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And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again… And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Mark 8:31-33 When Jesus spoke about “the things of God,” He was referring to what He had just said: that He must die and rise again. Satan did all that he could to prevent Jesus from going to the cross. He must have known that this would spell his ultimate defeat. But what the world most needs from Jesus is that He should suffer, be rejected, be killed, and on the third day rise again—and this is what He has done! Why was this so important? Because, at the cross, Jesus made atonement for our sins. He bore the punishment that would have been ours. He made peace with God. He reconciled us to the Father. This is the reason why Satan did everything in his power to prevent Jesus from going to the cross. He laid hold of the mind and heart of Peter and cried out through his voice, “This shall never happen to you!” But despite all the opposition of Satan, and even of His own disciples, Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem, and there He laid down His life for us. What the world needs most from Jesus is the atonement He made for our sins. And this He accomplished through His death and resurrection. He is the Christ. And He offers grace, mercy, forgiveness, and peace to all who will trust in Him. What do you think you most need from Jesus? Written by Colin SmithRead by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!” Mark 8:33 When we sin, there is always a story of how we came to do what we did. Someone says, “This person put me in an impossible position. I was provoked, and that is why I acted as I did.” When Eve was tempted and committed the first sin, she said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen. 3:13). The serpent was responsible for the deceiving; but Eve was responsible for the eating. And God dealt with both according to their responsibility. Satan tempted Jesus through the well-meaning words of His friend, and when Jesus recognised the activity of Satan, He rebuked Peter. But Jesus also held Peter accountable for what he said and did. God is just. The judge of all the earth will hold others accountable for what they did and for the effect it had on you. Nonetheless, God will hold you accountable for what you said and did. It is easy to put the blame on others who played some role in causing you to sin. God will deal with them for what they did. Your part is to take responsibility for what is yours. Notice Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Mark 8:33). Peter was in front of Jesus, and Jesus commanded Satan to get behind Him. If Peter were here today, he might say, “At first I thought Jesus was telling me to get behind Him. He’s done with me. He never wants to see me again.” “Then I realised, He didn’t say, ‘Get behind me, Peter.’ Satan was the one who had to move, and my choice was simple: cling to Satan and separate from Jesus or cling to Jesus and separate from Satan. Jesus put Himself between me and the enemy. And in removing Satan, He restored me.” Is there a sin in your life you’ve been blaming on others? Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter. Mark 8:33 When Peter rebuked Jesus, he was trying to stop Jesus from going to the cross—we should be very thankful that Jesus rebuked Peter. Imagine Peter standing at the pearly gates of heaven. If Jesus had followed Peter’s counsel, what would have happened to him when he arrived? Peter knocks on heaven’s door and an angel answers, “Who are you?”“I’m Peter. I was one of Jesus’ disciples.” “Yes, but why are you here?”Peter confesses, “Well, these are the gates of heaven, and I’d like to come in.”“I’m sorry,” the angel says, “but you are a sinful man. Don’t you remember you said that yourself when you were with Jesus? Heaven is a holy place. There is no room for sin of any kind here.” Then pointing to a dark and foreboding gate, the angel offers, “There is another gate just across there. Knock on that door. They will have room for you.” No one could stop Jesus from fulfilling His mission of bringing blessing to the world through the cross. When a person is on a self-destructive path, a sharp rebuke is an expression of love. Peter could not see that what he was suggesting would lead to his own destruction. Just as he needed Jesus’ rebuke, there will be times when we need Jesus’ rebuke, too. How does Jesus rebuke us? “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16, NIV). Christ rebukes us through His Word, and His rebuke is always an expression of His love. When you read the Bible, do you only look for and apply God’s promises? Or do you also look for and receive God’s rebukes? Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Matthew 16:22 If ever there was a moment when you would feel you could have full confidence in what someone said, this would be it. Peter was blessed by God. He had been walking with God in the flesh. God has opened his eyes to the truth about Jesus—surely what this man says must be right! But Peter’s well-meaning counsel to Jesus was completely wrong. When Peter said to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” he was right (Matt. 16:16). And when he said to Jesus, “Far be it from you Lord! This shall never happen to you,” he was wrong. The wisest believers can sometimes be wrong, so learn discernment in what you hear from others. The wisest counsellor you know may sometimes be wrong. Remembering this truth will keep you from putting someone you trust in the place that belongs to Jesus alone. So, here is what we learn from Peter’s presumptuous rebuke to Jesus: Learn to recognise when you are especially vulnerable to temptation.Learn humility in what you ask of Jesus.Learn discernment in what you hear from others. “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man” (Psa. 118:8). Is there someone in your life that you are trusting more than Jesus? Is there someone in your life that you are looking to for approval more than Jesus? Ask God to examine your heart and reveal to you the “counsel” you are truly trusting. Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Matthew 16:22 If you have faith in Jesus, there will be times when you are tempted to tell Him what you think He must do. That is what Peter was doing. Telling Jesus what He must do might sound like faith, but it is the opposite of faith. Here is the great contradiction: on the one hand, to confess Jesus as the Christ means that you embrace Jesus as your teacher, saviour, and master but, on the other hand, when Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, he presumed to tell Jesus what He must and must not do. Jesus is the teacher, but Peter presumed to teach Jesus a better way. Jesus is the saviour, but Peter wanted to save Jesus from going to the cross. Jesus is the master, but Peter felt that he was able to tell Jesus what He must do. Peter was blessed with wisdom and insight, but it had gone to his head. He thought he knew better than Jesus. He wanted to teach the teacher, save the saviour, and master the master. “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him” (Mk. 8:32). Have you ever done that? Have there been times when you have been so sure of the best outcome that you have presumed to say, “Jesus, this is what you must do!”? There is a warning here against presumptuous prayers. Learn humility in what you ask of Jesus. This is how Jesus taught us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Think about your own prayer life. On a scale of 1 (humble “your will be done”) to 10 (presumptuous “you must do this”) how are you talking to God right now? Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Peter took [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, [Jesus] rebuked Peter. Mark 8:32-33 This is a story about two rebukes: Peter rebukes Jesus, and Jesus rebukes Peter. There are certain times when we are especially vulnerable to temptation. One obvious example is when we are tired. When we are tired, we do not see things clearly and we are less careful in what we say. We are less patient and more easily provoked. For example, when the disciples were in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to them, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). It was late at night and they were tired, so they did not watch and they did not pray, and they fell into temptation. But what we find here in this story is that we are more prone to temptation when we are blessed. Peter had just confessed faith in Jesus, and Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!” (Mat. 16:17). Peter experienced the blessing of God, and that’s when he fell into temptation. It is not hard to see how this happened. Jesus said, “You are blessed,” and Peter thought: That’s right. I am blessed. Jesus said, “My Father in heaven has revealed this to you,” and Peter thought: That’s right. The Father is revealing things to me. The blessing of God goes to his head, and pride comes before a fall (Prov. 16:18). The blessing of God comes, and arrogance and presumption follow. You are so sure of yourself that you are no longer listening to Jesus. Watch and pray so that you do not enter into temptation. When do you find that you are especially vulnerable to temptation?   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. Mark 8:31 There are four things that Jesus must do: suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again. When Jesus told this to the disciples, Peter “took him aside and began to rebuke him” (8:32). Jesus “said this plainly” (8:32). Peter’s problem was not that he did not understand; it was that he did understand—and he was adamantly opposed to what Jesus had said. Peter had a good heart. He loved Jesus, and he wanted the best for Him. Peter wanted what’s best for the world, and he felt sure that he knew what that was. In Peter’s day, as in ours, there were sick people who needed to be healed, hungry people who needed to be fed, and oppressed people who needed to be set free. The needs of the world press in every day, and Peter knew that Jesus had the power to meet these needs. He had seen Jesus feed the hungry, heal the sick, and set oppressed people free. Like any good leader, Peter was already framing the next phase of the vision in his mind. Jesus did all these things in a small rural area of Galilee. “Now,” Peter probably thought, “we take this thing on the road! We go to Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. This is what we must do.” But Jesus said something different. The One who healed the sick, fed the hungry, and freed the oppressed, must give Himself to a higher calling. He has come to do a greater work; and, to do it He must suffer, He must be rejected, He must be killed, and after three days, He must rise. Why do you think it was so hard for Peter to accept Jesus’ true mission? Can you relate? Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!” Matthew 16:16 Peter did not come to this confession of faith suddenly. He had been in the company of Jesus for eighteen months. Faith in Jesus had been forming; convictions about Jesus had been settling. Faith is formed by walking with Jesus, and it may be that for some time faith has been forming in you. This was a decisive moment in Peter’s journey of faith—blessing came to him when he confessed faith in Jesus. Faith in Jesus, however faltering, will always bring blessing. Imagine a woman telling you about her journey to faith. She learned some Bible truths from her father growing up, but she never made a commitment. She had been loosely connected to various churches over the years, but she remained on the fence. Then one night she had a harrowing experience in which she was aware of the protection of God. The following morning, she got into a taxi, when some words pressed into her mind and heart: “Tell the cab driver that you believe in Jesus.” Not being able to shake off these words, she leaned over reluctantly and said to the driver, “I don’t normally do this, but I want to tell you that I believe in Jesus.” It may be that you have never told anyone that you believe in Jesus. But God has been opening your eyes and softening your heart, and you have come to the place where you believe: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom. 10:9) In confessing, you will be blessed. Here is your invitation: tell someone, “I believe in Jesus.” Who will it be? Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 What is the rock on which Jesus will build His church? Some say it’s Peter. Some say it’s faith. Some say it’s Jesus. When there is debate over how to understand a verse, a good question to ask is whether there are other Bible passages that shed light on this one, and there are. Some believe the answer is Peter, since Ephesians 2:20 teaches that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” However, the writer immediately adds, “Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.” Others teach that the answer is faith, and they point to 1 Peter 2:5, where believers are “like living stones… being built up as a spiritual house.” But this comes right after Peter describes Jesus as a living stone: “As you come to Him, a living stone” (1 Pet. 2:4). In support of Jesus, 1 Corinthians 3:11 says, “No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” All three answers probably went through Peter’s mind. If he were here today, he might say: My first thought was that Jesus was referring to me. But that would be a very shaky foundation! Then I thought, maybe He is referring to the faith I’d just confessed. But that didn’t sit right with me. Jesus does not rest on what our faith can do; our faith rests on Jesus and what He can do. Then it dawned on me: I’d just said to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and then Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church.” Perhaps Jesus was referring to Himself. If the church is built on Jesus, it has a firm foundation. It is safe and secure. What are you building your life on? Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 16:17 Jesus said to Peter, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.” You didn’t work this out for yourself. And you didn’t get this faith from someone else. As you think about your own journey to faith, if you are a believer, you will be able to think of people who helped you along the way. Maybe your mum played a role in you coming to faith, or your dad. Maybe a close friend in college or later in life encouraged you to open the Bible. God works through means—mums and dads, churches and friends, and He even uses strangers. But here is what you need to remember: however great the influence of your mother, father, church, or friend in your coming to faith, you did not get your faith from your mother, father, church, or friend. Flesh and blood did not reveal Jesus to you. Then who did? Jesus said, “My Father who is in heaven” (16:17). Yes, your mother taught you, or your friend helped you, but God opened your eyes. God caused your dead soul to live, and He gave you a heart that loves and trusts Him. Here is the faith we confess: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; faith is a believing response to Jesus; and this faith is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8). Will you confess faith in Jesus today? If you are a Christian believer, what “means” did God use to bring you to faith? If you are not yet a Christian, who is He using to open your eyes to Jesus Christ?   