SEEING EYE TO EYE -- Devotional for October 11, from "Good Seeds"

Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the Jewish leaders, that He would be killed, and be raised up on the third day. At that Peter took Him aside to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord – this shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s. (Matthew 16:21-23).

Just like in any family, Jesus and His disciples didn’t always get along. And the provocations weren’t always just the minor Irritations (Stage 1 conflict) that are inevitable between people who spend life together, twenty-four/seven. But neither were they the conflicts that come when people lose respect for one another and start becoming mean or bitter -- even though today's Scripture may give that idea. Just a few moments earlier, Jesus had put out a test question to the disciples, and Peter had answered correctly, for which he received this wonderful accolade: “Blessed are you, Peter, for hearing the voice of My Father in heaven!” (verse 7). But now, when Jesus entrusted to His friends privileged information regarding the immediate future, Peter, empowered by his newly favored position (or so he supposed), ventured to express his opinion, presenting it as the better way. Jesus did not spare for His friendship with Peter: upon hearing words so foreign to God’s program, not to mention so totally contrary to what He had just told them, He came at Peter with this fiery rebuke, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Would Jesus now resort to name calling? To be called “Satan” was a terrible thing, but to be identified as a “stumbling block” to Christ wasn’t much better! Was Jesus put out with Peter to such a degree that He would risk distancing Himself from His friend with such harsh language? No, this was not a case of Aggravation (Stage 3 conflict), but rather Disagreement (Stage 2 conflict). In such cases the controversy and polarization that take place come not from harsh anger, impatience, or any of the other factors that lead to aggravated verbal assault. Rather, it is merely a case of misunderstanding. Careful, honest dialogue may be all it takes in such cases for clarification and realignment to take place. Other times it may require some pretty confrontational language, to get the point across. But either way the conflict is not about persons, but ideas. Christ was not rejecting Peter himself, but rather his wrong understanding, letting him know in no uncertain terms how he had so quickly fallen into the thinking of the world, and how Satan had so deftly taken him in to use him as his spokesman. By the way, how good are we at correcting the errors of our brothers without rejecting them?