Living Within One’s Limits

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:22-23).

People are at times quick to step forward with a plan of action. As the exchange between Peter and the Lord in the above Scripture shows, there were times when Peter liked to take charge quickly and set the agenda for himself and others. But just as often, he found himself in over his head:

• When Jesus came walking on water to the storm-tossed boat that held His terrified disciples, Peter demanded that Jesus prove that it was He by bidding Peter also to walk on water. After a few steps on the water, Peter noticed the wind and the waves and promptly sank, requiring Jesus to rescue him again (Matthew 14:22-32).
• Peter overstated his commitment to Christ, claiming that “even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matthew 26:35). Yet only a few hours later he denied having any association with the Lord (Matthew 26:69-75).
• He took charge of defending Jesus against Roman soldiers when they came to arrest Him, even though he had failed to “watch and pray” with Christ, as He had requested (Matthew 26:36-46; John 18:1-11).
• He refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet at the Last Supper, but then he called on Him to wash his hands and his head as well (Matthew 13:5-11).

Eventually Peter’s leadership skills were captured in a more controlled spirit and he became a significant figure in the early church. Like many of us, despite many false starts as a result of Peter’s impetuous nature, Jesus enlisted this impulsive but loyal follower to feed His sheep (Matthew 21:17).

Courtesy of Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.