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Matthew 16:13Son of Man was a favourite name that Jesus used for Himself. And this was a question about culture. Jesus was inquiring, “Tell me what people are saying about Me. What are the prevailing ideas about Me in your culture?”Opinions about Jesus were all over the map. “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (16:14). There was no consensus or agreement.You could hardly have two characters more different than Elijah and Jeremiah. Elijah was known for his triumphs and Jeremiah was known for his tears. The world never changes. It is always confused about Jesus.Then Jesus asked the one question that really matters: “But who do you say that I am?” (16:15). The “you” is plural. Jesus was looking at His twelve disciples, and He was asking a question of the entire group.Peter stepped forward and answered for himself, for the other disciples, and for all believers. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16).Do you think people today are as confused about Jesus as they were during the time of the disciples? What do people think today? Does this match what you think about Him?

He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Matthew 14:29 Jesus can impart His power so that you can do what would not otherwise be possible. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). What has Jesus called you to do that you fear is beyond you? You say, “I cannot do it.” Yes, you can, for Jesus will give you what you need to do what He is calling you to do. This is good news, because Jesus calls us to a life that is impossible apart from His power: “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16); “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31); “Fear not” (Isa. 43:1). What Jesus commands might seem impossible, but when He calls you to do something, He will give you the power to do it. On one occasion, Jesus met a man with a withered hand. His hand was limp, and he could not move it. Jesus said, “Stretch out your hand” (Mark 3:5). What an extraordinary thing to say, for that is exactly what the man could not do. But the Scripture says, “He stretched it out, and his hand was restored” (3:5). Jesus gave the power with the command. Jesus gave Peter a single command: “Come.” The only problem was that to obey the command, Peter had to walk on water. Jesus says, “Come” to all of us. “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden” (Matt. 11:28). “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37). What do you have to overcome to get to Jesus? Maybe you have thought about following Jesus. Remember, He will give you all that you need to do what He is calling you to do.   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Matthew 14:28 Would you have said this? Most people would not have the courage. Maybe you would have said, “Lord, if it is you, calm this raging storm, and take us safely to the shore.” When we face a great trial, our natural reaction is to ask, “When will this be over? When can I get back to the life I want to live?” We plead, “Lord, calm the storm and get me out of here!” But that is not what Peter said. He said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Instead of wishing that the storm would cease, Peter felt this was the perfect opportunity for a bold, new venture of faith. Here is a good question to ask when you find yourself in a storm: What opportunity is there, in the middle of this, for a new venture of faith? What are we to make of Peter walking on the water? This part of the story should have one of those “Do not try this at home” warnings attached to it. If you try getting out of a boat “by faith,” you will not automatically walk on water. Faith is not recklessness. Remember that the devil tempted Jesus by suggesting He should throw Himself from the pinnacle of the temple, because the angels would bear Him up. Jesus said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matt. 4:5-7). Faith is not “believing that anything is possible if only you believe it hard enough.” Rather, faith is a believing response to the Word of God. Peter got this exactly right. He said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” In your trouble, what opportunity is there for a new venture of faith?

