22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: August 29/30, 2026

In his book, The One Minute Manager, author Ken Blanchard says:  “there is a difference between interest and commitment.  When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient.  When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses.”

Blanchard continues:  commitment is the one quality above all others that enables a potential leader to become a successful leader.  Without commitment, there can be no success.

One time football coach of Notre Dame, Lou Holtz, pointed out:  “The Japanese Kamikaze pilot who was able to fly 50 missions was involved, but never committed!”  To determine whether one is committed, first you must make sure they know what it will cost them.  That means you must be sure not to undersell the job.  Let someone know what it’s going to take to do it. Only then will they know what they are committing to.  If they won’t commit, and are only interested, don’t waste your time going any further equipping them for the task of leadership.

Last week in the Gospel, Jesus found out that Peter, after following him and listening to him, knows who he is:  “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus wants Peter to be a leader among his followers, and a leader in the Church which will be formed in his name:  “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.”   But there was one very important word in the Gospel reading last week, and maybe I’m making too much out of it. . . but Jesus tells Peter:  “I will give you the keys of the kingdom.” NOT, I give you the keys, here they are, I’m turning them over to you right here and now, but I WILL give them to you. 

Jesus, I think, or at least I am proposing, still has to figure out if Peter is only interested in the kingdom of heaven, or if he is truly committed to the kingdom, before he makes him a leader. For without commitment, there can be no success. So Jesus does what Ken Blanchard suggests, to determine if Peter is committed, he wants to make sure Peter knows what it will cost him. Jesus doesn’t want to undersell the job, he lets Peter know what it is going to take: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.  One must lose their life in order to find it.” And Jesus is going to show evidence of his words, and his commitment to the kingdom, by going all the way to the cross. . .

But is Peter ready to make the commitment??  And, unfortunately for Jesus, but I think fortunately for us, he finds out that Peter isn’t quite ready yet. He can talk the talk, but cannot yet walk the walk, as he says of Jesus’ future plans:  “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you!”  Unfortunately for Jesus, the man he has chosen as his rock, the rock on which he will build his church, is not quite ready.  But, Jesus still sees potential in Peter, he still wants to invest time in equipping Peter for the task of leadership by telling him exactly what Peter needs to do:

“Get behind me!”

Jesus realizes Peter isn’t quite ready to be out front leading. There is still some following he needs to do. For now, Jesus still needs to be leading, and Peter still needs to follow behind him.  Peter still needs to learn that he has to be able to offer his body as a living sacrifice which will be holy and pleasing to God. Peter still needs to decrease so that Jesus’ grace can increase within him. Peter is still conforming himself to this age, as Jesus tells him he is thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.  Peter still needs to be transformed by the renewal of his mind, but also more importantly, his heart, so that he may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect, and then do it!  And the best place for that transformation to take place, is to still be behind Jesus, listening to his words and watching his actions so that when the time comes to be the leader Jesus’ calls him to be, he will be committed rather than just interested.

Get behind me, Peter, so you can continue to observe and listen and learn.

Getting behind Jesus seems to be a good place for all of us to be so that we, too, can lead others to the kingdom because by our words and actions, we can become an example of someone who is committed to the kingdom and not just interested in the kingdom.