Mid-Week Musings
February 21, 2024
Suggested Reading: Mark 8:31-33
Dear NBRC Family & Friends,
The Peter who rebuked Jesus in the above suggested reading is the same Peter who earlier said to Jesus, “‘You are the Messiah’” (v. 29 NRSV). It’s also the same Peter who was later rebuked by Jesus. One of the definitions of “rebuke” given by Merriam-Webster is “to criticize sharply.” For what did Jesus rebuke Peter? Peter was setting his mind on the wrong things. He was setting his mind on human things and not on divine things.
Peter had just sharply criticized Jesus for having said He would greatly suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise three days later. From Peter’s human perspective, this would never be. From Jesus’ divine perspective, this was how it had to be. When it came to his understanding of how God was working, Peter had to change his mind. Peter had to start thinking about things from God’s perspective rather than from his own.
Isn’t that true of all who follow Jesus? We might expect following Him to require us to change our actions and lifestyles, but do we expect it to require us to change our minds and our way of thinking? But, it does. Instead of thinking about things from strictly a human perspective, followers of Jesus are to think about things from a divine perspective, through the lens of Scripture, to see things as God sees them and to try understanding things from God’s point of view.
Such a task might seem daunting, but Jesus’ followers need not undertake it alone. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit Who will teach and guide us. We also have the Bible that includes the example of Jesus’ life and God’s commands and promises. The Lenten season invites us to think about how our lives need to change for us to become more like Jesus. May this include for each of us considering how our thinking needs to change for us to think more like Jesus.
Pastor Ron
Prayer suggestion: As you pray, ask God to renew your mind and to help you think more like Jesus.
(On Sunday morning, February 25, the sermon title will be Jesus’ Words from the Cross: “‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’” The Scripture lesson will be from Luke 23:32-43.)