Matthew 16:22-23 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Ever have one of those moments when you had an outburst that was based purely on emotion? In the moment you do not think about the words, they just come out. I am sure that Peter had every emotional wellbeing for his Lord in that moment, he just had a hard time accepting the truth of the moment.

At that very moment Peter hears his Lord call him Satan. Did Peter receive that as Christ meant it, or did Peter receive it with those same emotions that failed him just seconds earlier? How do we react in those moments right after we receive a sharp rebuke for one of our emotional outbursts? Do we take it emotionally or can we look past the words of rebuke and see the moment for what it is in truth?

Peter had a history of emotional outbursts. Later in the telling of Peter’s outbursts Jesus would once again have to correct Peter. “You shall deny me three times this night before the rooster crows.” (LT) Once again Peter reacted with emotions and denied Christ just as predicted.

Yet for all of Peter’s emotional outbursts Christ built His church in Jerusalem upon Peter, His Petros, His Little Rock. In truth I do not know how much Peter’s emotions played a role in serving Christ in that effort.

I do know that when Jesus the Risen Christ instructed Mary to tell the disciples He was risen, He called Peter out by name. “Be sure to tell Peter.” (LT) Perhaps because Peter had lost confidence in himself because of his emotional outbursts and the rebukes that followed. We can only say what that might mean to us if we were in that situation.

Can Christ use your failures to serve His purpose?

Yes.