But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. Matthew 14:26 The disciples felt they were in the presence of evil. After all, it was dark, the wind was howling, and the waves were beating against the boat. When the light of Jesus’ presence drew near, they thought they were seeing a ghost. They were afraid that the night is ruled by dark and sinister forces, but Jesus rules the night as well as the day. He rules in the storm as well as in the calm. Have you felt fear like this? Evil powers are unleashed, the world seems like a dark and hostile place. It is frightening, and you wonder, “Where is Jesus in all this?” The Bible speaks openly about the reality of fear in the life of a believer. The disciples were terrified. These men were authentic disciples, but they were afraid. The presence of fear does not mean the absence of faith. The faith of the disciples was tested when Jesus seemed far away. But Jesus had not abandoned His disciples to dark and evil powers. “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid’” (14:27). The disciples thought that Jesus was far away from them, up on some mountain praying on His own. They thought that only evil was near. But Jesus is near to us even when we think He is not. Are you afraid right now? Does it feel like Jesus is far away?   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side… the boat… was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. Matthew 14:22-24 The disciples were caught in a storm, and Jesus was not with them. They were stuck in the middle of the lake. Storms often pass quickly, but this one just kept coming. The disciples were straining at the oars and making very little progress. How much longer could they keep this up? Perhaps you know what this is like. A storm blows up in your life, and the wind is against you. You are straining at the oars, and Jesus seems far away. That is where the disciples were. Pause to try and take this in. There was no obvious way for Jesus to get to the disciples. Jesus was on the land, and the disciples were on the water. There was no other boat in the harbour (see John 6:22), so how could Jesus reach them? The disciples probably said to each other, “If Jesus was with us in the boat, He could rebuke the storm, like last time. Jesus can’t reach us here. We are on our own.” But storms cannot keep Jesus from His disciples: “In the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea” (Matt. 14:25). Jesus draws near when we need Him the most. This story shows that there is no place, however dark, where Jesus Christ cannot reach you. You will come to some dark and scary places in your life. There may be times when Jesus seems far away, but no storm can ever keep Jesus away from you: Nothing can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39). Does it feel like Jesus cannot reach you right now?   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. Matthew 14:23-24 Jesus fed 5,000 people, multiplying five loaves and two fish in His hands. And when the crowd saw what He could do, they wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him king (John 6:15). Some of the disciples probably liked this idea, so to keep them from this temptation, Jesus “immediately… made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds” (Matt. 14:22). Then Jesus went up on the mountain—alone—to pray (14:23). Most likely, the disciples did not expect a storm. Notice, Jesus made them get into the boat. They did not want to go, but they went in obedience to Him. The Gospels contain two stories about storms. In the first, Jesus was in the boat with the disciples. He had fallen asleep, and the disciples had to wake Him: “Save us, Lord; we are perishing” (Matt. 8:25). Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves, saying, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39). When Jesus spoke, the wind ceased and there was a great calm. The second story is different, because Jesus was not in the boat with the disciples. In the first story, Jesus is near to the disciples; but in the second, Jesus is far away. Jesus promised that He is with us always (Matt. 28:20). He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). But sometimes Jesus feels far away. Every believer knows what this is like. Faith is tested when you are surrounded by a storm and you feel the absence of Jesus. Does Jesus feel far away from you right now?   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. Hebrews 2:8 It is one thing to have faith in Jesus when the sky is blue, but it is another to have faith in Jesus during a storm. What does that look like? Matthew shows us in the story of two men walking on the water (Mat. 14:22-33). There were two miracles here. Jesus walked on the water to reach the disciples, and Peter walked on the water to reach Jesus. These point to two marvellous truths: Jesus rules over every storm, and one day you will share in His rule. We were made to rule over creation: “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honour, putting everything in subjection under his feet” (Heb. 2:6-8). The purpose of God is that all storms, evil, sickness, and even death itself, will be under our feet. But we fell. In reaching to be more, we became less and, in trying to take the place that belongs to God, we lost the place that God gave to us. That is why Hebrews says, “at present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.” We no longer rule over creation, but are subject to its powers. The hurricane, mudslide, wildfire, flood, and virus all rule over us. The destructive powers of pride, greed, hatred, and violence are not yet under our feet. We try to overcome them, and by God’s grace we are given some success, but these dark powers are always present. They are not yet subject to us. “Not yet” holds a marvellous promise. God promised there will be a glorious new world in which His redeemed people will reign with Him forever (Rev. 22:5). But that day has not come—not yet. What is one thing that feels like it will never change? Apply God’s promise of the “not yet” to it.   