Give'em the Chair
- Gary Fritsch
- Feb 22
- 2 min read
In the movie, Shrek, which was quoted FAR too often in my house as my kids were growing up, there was a professional wrestling style scene and one of the onlookers shouts 'give'em the chair' referring to a pro wrestling move where one contestant hits the other with a folding chair from the audience.
In a more serious usage, 'give 'em the chair' could refer to the electric chair and could be a statement on the punishment someone felt a criminal deserved.
In either case, in today's Gospel, Peter was given the chair, and for a moment, I am certain that he had a feeling of elation. Jesus had indeed bestowed a great honor upon him, but as he saw in just a few moments, this honor came with some difficulties. Jesus reminds Peter sharply that the one that sits in this chair cannot think as humans do (even though he and his successors would always be 'just human'). Sometimes in the life of the Chair of St. Peter, speaking as 'God did' meant a similar rebuke from humans, perhaps done with a bit more malice than Our Lord shows.
In the life of Simon Peter, he would also get 'the chair' in terms of his own execution. By this time, he had learned to stick to the Truth. The Truth about who Jesus was and what Jesus came to do in this world. This led to St. Peter's crucifixion - just like his master's - except that he recognized that he was not worthy of the same fate and so asked that his crucifixion be upside down.
Interestingly enough, it doesn't seem that his understanding of God's viewpoint, or his loyalty were what qualified him for this most important of all positions: The head of the Body of Christ here on earth. It actually wasn't anything that he did. It was what was done to him, or better yet: FOR HIM.
On the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, after the Resurrection, Jesus makes breakfast for His apostles and then has a conversation with Peter about love. In this literal 'come to Jesus' moment, Peter admits that he can only love the Lord with his humanly, brotherly love, and not the Godly 'agape' love. Jesus forgives him for this and for having betrayed him - a depth of sin that leaves Peter feeling incapable and unworthy of sitting in the chair that Jesus has placed him in.
But it is precisely this overwhelming forgiveness that Jesus has for Peter, that will qualify him for this post. Only when Peter had been forgiven of the worst of sins, did He know the level of forgiveness that would be required of him and the Church throughout history. Now he was ready to forgive as he had been forgiven, and now he was ready to receive the chair. Because the chair that he received was to be an earthly copy of the Mercy Seat where Jesus sits in heaven.
So when someone angers you, 'give'em the chair' the chair of forgiveness, the mercy seat.
Comments