The Word This Week
Matt 26:31…
Jesus must go to the cross alone.
The separation from even His closest followers now takes place.
Under circumstances of which Jesus alone knows the terrifying depths, He informs His apostles they will all be made to stumble this night.
We know Jesus is in control of all the events which are about to unfold. It is critical His apostles be preserved through the process of His trial and crucifixion – because these are the men who will go on to found His Church. Therefore, their preservation will come not by standing with Jesus - but by fleeing from Him - just as the Bible had prophesied.
In reality, Jesus doesn’t need the help of any man to go through this process, nor would He seek it. And He knew what was in man to the extent He knew even His closest followers would desert Him in fear of the terror.
Even in the midst of all they were about to face, Jesus promised them He would be raised and go before them to Galilee - despite all their eyes would tell them about all they were about to see.
There was only one man who declared himself so loyal to Jesus he would go with Him through whatever Jesus was about to face, however foreboding it appeared to be.
We learn a lot about ourselves from watching Peter. He is at once sure of himself, and yet often confronted by his shortcomings. It may surprise us to see these character traits of pride and failure so closely mixed in a man this close to Christ as He walked the earth. Yet, with all his shortcomings, Peter keeps coming…
And Satan, also being aware of the potential of this powder keg of a man arranges to sift him as wheat this night. Jesus permits this to be so as a means of further preparing Peter for his coming life in ministry. Pride goes before a fall, and there is a big fall coming for Peter this night. He is so filled with pride presently even Jesus telling Peter he will deny Him three times this night begore the cock crows does not register…
We can only imagine how disappointed Peter was with himself when he did exactly that. His failure was perhaps the most important step in his preparation for ministry. As always when it pertains to those Christ has called, Satan’s plan to eliminate Peter backfired. His latest failure and then his later restoration by Jesus became a critically important ingredient in the founding of Jesus’ Church.
Pastor Bill
Jesus must go to the cross alone.
The separation from even His closest followers now takes place.
Under circumstances of which Jesus alone knows the terrifying depths, He informs His apostles they will all be made to stumble this night.
We know Jesus is in control of all the events which are about to unfold. It is critical His apostles be preserved through the process of His trial and crucifixion – because these are the men who will go on to found His Church. Therefore, their preservation will come not by standing with Jesus - but by fleeing from Him - just as the Bible had prophesied.
In reality, Jesus doesn’t need the help of any man to go through this process, nor would He seek it. And He knew what was in man to the extent He knew even His closest followers would desert Him in fear of the terror.
Even in the midst of all they were about to face, Jesus promised them He would be raised and go before them to Galilee - despite all their eyes would tell them about all they were about to see.
There was only one man who declared himself so loyal to Jesus he would go with Him through whatever Jesus was about to face, however foreboding it appeared to be.
We learn a lot about ourselves from watching Peter. He is at once sure of himself, and yet often confronted by his shortcomings. It may surprise us to see these character traits of pride and failure so closely mixed in a man this close to Christ as He walked the earth. Yet, with all his shortcomings, Peter keeps coming…
And Satan, also being aware of the potential of this powder keg of a man arranges to sift him as wheat this night. Jesus permits this to be so as a means of further preparing Peter for his coming life in ministry. Pride goes before a fall, and there is a big fall coming for Peter this night. He is so filled with pride presently even Jesus telling Peter he will deny Him three times this night begore the cock crows does not register…
We can only imagine how disappointed Peter was with himself when he did exactly that. His failure was perhaps the most important step in his preparation for ministry. As always when it pertains to those Christ has called, Satan’s plan to eliminate Peter backfired. His latest failure and then his later restoration by Jesus became a critically important ingredient in the founding of Jesus’ Church.
Pastor Bill