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:11 It took two large boats and their crews to haul in the nets filled with fish. The weight of the fish was so great that the boats barely made it back to the shore. Never in their lives had they pulled in such a catch of fish. Peter might have looked at Jesus and said, “Lord, we could really use you in this business. If you became a partner in what we’re doing, then we would have the biggest fishing fleet the world has ever seen!” This is always the temptation: to view the awesome power of Jesus as something that is useful to us: “Think what we could do if we could harness the power of Jesus!” But Peter and the others did not respond that way. “They left everything and followed him.” They left the catch of their lives on the shore. Zebedee, the father of James and John, would have taken the fish to the market, and the crew would have enjoyed the greatest bonus of their lives. But Peter, James, and John left the fish on the shore, and they followed Jesus. Peter never got over his sense of awe at the holiness of Jesus, but as he followed Jesus, he discovered grace. He discovered what Jesus can do in the life of a flawed disciple. And if you follow Him as well, you will discover what He can do in the life of a flawed disciple. What do you need to leave behind in order to discover what Jesus can do in your life?   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Luke 5:10 Jesus did not give up on Peter, and He will not give up on you. Jesus knows you and what He can make of you. This is why Jesus moves toward sinners. Jesus called him Simon, which was Peter’s old name. Most likely, Jesus called him by his old name, because Simon was behaving like the person he used to be. The whole story is about how Simon becomes Peter—the man Christ was calling him to be. Since Peter’s first response to the presence of Jesus was fear, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.” Peter knew himself, and he just could not see himself as a disciple of Jesus. “Me? Your disciple? You can’t be serious. You don’t know me!” But Jesus did know him, and Jesus called Peter, not because of who he was, but because of who he would become. Why should Peter not be afraid? Because Jesus said: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (5:32). Jesus was saying, “Peter, I cannot use people who feel that they have made it. I don’t call people who feel they are on the right side of God. The people I call are the ones who know their sin and feel their need. They are the ones who are most useful in my kingdom.” When Jesus called Peter the first time, He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Now Jesus was reminding Peter of the promise: “I told you that I would make you a fisher of people. You did not think I could do that with you. But what I said will come to pass.” “From now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10). This was the turning point for Peter. From now on things will be different. From now on what Jesus said will happen. From now on Peter would be catching men and women. Are you afraid that Jesus will give up on you? Do you see a glimmer of hope in Peter’s story?   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 Jesus was saying, “Peter, the great project of your life will be to throw the net of the gospel into the sea of the world and draw people into the shores of God’s kingdom.” What kind of person can do this? Only some kind of saint. But Peter knew that he was no saint. So, he said to Jesus: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” Peter showed tremendous honesty. He didn’t say, “I’ve made a few mistakes.” He didn’t say, “At least I was sincere.” Or “I am a very spiritual person.” He said, “I am a sinful man.” “Depart from me.” This is what sinners say when they know that they are in the presence of a holy God. If a person is deeply resistant to God, it is sometimes a sign that God is drawing near. On the last day, God will say to the wicked: “Depart from me.” But there is a profound sense in which, when the day of judgment comes, God will not need to send sinners to hell. They will know they do not belong in heaven and will shrink away themselves. Peter’s mistake was that he felt his sin was the defining thing about him. “This is who I am—a sinful man. That is all I ever will be, and that disqualifies me from being a disciple of Jesus.” Maybe you feel that there are sins in your life that would make it impossible for you to be a disciple of Jesus, and the best that you can hope for is to remain on the sidelines as a believer with very little to offer. If that is where you are, here is some good news. Your sin need not be the defining thing about you. Jesus is calling you to be His disciple. And He will make you what He is calling you to be. Do you feel disqualified from being a disciple of Jesus? If so, why?   Written by Colin Smith Read by Sue McLeish www.openthebible.org.uk