The point of no return

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

Peter takes a huge step, the step, in this passage. Those who thought of Jesus as a prophet, teacher, healer, etc still had an out. They could follow Him without fully investing themselves. They could listen to His teachings and say "That was interesting." or "Hmmm, something to think about." When Jesus taught something that was difficult for them to accept, they could ignore that part of His message. When following Him began to cost them something, they could fade away and go back to business as usual.

When Peter proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, the One they had all been waiting for, he passed a point of no return. When another person - no matter how wise he or she is - tells you something, you can choose whether or not to believe it, accept it, allow it to affect you. This doesn't make sense when it's God doing the talking. It's irrational and untrue to ourselves to go against the One who created and sustains us.

I think of Peter following Jesus in the weeks and months before this exchange and wonder what was going on inside his mind and his soul. I imagine this Reality of all realities slowly growing in his heart.

"Could He be the Christ... this isn't how I pictured the Messiah... no He can't be - He's a carpenter from Nazareth... but He's not just a carpenter, there's something more there... there's something about Him - I can't name it and I don't understand it, but I can't deny it... what if He is..."

I imagine this interior dialogue being fed by his experiences - experiences that answer some questions, but raise new ones. Until one day the question is asked, the line is drawn, and something inside of him responds to invitation inside the question. There's no turning back now - he's all in.

From that time on, 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.

The acceptance of this Truth changes everything else. It changes Peter and the other disciples, and it changes their relationship with Jesus. They are no longer spectators, they are participants. They are playing an active role in the story of the world's salvation.

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.”

But what is this role supposed to be? Peter gets it wrong because he forgets who Jesus is. He's shaken by the things Jesus tells them about what He will have to suffer. How could this happen? He's confused, angry and afraid. He slips back into his old mind set, and forgets that he is talking to the Son of God. How many times have I responded to God in faith, and then stumbled backwards? Thankfully, Jesus is there to rebuke me - show me where I'm wrong and remind me of who He is and who I am in relationship to Him. He reminds me that I'm no longer a subject but an heir to the Kingdom. He invites me to think as God does - to be in full communion with Him. Each time I pass a point of no return - this happens continuously throughout our lives as we're called deeper and deeper into the mystery of God - Jesus holds me to it. He won't let me be any less than the one He created me to be.