the very end.