 | The Reverend Doctor Cathy Northrup was born in Ft. Meade, MD, and was raised in a variety of places in the United State and Germany, as her father was in Counter Intelligence with the Army. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, with a double major in English and Religion. She graduated from Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, and practiced law with the Federal Reserve Board for a number of years before attending Union Theological Seminaryin Richmond, VA. She graduated from Union, and served several churches in North and South Carolina, at the same time obtaining her Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Northrup is currently the Pastor/Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS. She is married and has two black Labrador dogs who were rescued from abusive situations. You can contact Dr. Northrup at cnorthrup@firstpresbywichita.org or by phone at (316) 263-0248, ext. 26. |
Religion
2010-12-01 11:33:00
Why did Jesus rebuke Peter?
Why did Jesus rebuke Peter, after the Apostle acknowledged Him as the Messiah? In the Gospel of Luke (9:18-27), our Lord asked the disciples, who people said he was. They replied: John the Baptist, Elijah, or an old prophet that had risen. He then asked Peter whom he thought he was. Peter responded that he was the Anointed One of God (the Christ). Then our Lord rebuked him and the others, and told them to not tell this to anyone. Why would he have rebuked Peter and the others, when he knew he would have to suffer and be rejected, be killed and be raised up to life three days later, which he stated immediately after this (Luke 9:22)?
Answer: You ask a good question. Preacher and commentator Fred Craddock suggests in his commentary on Luke that Luke’s emphasis here is not that the disciples must be silent about who Jesus is, that is, the Messiah. Matthew and Mark make this the emphasis in their gospels. Rather, Luke’s emphasis is that the disciples must be silent about the fact that the Messiah will suffer. Why? Craddock goes on to say that the disciples are to be silent about this because the people will not be able to understand it or accept it, just as the disciples have difficulty with it. As Craddock notes, this suffering Messiah is still difficult for Christians to understand or accept today, but he argues that we cannot get to Easter without Good Friday. I agree.
