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224 ˜ A Work of Hospitality, 1982–2002
trying to open our eyes. He is taking our imaginations through detox so we
might see the world in a new way and live as new people.
This is what Jesus seeks to do in his encounter with Peter. Peter’s imagination
has become captive to the System. To be sure, Peter’s intentions are good.
At the political level, Peter has recognized the significance of Jesus’ ministry, and
he has confessed him to be the Messiah. He wants Jesus to succeed. But Peter’s
imagination is captive to the System’s understanding of power. He can only envision
power over others; he can only imagine the Messiah as a military leader
who will win victory through violence and domination. He simply cannot imagine
an alternative.
Peter’s intentions are good. At the personal level, Peter wants Jesus to live,
not to be executed. Who can blame him But Peter has no conception that the
way of the System is the way of death. Peter cannot imagine a death larger and
broader and deeper than physical death. He cannot comprehend that when we
become captive to the System, we become little more than walking dead people.
So Jesus tries to help Peter see. The way of the System is in fact the way of
death. Resisting the System—even if it means crucifixion—is the way of life.
But Peter cannot imagine that alternative. It’s tragic, really. Peter thinks he is offering
Jesus life, but he asks Jesus to take the way of death. Peter is a lot like a
friend offering a drink to an alcoholic: “Here, take a drink. It will ease the pain;
you’ll feel better, more alive.” But when alcoholics are in recovery they know
that those promises are illusions: the drink is not the way of life, but the path to
certain death. So Jesus responds, like the recovering alcoholic may have to respond
when tempted by a drink: “Get behind me, Satan!”
Those words no longer sound so extreme. Peter has become an embodiment
of the System. And such sharp words are necessary. The illusions of the world
have to be named boldly and dramatically because they are so subtle and pervasive.
The Christian short story writer Flannery O’Connor was asked why she
wrote strange stories with such bizarre characters. She responded something like
this: “When you’re writing for people who are blind, you have to draw big pictures.”
Or, to put it another way, when you’re speaking to people whose imaginations
have been captured by the System, you have to speak boldly. As Ed Loring
discovered the other day, the word for “prophet” originally meant “shouter.”
And that is appropriate. In the face of Satan’s illusions, we are called to become
shouters. We are called to be like the little child in the story of “The Emperor’s
New Clothes.” When everyone else goes along with the illusion in order to appear
good and obedient and wise, the little child cries out before the emperor,
“He’s naked!” The spell is broken; illusions are shattered. And the people are set
free in laughter.
In the face of Satan, in the face of principalities and powers, Jesus speaks
boldly: “Get behind me, Satan!” There is no other way. In fact, Jesus’ words are
an act of love. Jesus demonstrates his love for Peter and for us by speaking di-