Tag Archives: fall away

THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN THE FATHER

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THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN THE FATHER

“‘All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father.

“‘I have told you this so that, when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to Him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.'” John 16:1-6.

“Because they have not known the Father…”  This is a very powerful statement.

Jesus was not talking about the pagans outside in the world. He was referring to the religious leaders who were in charge of the spiritual wellbeing of God’s people, the priests and teachers of the law. In their zeal for God they side-lined or exterminated those who did not believe or do things their way. 

Unlike Satan who paints rebellion and disobedience as exciting, enjoyable, rosy and without consequences and does not expose the small print, Jesus warned His disciples what would happen to them if they faithfully followed and obeyed Him. He told them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They were not to be surprised or put off when they met hostility from “spiritual” people who would stop at nothing, not even murder, to keep people in bondage to their way.

Why would they do that? “Because they have not known the Father.” It’s as simple as that! Why do people do any of the terrible things they do? Because they have not known the Father. It doesn’t only have to refer to religious people. Why do husbands abuse their wives and children? Why do abused wives drink until alcohol destroys their minds? Why do unscrupulous thugs rape and steal and kill? Why do civil servants plunder government coffers? Why do people destroy family relationships through jealousy, anger, bitterness or unforgiveness? Because they have not known the Father!

Not only does this help us to understand why people do what they do; it also enables us to view their behaviour through the eyes of compassion because, as Jesus cried out forgiveness to the Father for His murderers, “they do not know what they are doing.”

All of this was too much for His disciples to take in. They were stunned and overwhelmed with grief, too broken even to ask where He was going. Nevertheless, He kept speaking, faithfully teaching them about the Holy Spirit and warning them of the pitfalls that lay ahead on their journey with Him. Though they might not have understood then, or even remembered His words at this crucial time, the seeds of truth had been sown in their minds and the Holy Spirit would bring them to remembrance when they were needed.

How comforting and encouraging it is for us to know that we have the same Holy Spirit to whom Jesus introduced his disciples and who filled them on the day of Pentecost. He equipped them and He equips us with insight, understanding and power, and accompanies us through the tortuous ways of submission and obedience to Jesus until we know Him.

Unlike those who follow the ways of sin because they do not know the Father, when we follow Jesus, He takes us to the Father. We are adopted into His family as beloved sons and daughters; we live in the Father’s presence and we get to know Him as our Father.

This was the journey that lay ahead for the disciples – in their calling to be witnesses for Jesus, they could only understand and fulfil that calling as they got to know the Father. To be a witness for Jesus is to become like Him, to love and obey Him as He loved and obeyed the Father.

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17:25, 26.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – DESTINED TO FALL

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DESTINED TO FALL

27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:
“‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”
31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same. Mark 14:27-31

There are two ways of being ready for all eventualities; either through blustering self-confidence or by being alert and forearmed for danger. Peter was full of arrogant self-confidence, not really hearing Jesus’ warning but feeling that he could handle anything. Mark added that the other disciples were not far behind Peter.

The trouble with this kind of attitude is that it hears nothing but the sound of its own voice. It is too full of itself to listen to the warning and to be aware of its own weakness, much less to be on the alert and follow the counsel of the Holy Spirit… This is a set-up for a very necessary exposure of pride and a wake-up call to face reality. Jesus understood human nature and even if He did not have the foresight about Peter’s crash (which He did), it was inevitable because it was the devil’s modus operandi. He had warned Peter once before but it is clear that Peter was deaf to His words.

How does this process of exposure work? Jesus put it in a nutshell. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Perhaps Peter was sincere in his expression of loyalty to Jesus but he did not know himself or how weak his flesh was when it was threatened or challenged. The only way he could understand his true self would be to fall into the trap his own words has set.

Jesus’ attitude is amazing. He did not look upon Peter’s failure as an irreparable disaster but as part of Peter’s journey. This was about Peter and about the process he needed to go through to become an imitator of Jesus. It always is, but for Jesus it was a welcome hurdle Peter had to get over, and Jesus was there to accompany him so that he would not crash out as Judas had done through his own blindness. Jesus’ tender restoration of Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee reflects again the character of the Father, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and full of love and faithfulness.

Peter learned his lesson well. We must not forget that the apostles wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, out of a wealth of personal experience. Paul, for example, could say, “I have learned…” and “We know…”  Peter learned humility and submission the hard way, but it was a lesson he never forgot. O yes, failure, not success and achievement, is always the best teacher.

Untested Loyalty

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UNTESTED LOYALTY

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. ‘You will all fall away,’ Jesus told them, ‘for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.’

Peter declared, ‘Even if all fall away, I will not.’ ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘today – yes, tonight – before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.’ But Peter insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ All the others said the same. (Mark 14: 26-31)

Why did Jesus sound a warning like that? There was no doubt that Peter was very sincere in his declaration of loyalty. Weren’t they all at that moment? Unlike Judas, who had every intention of betraying Jesus, Peter had no such plan of ever denying his association with Him. Why would he? He didn’t have a bone to pick with Him. He may not have always agreed with Him or even understood Him, but there was no doubt about his commitment of loyalty to Him.

Peter adored Jesus, so much so that he did everything in his power to impress Him. Did you notice that when you read the gospels? He was Peter, the “motor mouth”. If there was anything to be said, Peter said it. He was the spokesman for the group. On behalf of them all, he declared without hesitation, in response to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” No doubt they had discussed it among themselves when His words and actions baffled them.

There was no way that He could be just an ordinary man. Never could a man, in all their history, not even the most powerful of prophets, hold a candle to Him. It was not only His words and actions that held them spellbound but also His very nature, revealing the mercy, compassion and love they had never experienced before. There was nothing in Him that resembled other men, and yet He was all man. They were mesmerised by Him.

So, at that moment, in the face of His declaration, they could not think of doing something as dastardly as disowning Him. Their intentions were of the best, but they did not know themselves.

But why was Peter singled out for a warning when they would all be in it together? After all, which was worse – verbally disowning Him or running away when He needed their support. It was one and the same thing.

Peter had to take the rap because Peter was the blabbermouth as usual. The others took their cue from him. We must not forget that these men were very young, probably not much older than teenagers. Rabbis chose their disciples, not from the seasoned scholars but from among the learner rabbis. Jesus, no doubt also looked for the young ones – those He could mould into His image before they became too set in their ways. Perhaps one like Matthew might have been a bit older, in his late twenties, but the rest were still apprentices on the journey of life – untested and inexperienced in handling crises.

Once before, Jesus had warned Peter about Satan’s intention, but he brushed it off with no comment, obviously not really taking His words seriously. Jesus had indicated that He was not perturbed – in fact He promised to pray for him, not to get him out of the test but to pass the test so that he could use the experience to support others when they were tested.

This was the crux of the matter. It was imperative that Peter and his fellow disciples be tested. That they failed was not the issue. They had to experience the test because it was part of their maturing process. Failure was far more important than success. Failure imprints the lesson far more deeply than success. Peter’s protestation of loyalty, backed up by the others meant nothing without putting it to the test. He had to feel the shame of failure. He had to taste the sweetness of the Master’s forgiveness and the realisation that the love of his Master did not depend on his performance but on His character. Peter could not fail himself out of his union with Jesus.

Peter had to learn that it was love for Jesus, not his will power that would steady him in the storms of life. The greatest commandment, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength’ still stands as the solid rock upon which loyalty is built. Everything else is but shifting sand.

‘If you love me,’ Jesus said, ‘you will do what I command you.’

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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