Sometimes the best way to understand a complicated Bible story is to find it somewhere we already know. Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:21–28 are challenging: Peter doesn’t understand why Jesus must suffer, Jesus tells him to get behind him, and then Jesus calls his followers to take up their cross and follow him. It’s a lot to take in.

So, what if we looked at Peter through the eyes of some beloved cartoon characters?

Let’s wander into the worlds of The Lion King, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Charlie Brown to see what these stories can teach us about Peter—and about ourselves. Each character helps us notice something different: our desire to rewrite God’s story, our tendency to think we know better than God, and our struggle when life doesn’t turn out the way we expected.

Because sometimes a cartoon bear, a football, and a young lion can help us understand discipleship better than a theological textbook. And honestly, Peter probably would have appreciated the cartoons, too.

The Lion King: When We Want to Rewrite the Story

In The Lion King, Simba has a pretty good life until everything falls apart. His father, Mufasa, dies, and Simba becomes convinced that everything is his fault. So what does he do? He runs away.

And honestly, who among us hasn’t wanted to run away when life doesn’t turn out the way we thought it would? Maybe not literally into the jungle, but emotionally? Absolutely. Sometimes we would prefer to move to another zip code, change our name, and pretend the whole thing never happened.

In Matthew 16, Peter is having his own “Simba moment.” Jesus tells the disciples that he will suffer, be rejected, be killed, and be raised. Peter doesn’t like this story one bit. He said, “Nope. That’s not happening.”

Peter has already figured out what the Messiah should look like. Jesus should win! Jesus should conquer! Jesus should fix everything! There should be trumpets, cheering crowds, maybe a parade. There should definitely not be a cross.

But Jesus tells Peter that God’s story is bigger than Peter’s expectations.

Eventually, Simba learns that he cannot spend his whole life running from the story he has been given. He must return, face what happened, and step into who he is called to be.

Peter has to learn something similar. Following Jesus doesn’t mean getting the story we would have written. It means trusting the One who is writing the story.

Sometimes we look at our lives and say, “This is not how I would have written this.”

And Jesus says, “I know. But keep following me.”

2. Winnie-the-Pooh: When We Think We Know Better Than Jesus

Winnie-the-Pooh is a bear with a very small brain and somehow a remarkably large amount of confidence. Pooh frequently finds himself in situations that could have been avoided if he had simply listened to someone else. But Pooh has a plan. It may involve honey. It may involve a balloon. It may involve pretending to be a cloud. It is almost certainly not a good plan.

Peter can probably relate.

In Matthew 16, Jesus tells his disciples something they don’t want to hear. He says that he will suffer, be rejected, die, and rise again. Peter immediately pulls Jesus aside and says, essentially, “Jesus, I have some notes.”

Peter thinks Jesus has gotten the Messiah job description wrong.“You’re the Messiah! Messiahs aren’t supposed to suffer. They’re supposed to win!” Peter isn’t trying to be difficult. He’s trying to help. And that’s what makes the story so human.

Sometimes we do the same thing with God.

We pray, but then give God detailed instructions: “Dear God, here’s what I think you should do. I’ve attached a spreadsheet.” We tell God what outcome we want, what timing would be convenient, and which people God should probably fix first.

But Jesus reminds Peter that God’s ways are bigger than Peter’s plans. “Get behind me, Satan!” is perhaps the biblical equivalent of, “Peter, put down the clipboard.” Following Jesus means trusting God even when God’s plan doesn’t look like ours. Pooh eventually finds his way through the Hundred Acre Wood. Peter eventually learns to follow Jesus.

And we learn, too, that faith isn’t having all the answers. Sometimes faith is saying: “I don’t understand this, God. But I’ll keep walking with you.” And maybe I’ll leave the clipboard at home.

3. Charlie Brown: When We Want the Happy Ending

If Charlie Brown teaches us anything, it is this: Things don’t always go according to plan. Charlie Brown tries to kick the football. Lucy pulls it away. Again. And again. And again. At some point you would think Charlie Brown might say, “You know, Lucy, I have reviewed the evidence.” But no. He keeps coming back.

That’s what makes Peanuts such a wonderful connection to Matthew 16. Peter wants Jesus to have the kind of Messiah story with a happy ending that everyone can understand. Jesus, however, tells him about suffering, rejection, death, and the cross. Peter essentially says, “Jesus, could we maybe skip that part?”

And don’t we understand? We like the resurrection. We’re less enthusiastic about the cross. We like Easter morning. Good Friday? Not exactly the church’s best promotional material. We like answers. We don’t like uncertainty. We like knowing that everything will work out. But Jesus tells Peter that following him means taking up a cross. That’s not exactly the motivational poster Peter was hoping for.

Yet Jesus isn’t telling the disciples that suffering is the goal. He’s telling them that love sometimes costs something. Faithfulness sometimes requires courage. Following Jesus means trusting God even when the path isn’t easy.

Charlie Brown keeps showing up—even after the football, the kite-eating tree, and approximately 7,000 other disappointments. And perhaps that’s part of discipleship too. We don’t follow Jesus because we understand everything.

We follow because Jesus keeps calling us forward. Sometimes we fall. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes Lucy moves the football. But Jesus says: “Get up. Follow me.” And so we do.

Maybe that is where Peter’s story meets ours.

Like Simba, we sometimes want to run when God’s story takes a turn we didn’t expect. Like Pooh, we think we know exactly what God should do. Like Charlie Brown, we keep showing up when life keeps pulling the football away.

But Jesus doesn’t ask Peter to understand everything. Jesus asks him to follow. And maybe that is Jesus’ invitation to us, too. We don’t have to understand every loss, disappointment, or unanswered prayer. We don’t have to know how the story ends. We simply take the next step.

Take up your cross. Keep walking. Keep following. Because the cross is not the end of the story. Resurrection is coming. And even when we cannot see where God is going, we can trust that God is still with us.

Amen.