A band of soldiers come out to Him with weapons. They seek to arrest this ‘dangerous’ man. Jesus steps
forward and questions them:
“Whom do you seek?”
He is in control. He is willingly handing Himself over. He
knows that soon He will become the Passover Lamb that will take away the sins
of the believing world. He is ready.
Peter is not.
In other gospels we read that when Jesus shares about this
plan to suffer and die, Peter rebukes Jesus. Peter does not understand the
kind of king Jesus is and what Jesus is going to do. Jesus responds with a
strong rebuke that Peter does not have in mind the things of God but the things
of man (see Matthew 16:21-23).
We see a similar understanding as Peter draws a sword to
fight the enemy in the garden. He is still thinking ‘worldly king,
worldly ways’, but Jesus is not of this world (see John 18:36).
Jesus responds to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath;
shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” It’s as if he is
repeating again, don’t be a stumbling block to me, Peter. I have a mission and
I will walk it out. I will submit to the Father’s will. I want you to
understand this is the best way.
But how can Peter or any of our human minds wrap around the
idea that God in the flesh would save us from death by dying?
Jesus is taken away. How will His disciples respond? He has
been preparing them for this moment. What will they do? What will Peter do?
In chapter 13 we hear Peter affirm to Jesus that he will
follow Him to death (see also Luke 22:33). Peter is an idealistic, passionate
man that does love the Lord, but doesn’t quite know the weakness of the flesh.
He would indeed follow Jesus to death someday, by the power of the Spirit. But
the flesh is weak and Peter does undeniably fulfill Jesus’ prophesy of
threefold denial.
Jesus is taken to the High Priest to be questioned. He is
unjustly tried and treated. He is physically slapped in the face by the high
priest’s servant and symbolically slapped in the face at the same time with
Peter’s denials.
“You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?”
“I am not.”
“You also are not one of his disciples, are you?”
“I am not.”
“Did I not see you in the garden with him?”
Peter again denied
it, and at once a rooster crowed.
At the moment Peter was not ready for persecution caused by
being associated with Jesus, but what He found is that the pain of denying the
Lord was worse than any rejection He would experience from the outside world.
The God of the Universe who called him, taught him, washed his feet and loved him looked straight at him as the rooster crowed. Peter remembered the
prophecy and went outside and wept bitterly (See Luke 22:61-62).
Peter is broken. He loves the Lord and undeniably blows it.
A blow that hurt Jesus more than the high priest’s servant’s slap I am sure. Peter
weeps.
Have you been there? Have you blown it? Have you proclaimed
Jesus with your lips and denied Him with your actions? Take heart friend. Jesus
does not forget Peter and move onto the next disciple. No. He takes Peter’s
denials onto himself and rids Peter of them at the cross. Not even a day later,
Jesus suffers and dies for Peter’s sin and our sin.
The best part of Peter’s story is a sweet restoration (but
that is for later). God has a purpose for Peter’s life and Jesus would not
allow Satan’s plan for Peter’s life to prevail.
No. God has plans.
God has plans for us as well. If you have had moments of weakness
or seasons of inconsistencies, take heart, Jesus remains faithful. Repent and
turn to Him, our only hope. Satan’s plan for you is that YOUR FAITH WOULD FAIL.
Don’t allow the enemy to be successful. Our God is a God of second chances. Let
Jesus restore you, strengthen you, fill you with His Holy Spirit and keep you
full of faith till the end.
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present your
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our
Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now
and forever, Amen." Jude 24,25
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