Jesus Praises Peter

This is another simple post where Jesus interacts with Peter and simply praises him. Don’t just stop with reading this, I think it is really good to take these truths into our prayer times or prayer walks and just enjoy Jesus’ praise for Peter. Identifying all the times Jesus praises someone has helped me balance out all the times I perceive Him challenging me to grow. I need a balance in there.

I enjoy seeing Jesus praise people that are imperfect (Peter had more than 25 failures and sins recorded in the Gospels).  That convinces me that Jesus is also praising me in the midst of my successes and my failures. Oftentimes I am only aware of my shortcomings and mistakes. His praises help me remember the successes as well. Let’s take a look at this passage in Matthew 16:13

‘When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it…’

It is a huge praise for Peter on THE central issues of Jesus’ identity.

We almost have to take scriptures one at a time and look closely for Jesus’ praise to identify it. Gather 8 or 9 passages about Jesus’ praising someone together and let them “shift” or reconstitute the makeup of His personality as you see Him. Some people see this immediately and already know this, there are other areas of His character they need to focus on. But some of us, including me, are far more aware of Jesus’ challenges to grow and we need to take a breath, pause, and listen for His praise. It is critical to our health.

Delighting in Jesus’ goodness is worship – the first and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37-38)