Can you imagine how you might feel if you were off on some rant and God interrupted you? Embarrassed? Guilty? Thankful? I’m sure my feelings would depend on the circumstances, but in addition to everything else, I’d certainly feel intimidated. When someone speaks over me, I’m tempted to tell them I wasn’t finished speaking (believe it or not, it happened in court on numerous occasions), but I can’t imagine saying that to God. It happened to Peter, though.
Peter was the disciple who always had something to say—whether it was the right thing or not. Occasionally, he got it right, but more often than not, he was wrong. Jesus usually let him get it all out before setting him right, but then there was the day God showed up. It happened at the Transfiguration, when Jesus, accompanied by Peter, James, and John, went up a mountain and had an encounter with Moses and Elijah … and God. More of us would be awestruck and silent, but not Peter.
“Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” (Matthew 17:4–5)
Did you catch that? Peter was still speaking, babbling about setting up some tents, when God interrupted him. If we were paraphrasing, we might say that God told Peter to stop talking and listen to Jesus. Peter didn’t have anything meaningful to add, but what Jesus was about to say was important.
That wasn’t the only time Peter’s mouth got him into trouble, but it is the only time in Scripture when he seems to have been interrupted in the middle of a sentence and silenced by God.
Peter is lovable because he’s so… human. He wears his heart on his sleeve, but his foot is always dangerously close to his mouth.
But, if we’re honest with ourselves, aren’t we a lot like Peter? We rush to fill voids with words. We speak before thinking. We don’t listen. We rush to fill the silence instead of sitting in awe. We offer unsolicited advice. Metaphorically speaking, we babble about tents when God is trying to tell us something important.
The good news? Jesus didn’t give up on Peter. He loved Peter’s passion and his faith. He loved him through the “blurts” and the “blunders.” Peter’s story is proof that God’s grace covers our foot-in-mouth moments, too.
Maybe the next time we’re tempted to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, we can pause and remember the voice from the cloud: “This is my Son… Listen to him!” Faith doesn’t always mean having the perfect words. Sometimes it simply means closing our mouths long enough to hear God’s.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving me even when I trip over my words. Teach me when to speak and when to stay silent. Help me learn from Peter’s passion and from his mistakes. May my words honor you. Amen.
