Tag Archives: Peter

10 BY THE WAY…WHY DID PETER FALL?

Bible Study, ,

One thing we need to keep in mind when we read the stories of Jesus and people…we must follow the story to its end. We must let Jesus finish what He started. There is always something good that comes out of a bad situation. 

Take the account of Peter’s denial, for example. 

 Let’s be real. Many of us think that Jesus warned Peter about denying Him before it happened to show him up for what he really was…to catch him out for being a coward when the chips were down…or even, perhaps, to stop him before it happened. 

What was the real reason for Jesus’ warning? If we follow the story as it is played out, something begins to emerge. 

Peter was the cock-sure, motor-mouth, know-it-all, self-appointed spokesperson in the group. He was always the first to speak, to make a comment, to reply, to say what the others were thinking…and then…to assure Jesus of his undying loyalty when he had no idea of how real the danger was, or how much his inflated ego would expose him and disqualify him from grace. 

On many occasions, Jesus had attempted to alert His disciples to what lay ahead for Him but…they refused to take Him seriously. Peter had actually rebuked Him for daring to think that way. 

“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

After a few years of living intimately with Jesus, seeing how His words and actions had endeared Him to the people but antagonised the religious leaders, the disciples were finally beginning to realise that Jesus was in real danger of going too far. At the final Passover celebration, the penny began to drop. 

It was in the “upper room”,  on that night when the New Covenant was revealed…and sealed, that who Peter thought he was began to unravel.  Judas had left…the mood was sombre…the disciples were uneasy, afraid, unsure of what to think…then..Jesus dropped a bomb…

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 

Peter was startled…shocked…outraged…how could Jesus ever accuse him of doing such a thing…or even think of such a thing… he, Peter, the stone…the strong, steady, loyal, brave one?

“But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 

No, Peter, it’s time to find out who you really are!

“Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭31‬-‭34‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Peter reassured Jesus that, no matter what, he would be there for Him…

…and then…it happened…just like Jesus said it would…and Peter was devastated…broken…exposed! After all his protesting and promising, he fell flat on his face…and Jesus was right. He was only a big mouth with nothing inside to back up his words. 

Why did this happen? What was really going on here? One thing is sure…Jesus didn’t make it happen but…He knew it would happen and…in His knowing, He had a plan. 

Peter didn’t know it then but… grace was at work. 

Unlike Judas, who, after his dastardly deed, finally ended his own life, Peter was on a life-changing learning curve. Devastated as he was at his own failure, he stayed the course…not knowing how it would end but hanging around with the rest of the group who were, in actual fact, also guilty of the same failure, but less dramatic…because he had nowhere else to go. 

“Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭50‬ NLT

What would Jesus do with this cowardly bunch?

The sequel to this story is the revelation of the real Jesus…the one of whom Isaiah spoke centuries before He came. 

“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In the face of gross cowardice, Jesus gently restored His fallen friend…three times…one question for each denial…beside a charcoal fire…at the spot where it all began…not with accusation…or discipline…or probation…or a warning.  Just, “Peter, do you love me?”

That was it! The past was wiped out with a simple question…asked three times, one for each denial…to clear his debt.  Did Peter get it? Would he ever forget? There were always three triggers to remind him…a charcoal fire…a crowing rooster…a lakeside breakfast! 

For the whole group…a shared meal…the symbol of reconciliation…camaraderie…togetherness!

What a life-lesson for fickle, failing, fallen saints! Jesus doesn’t interfere or halt the process. He allows it to play out to the end. He doesn’t disqualify…retrench…fire! He doesn’t put us on probation…rehabilitate…demote! He loves without faltering. Then He asks, “Do you love me?”  After the failure, not disqualification but a new assignment…three times!

Love is the only enduring qualification that obliterates failure and begins again…sets a fallen follower back on the road and keeps him going to the end. Love is the only powerful bond that holds Jesus and His people together through thick and thin until they reach the destination…together. 

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins….We love because he first loved us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭10‬, ‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We all need this lesson because we know how quick the accuser is to cash in…to condemn…to crush with guilt…to separate with shame…when we fall…but not Jesus! Failure is a better teacher than all the warnings. It’s on-the-job training…a life-lesson on steroids! 

