Isn't it important to think your boss is intelligent and competent? If you thought your boss was completely wrong about the articulated goals of the organization, how likely would it be for you two to have a trustworthy relationship?
Turn in your Scripture to Sunday's passage, Matthew 16:15-26. Peter confesses Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. I'm not going to go into this, but it is a big deal. Peter just recognized God in disguise. But then Jesus warns his disciples in verse 21 about his suffering, death, and resurrection. This is what is coming.
Kevin asked us to consider on Sunday what Peter was thinking in verse 22. "Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. This shall never happen to you!" Kevin told us about Peter's misguided expectations. Like everyone else during his time, he expected the Christ to be a ruler, to be the boss, not someone who suffers and dies! But how could Jesus be "Lord" and be mistaken on this point of his ministry? How could Jesus be "Lord" and be this confused about his destiny?
We may think of Jesus as being holy, the Son of God even. (And this is true!) But the question we must ask with Peter is: do we think Jesus is smart? For instance, do we think he could do our job better than we can?
Think about this as you read this great passage from Dallas Willard (By all means read the whole thing, or at the very least skip to the last paragraph):
"At the literally mundane level, Jesus knew how to transform the molecular structure of water to make it wine. That knowledge also allowed him to take a few pieces of bread and some little fish and feed thousands of people. He could create matter from the energy he knew how to access from "the heavens," right where he was.
"It cannot be surprising that the feeding of the thousands led the crowds to try to force him to be their king. Surely one who could play on the energy/matter equation like that could do anything. Turn gravel into gold and pay off the national debt! Do you think he could get elected president or prime minister today?
"He knew how to transform the tissues of the human body from sickness to health and from death to life. He knew how to suspend gravity, interrupt weather patterns, and eliminate unfruitful trees without saw or ax. He only needed a word. Surely he must be amused at what Nobel prizes are awarded for today.
"In the ethical domain he brought an understanding of life that has influenced world thought more than any other. We shall see what this means in chapters to follow. And one of the greatest testimonies to his intelligence is surely that he knew how to enter physical death, actually to die, and then live on beyond death. He seized death by the throat and defeated it. Forget cryonics!
"Death was not something others imposed on him. He explained to his followers in the moment of crisis that he could at any time call for 72,000 angels to do whatever he wanted. A mid-sized angel or two would surely have been enough to take care of those who thought they were capturing and killing him. He plainly said, "Nobody takes my life! I give it up by choice. I am in position to lay it down, and I am in position to resume it. My father and I have worked all this out" (John 10:18).
"All these things show Jesus' cognitive and practical mastery of every phase of reality: physical, moral, and spiritual. He is Master only because he is Maestro. "Jesus is Lord" can mean little in practice for anyone who has to hestitate before saying, "Jesus is smart." (Divine Conspiracy, 94-95).
Wow. Read that last line again and think of Peter. He confesses that Jesus is Lord, but thinks Jesus doesn't understand his own ministry. If we are going to trust our boss, we have to think our boss is competent. If we are going to let Jesus use our lives for his glory, we have to believe that he is not an amateur or a novice. Jesus is not just nice. He is brilliant.
Reflection Questions:
1) Who are the smartest people you've ever met? Do you think of Jesus this way?
2) Do you trust Jesus with the tasks that are most important to you? Do you think Jesus could perform these as well as you can?
3) How do you think Jesus may be leading you to face the challenges of the week?
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