IF there should be any to-day who are sincerely struggling to overcome such faults as impatience, untempered or unwise zeal, animal courage, followed by a reaction of fear and failure, it is surely encouraging to read what is recorded of the Apostle Peter in the New Testament; for this ardent disciple of Jesus seems to have had to contend with such difficulties as these, difficulties which frequently got him into trouble, necessitating his progression through much suffering and remorse. Yet, be it remembered, it was he to whom the Master gave the name of Peter (meaning a stone), in commendation of his inspired declaration, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," according to Matthew.
It may have been in consequence of this episode that Jesus began shortly afterwards to prepare the thought of his disciples for the bitter experience which lay before him We can see that he may have hoped that his disciples had advanced spiritually to the point of understanding something of what this experience was to mean to the world, and how the Christ would show mankind the way to triumph over all obstacles, in order to demonstrate man's perfect at-one-ment with the Father.
If so, it must have been swiftly evident that material sense had again befogged the clear vision of so short a time ago; for Peter accepted the suggestion of error, rebuking Jesus for even thinking of such a fate, begging him to spare himself this agony. This blindness drew upon error the rebuke of Jesus, "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."
