Notes to the Lord: Not...or maybe so...

The teaching of the cross must always be framed within the context of execution, within the framework of the law and within the context of curse.

Lord Jesus you became a curse for me.

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Peter could not stand to think of You, Lord as becoming a curse. He wanted with all his being for You to be his King...to rule from Jerusalem and to restore Israel to what it was called to be.

22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Lord Jesus--There are teachings that You bring that hit me right where I live. My immediate reaction is...not that. Why do we have to go there, Jesus? Any place but there, Lord. Peter listened to this new teaching and in his heart he instinctively knew that this was a turning point. He knew that his dreams of your earthly kingdom in Jerusalem with the Romans kicked into the Mediterranean Sea was not going to happen. I can relate to that...dreams die hard. Sometimes restoration begins with rubble.

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."

Lord Jesus--This is one of the more stinging rebukes that Peter gets in his walk with you. Just a point of context...it is not the last. There would be others...Peter do you love me? Feed my sheep. Then there would be the words that hurt from Paul that ended up being the Galatians incident. Peter got in trouble at a fellowship dinner right over the roast pork...I mean over the fact that he was not eating kosher.

Peter and I could have hung out. I can get into trouble standing still in the back yard all alone on a sunny day. Sometimes sorting out the things of man and things of God gets very confusing. Peter had trouble with it but somewhere along the way it got clarified. As time went on, clearly he integrated and clarified why the wait, why the need go where he didn't really want to go.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Lord Jesus--Peter knew of your patience...I know of that same patience. In this day remind me of lessons learned, of grace received, patience experienced. Lead on in this Day Lord Jesus to the places where we need to go.