When we feel the pain, we don’t forget. Do we disappoint Jesus? No! We trigger His grace…forgiveness…restoration…and the sober awareness of who we really are. Yes! Gone for good the hot air…the inflated ego…the false notion that we can go it alone…and there is no better lesson that we can learn! 

ACTS THE SEQUEL…THE LAST DOOR OPENS – 20

Bible Study, ,

The church now had two influential leaders…Peter and Saul who became the illustrious Paul of the New Testament. 

Peter’s role was to lead and teach the Jewish believers. He was centred in Jerusalem and, despite fierce persecution, stayed under the radar until he was finally unable to escape attention. It happened like this. 

Peter was visiting the seaside town of Joppa. In the meanwhile, Jesus was at work in Caesarea, preparing to open the door to the Gentile world with the gospel of grace. He chose a Roman centurion as His port of entry and Peter, the fastidious Jew, to turn the key in the lock. . 

Bringing the two parties together through a series of visions recorded in Acts 10, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on a household of brand-new Gentile believers, the Holy Spirit finally convinced Peter that the message of Jesus was for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. 

“Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right…All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭34‬-‭35‬, ‭43‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Fulfilled! Jesus’ commandment…uttered to bewildered disciples…before Pentecost…now a reality…through the Holy Spirit! 

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV

Through the leadership and ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus had fulfilled His own word. The phenomena at the Holy Spirit’s advent at Pentecost had been repeated in Samaria on new Samaritan believers and now, on a Gentile and Roman household. 

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭44‬-‭48‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Every instrument was in place…Peter to the Jewish world…Paul to the Gentiles…and the believers scattered everywhere…and the whole wicked world, under the delusion of Satan and his hordes, ranged against them! The scene was set, the lines drawn, for an epic battle that would continue until the end of time. 

To be continued

MARK’S GOSPEL…EXPOSED – 36

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Mark 14:27-31 NIV

“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.” And all the others said the same.”

‭‭

Oh, the cockiness of the flesh! So arrogant…and so weak!

In a matter-of-fact, almost “by-the-way” manner, Jesus foretold the disciples about their desertion and Peter about his denial. He spoke as though the cowardly abandonment of their Master  was a foregone conclusion. For Him, it was done, so He brushed aside their failure with an instruction…

“But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Isn’t that strange? It’s almost as though Jesus were replaying everything that was yet to happen as if it had already happened…yet what they did to Him didn’t faze Him. It was part of a process, and He knew the conclusion. 

For Peter, though, this prediction heralded an unforgettable moment…a terrible humiliation that would unlock his understanding to the real Peter, open his eyes to the real Jesus, and change his life forever. 

Until the moment when the cock crowed, Peter was in charge of his own life. He was cocksure of his abilities, his strengths, his ways. He could cope with every eventuality on his own, thank you very much. 

Peter brushed aside Jesus’ warning with a self-confident  retort… “Me, Jesus! No, never me! All the others may fail you but not me!” …implying, of course, “I can do it, all by myself.”

Little did Peter know how far he would fall. He didn’t just run away like the  others. He denied any knowledge of Jesus with oaths and curses…just as if he were a known criminal denying his guilt! From self-proclaimed head disciple to coward and liar, Peter crashed…and he only woke up to the truth when he heard the rooster crowing in the distance. 

Imagine that! Peter was so self-assured that he thought the bystanders would believe him until…the truth hit him. He had done exactly what Jesus said he would do! How he hated the sound of the rooster at that moment. It was as if it were announcing his guilt to the world.

Peter was devastated, humiliated, destroyed. That look…that compassion so palpable he could feel it…those eyes boring into his soul, unpacking every thought, every motive, every intention…not anger, not judgment, not “I told you so”…just sorrow, grief, and pure love. 

Peter couldn’t handle it. He turned and ran…away from the people who had witnessed his shame…away from the glowing fire where he had warmed his hands…into the cold, dark night where he could weep alone. He was broken, all his bluster and self-confidence gone. He could never look Jesus in the eyes again, the words of his denial replaying inside his brain like a stuck record. 

We would be left hanging if it were not for John’s story of reconciliation and restoration, but that is for another time. 

It had to be. For Peter, at that moment, it was death to his ego as real as the death of his Master. How often did the recollection of his failure return when his old natural self threatened to destroy him again? 

Was it a lesson well learned or just another bump in the road? Only time and experience would tell.





“MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS” – 29

Bible Study, ,

John 21:18-20 NLT‬
[18] “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” [19] Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” [20] Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?”‭
[21] Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”
[22] Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

Why did John include this little exchange betwee Peter and Jesus? Was it the final bit of competition between Peter and John rearing its ugly head before Pentecost?

Jesus showed us, in His magnificent high priestly prayer, how priceless unity between His followers was to Him. He paid with His blood to bring warring humans together in a new bond of love. Jew and Gentile, implacable enemies even under the Old Covenant, unified into one body, one species, bound together by the power of the Holy Spirit to love one another as Jesus loved them.

However, the Holy Spirit was yet to come, and Jesus’ disciples were yet to experience His transforming power through His indwelling presence. The Spirit would deal with their petty quarrelling and competition once for all when He came.

Until then, Jesus was fed up with the selfish, competitive attitude that poked its head out through Peter’s words. His sharp rebuke, “Mind your own business, Peter!” would ring in Peter’s ears every time he was tempted to elevate himself above others.

Spiritual competitiveness is still rife in the church today, a sign that the flesh still dominates and muddies relationships in Jesus’ body. Paul had to deal with this same carnal behaviour in the Corinthian church.

‭1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT‬
[10]”I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”

‭‭1 Corinthians 3:1-4 NLT‬
[1] “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. [2] I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, [3] for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? [4] When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?”

The competitive spirit still reigns where church leaders elevate themselves above others by claiming functions and titles which give them “authority” over fellow believers, not sanctioned in Scripture. This is not evidence of the Holy Spirit’s activity but rather the absence of His leading in these situations.

Our role in relationships is to protect love and preserve unity by ruthlessly killing the flesh through our obedience to the Spirit.

‭Romans 8:12-14 NLT‬
[12] “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Competitiveness of any kind is a work of the flesh, causing division and quenching the Holy Spirit’s work in Christ’s body. God’s solution, through Paul, is imperative.

‭Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT‬
[11]” Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. [12] Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. [13] This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. [14] Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. [15] Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. [16] He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

So, when it comes to God’s doing in others, “Mind your own business!” As Owald Chambers wrote, in his book, “My Utmost for His Highest”, “No saint dare interfere in the discipline of suffering of another saint.”

What a way for the John to conclude his magnificent gospel! That’s the power of God at work in us, demolishing the flesh to recreate in us the image of Jesus.

ASLEEP!

Christian Life, , ,

ASLEEP!

Eight days after Jesus said this, He took Peter, John and James with Him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became bright as a flash of lightning…Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.” Luke 9:28,29,32.

Peter, James, and John missed some of Jesus’ most magnificent moments because they were…asleep! Jesus was praying and was so powerfully enveloped in the glory of heaven that it became visible on earth. In the meantime the disciples were sleeping and woke up talking nonsense. They were just in time to catch a glimpse of Moses and Elijah near the tail end of their conversation with Jesus, but what did it mean to them? Nothing – nothing more than an event to be commemorated with three shrines.

If the three disciples had been more alert and praying, they would have been far more prepared for the next significant event, when Jesus prayed in a garden. It was all about His exodus, and they were a part of it whether they liked it or not. How different their reaction would have been had they followed their rabbi’s example and prayed instead of being spectators to His passion.

Yes, they had confessed, through the mouth of Peter, their opinion that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, but the content of that confession had yet to be shaped into an unshakeable conviction by recognising and acknowledging Him in the power of His death and resurrection. At this moment His identity was still hazy enough for Him to be placed next to Moses and Elijah, at least in Peter’s mind. He was still very much a Jew at heart, wanting to memorialise great revelations with stones rather than working them into the fabric of his life. What good would three shrines on top of a mountain do when he had to live in the valley of everyday life? Far more valuable would be to be convinced that Jesus is the Son of God, and to live out of that awareness in the ups and downs of life.

How do we live alert enough to discern great revelations when they come to us? So much of our learning comes through falling into traps and then recognising what they were on hindsight. Jesus’ counsel was “Watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation.” Jesus’ response to temptation was submission – “Not my will but yours be done.” Our enemy is not so much the devil as ourselves, our will, our desires warring against the will of our Father. Jesus learned submission from the things that He suffered.

Falling asleep was not the solution when tests come our way. What great revelations of Jesus’ glory we miss when we sleep instead of being alert to see His glory in our times of testing.