Note the ruins of the temple of Pan in the foreground.
(Click on the photo to enlarge it.)
1.
It’s easy to condescend to the early apostles. After all, they just didn’t get it. Right?
I’ve heard such sentiments expressed more times than I can count.
Nevertheless, it’s probably worth remembering, in this context, that they were called to be the Savior’s first disciples and witnesses and that . . . well, we weren’t.
Do we have any reason to believe that we would have done better than they did?
2.
That said, Jesus’ rather stinging rebuke to Peter here does strongly suggest that the firm foundation upon which, just a few verses before, the Lord had said he would build his church was not the fallible mortal man, Peter. It wasn’t to be any mortal human being.
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