Picking on Peter is a common pastime for preachers and teachers in church. Peter is seen as impetuous, explosive. He says what he thinks, but he doesn’t think much. And then he ends up in charge.

Sometimes, perhaps, people talk about him to excuse our own impetuosity as leaders. “I know I’m headstrong, but look at Peter.”

When Peter starts rebuking Jesus for talking plainly about his future death and resurrection, we can focus on “Get behind me Satan”.

Maybe we could focus more on two other things.

In that story in Mark, likely originally told by Peter, Jesus is looking at the disciples when he talks. Peter spoke, each of them had their own questions and uncertainties about what Jesus was saying.

And what Jesus said next is huge.

“You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

And then Jesus started talking about what it might mean to follow God’s concerns rather than our own concerns. And he talks about not exchanging our souls for, well for anything.

That probably includes not exchanging our attention for merely human concerns, not exchanging our time, not exchanging our power, not exchanging the way we talk about people, not exchanging loving God and loving one another for merely human concerns.

Peter took no more and no less love and training from Jesus than any of us. The difference from some of us is that Peter kept talking with Jesus about what was on his heart and mind. So that he could learn.

So could we.