DAY 78 - What If?

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Matthew 16:16-17, 21-23 (NIV) 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

What might have happened if Peter had tried to be more persuasive with Jesus to change His plans? What if Peter had simply reminded Jesus of the good that Jesus had already done, not only for the sick and mentally ill, but also for the faith of the people of Israel, restoring their hope in God, inspiring them to love one another and treat one another fairly, both Jew and Gentile, male and female, the powerless and the powerful? What if Peter had pointed out to Jesus that there was so much more good to be done, so much yet to be taught and learned, so much more understanding needed for this new life in the kingdom of God? Why should Jesus risk losing it all by going to Jerusalem?

What if Peter and the disciples had proposed a plan to Pontius Pilate to soften the threat Jesus brought to the Roman government which would have allowed Jesus to continue to teach and be a peacemaker and a leader for social change? There might have been utopia – care for children, new synagogues built, a flourishing of education. Many of the things that make life better for people would have become realities, all because Jesus chose not to go to Jerusalem to suffer and to die. Jesus would have grown old, and the time would have come for Him to die of natural causes. After His death, the world probably would have returned to "normal", though many would remember with fondness those wonderful days while Jesus had lived.

Sometimes I think we assume that it was impossible for Jesus to make a wrong choice, that He was “wired” to always be right. Yet the Scriptures say He was tempted in every way we are. If that is so, then Jesus had no advantage over you and me. He had the same freedom of choice. He faced the same risks, the same limitations. He had to make His decision in the hope and conviction He was right but without any absolute guarantee.

Preached February 19, 1989

© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles