Matthew 26:69-75 "When We Fail"

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”  But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.”  When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”  And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.”  A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.”  Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. 

 I like Peter.  If there is an ordinary guy in the Bible, it's him.  He was a complicated jumble of right and wrong and good and bad and profound and foolish.  We see him draw his sword, preparing to defend Jesus with his life, and then a few hours later he is skulking around pretending not to know Jesus at all.

What we don't see here in this passage is that Jesus restored and forgave him; but He did.  In fact, what seems clear is that Jesus was not surprised and not angry.  He already knew what was going to happen.  He had already warned Peter that he was going to fail.  And what we know from later Scripture is that after Peter was restored, he went on to become the catalyst at Pentecost, a mighty preacher, a foundational teacher in the early church, and ultimately a martyr for the Kingdom of Christ.  Jesus already knew that was going to happen as well.  At this point in the story, Peter is struggling, but the story isn't finished yet.  Peter finishes strong.

This brings me to us.  Because Peter was such an ordinary guy, we ordinary people are a lot like him.  We are, in fact, just like Peter.  One minute we are praying and worshiping and serving God with all of our hearts, and the next we are saying or doing or thinking something completely wrong and contrary to everything Christ has done in us.  We too are a complicated jumble of right and wrong and good and bad and profound and foolish.  And we too are forgiven.  Jesus already knew our junk when He called us.

Don't misunderstand.  I'm not saying that our sinful garbage is ok.  It is harmful to us and hurtful to the Kingdom and not at all ok with God.  But whatever we are struggling with today, God already knew -it didn't take Him by surprise.  And we are already forgiven.  So, when we fall down, we get back up and set our hearts on Jesus and get back to Kingdom work.  Just like Peter.  Whatever the struggles of the past and even the present, by God's grace we can finish strong.  Just like Peter.

Dear Father, I ask that you allow our failures and struggles of today to become our testimonies tomorrow.  Thank You that even knowing our weaknesses and failures, You chose us to be Your own.  But we don't want to stay in the harmful, hurtful cycle of failure.  Help us, Lord, to finish strong.  Amen.

"Matthew 26:57-68" The Problem With Heresy Hunters

     Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome....
     The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
    “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 
     Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.  What do you think?”
   “He is worthy of death,” they answered.
     Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him  and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?” 

 It is very likely that the high priest and elders and religious authorities sincerely thought that they were doing the right thing, protecting the people from a blasphemous heretic.  But they were wrong.  They were so wrong that, in essence, they were accusing God of evil -a serious charge.

I have to wonder, how did these men get to this point?  How did religious men -men who actually affirm and serve the One True God -end up charging The Messiah with blasphemy, mocking Him, and deciding to kill Him?  How did religious teachers and spiritual leaders end up watching the greatest movement of God on this earth and come to the conclusion that it was evil and had to be stopped?

This concerns me because I am a spiritual leader and teacher.  It would be easy to assume that these leaders that accused Jesus were simply evil people and that their inherent evilness caused them to do evil things.  But this event is historical; this really happened.  And in real life, people are complicated and there are reasons that otherwise decent people make horribly wrong decisions and choices.

I think it is probable that these leaders missed the fact that Jesus was the Messiah because Jesus didn't act like the Messiah they were expecting.  There is a sense in which the actual Truth when it finally was revealed did not exactly match the doctrines and theology they had been formulating and teaching for years.  And if Jesus was not actually the Messiah, they felt it was their duty to protect the people and defend the glory of God.  That is what spiritual leaders do, right? 

But what if that's not what we are supposed to be doing?  What if my job as a spiritual leader is not so much to protect those under my care from wolves and heretics as it is to teach them how to spot and avoid wolves and heretics?  What if my job is to teach people how to love God and hear His voice and follow His leading?  That, of course, would be a much more difficult job -I mean, anyone can become adept at spotting heretics.  Spotting heretics is easy -they think differently than us.  Learning to love God?  That is more difficult.  That is a heart thing, not just a mind thing.

So, teaching people to actually love God and authentically pursue truth by listening and obeying is difficult.  But the rewards are great; those under our care end up loving God, hearing His voice, and following His leading.

Father God, help me not to get so caught up in defending my doctrinal positions and theological understandings that I miss the bigger point.  Teach me, instead, to love You and in loving You, to love others as You love them.  Amen.

Matthew 26:47-50 "Friend"

 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.  Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him."  Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”


Under the same circumstances, if the word "friend" came from my lips it would be dripping with sarcasm  and bitterness.  Jesus knew for certain why  Judas was there.  Jesus knew for certain that the next hours would bring excruciating physical and spiritual pain as He was beaten and whipped and lied about and subjected to a farce of a trial and wrongly convicted and brutally executed.  Jesus knew these things.   Jesus was also consciously aware of the hours, days and years He had spent personally pouring into Judas' life.  Jesus understood that He had given Judas every opportunity to grow in grace and knowledge and truth, to do the right things, to be the right kind of person.   Jesus clearly felt the sting of betrayal. And yet He called Judas "friend."

Judas problem was not that God hated him and abandoned him and cast him away; it was more that he never quite grasped the love of a friend and chose to walk away.  He left Jesus while Jesus called him "friend."

This shows me something of the character of God and it gives me hope.  After all these years of walking with Jesus, I still sometimes get lost in selfishness and wrong thinking.  Treating others with dignity and grace is still somewhat awkward and forced.  Love is not always my first instinct.  I still struggle with doubts and fears and issues of all sorts.  I am often not the man that other people think I am, let alone the man that God desires me to be. And yet, in spite of myself, I have no problem believing that Jesus calls me His friend.


Lord Jesus, You know I love You; help me love You more.

Mathhew 26:36-45 "Staying Focused"

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”  He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.  He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?  Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”  When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.  Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

This was, without a doubt, the most vulnerable time of Jesus' life.  He knows exactly what is about to happen.  In His humanness, He is struggling.  He turns to His three closest friends for encouragement and support.  He asks them to sit with Him and pray for Him.  Instead, when their friend (and teacher) needs them most, they sleep.  It reminds me of -well, me.  I'm afraid I do a similar thing more often than I am even aware of it.

God has an agenda.  God has purposes.  God has expectations. God has plans for me (and you).  Sometimes I am aware, in tune, on the same page with God and I am obedient.  Sometimes.  Other times, however, I am more aware of my own needs and plans and agenda than I am of God's plans for me.  I get caught up in real life and forget that there are more pressing concerns than my being tired, or hungry, or bored, or lonely -I can get so focused on whatever my own needs are that I am aware of little else.  Just like Peter, James and John.

I am encouraged, though, by Jesus' response.  There is a sense in which Jesus is disappointed, but not demeaning or hurtful.  Jesus is aware of their frailties.  He is disappointed that they are unable to stay focused and be with Him in His hour of need, but He never accuses them of being unfaithful or unloving.  Instead, He looks at their hearts and says, "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.... Go ahead and sleep.  Have your rest."  I believe He has the same response to you and me when we lose sight of the bigger picture and get caught up in the minor details of our own lives and issues.  He desires that we stay focused and hear and obey; but He understands our frailties and looks at our hearts instead of just our actions.


Lord Jesus, help me today to hear Your voice and obey.  Help me to stay tuned in and focused on Your plans and Your agenda.  I want so badly to please You and get it right.  But sooner or later, I am bound to focus on myself instead of You.  Thank You that when I fail, you don't accuse or condemn; You look at my heart and know I love You.



 

Matthew 26:31-35 "I Will Never..."

Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
“‘I will strike the shepherd,  and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 
Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” 
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 
But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same. 

 It started with Peter, then all the others joined in, "I will never..."  But in the end, they did.  Peter did, and the rest did as well. They did what they said they would never do.

This does make me stop and think.  Where am I deceived?  What am I capable of?  What remains in me that the enemy could exploit?

I don't suppose very many addicts started out thinking they would ever be addicts.  I don't guess very many murderers intended to be murderers.  Most leaders who experience moral failure never intended to have a moral failure. 

Whatever the sin, when it comes to the biggies, we would all like to think that we will never go there or do that.  And it seems that just making the declaration, "I will never..." is not a very effective preventative.  So, how do we guard against doing those things that we don't want to do -or perhaps against those things we kind of want to do but know we shouldn't do?  How do we lessen the risk?

I think maybe it starts with coming out of denial.  Obviously we (as humans) are capable of every kind of evil.  And we (as individual Christians) are capable of pretty much anything other people are capable of.  Just admitting that it could happen increases our ability to prevent it.

Admitting our vulnerability puts us in a good position to humbly seek God's provision.  When I understand that I am at risk, I am in a good position to actually ask Father, "What is the plan?  How can I stay connected to You in such a way that keeps me safe from the enemy's schemes?"  Clearly, I am at much greater risk when I am relying on my own strength and my own best thinking.

On my own, I am weak and vulnerable and and easy target -even when I feel strong and invulnerable. On the other hand, when I humbly admit my weakness and trust in Father's provision, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

So, Father, today show me Your plan.  Help me not to rely on my own thinking, rather, to trust You and follow You closely -one step behind You, walking where You walk.  Amen.

Matthew 26:26-30 "A New Agreement"

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it,  for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.  Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” 
Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Keeping in mind that Jesus and His disciples were celebrating the traditional Passover meal, what Jesus does and says here is a little surprising.  Seder meals (the Passover meal) are scripted, kind of like a play.  Every year the same words get said at the same times in the course of the meal.  The meal is a remembrance of the Israelites' deliverance from bondage in Egypt.  They remembered how God had orchestrated their escape through Moses, and how He had provided for them in the wilderness and how He had brought them into their land.  Jewish people had celebrated this meal/play every year since ancient time.  In fact, modern Jewish people still celebrate the Seder meal.

Because Jesus' disciples were Jewish men, they had each celebrated this traditional Seder meal every single year of their lives.  They knew the script by heart.  So, it was surprising when Jesus picked up the bread in the middle of the meal and instead of saying the traditional words, He said, "This is my body, given for you...take it and eat it."  The disciples evidently obeyed, but were, no doubt, a little confused.  What did this mean?  They didn't understand.

A while later in the same meal, Jesus took the cup of wine -again, instead of reciting the familiar words of the Seder, He said, "In this cup is my blood -a new covenant between God and His people.  It is poured out for the forgiveness of sins....Take and drink."  Awkward, confusing, frightening words.

At the time, the disciples did not understand.  They did not yet know that the Kingdom Jesus talked of so often was not an overthrow of the Roman government -it was an overthrow of all political, social and religious systems for all time.  They did not know that yet -but they would learn it soon enough.

They would learn it, but I often wonder, have we learned it?  Do we know what it means that the first will be last and the last will be first?  Do we know what it means to treat everyone else as better than ourselves?  Have we learned to care for the widows and orphans and poor and broken of this world?  Do we treat the marginalized and hopeless with the same dignity and respect that we treat the prosperous?  Can we pray sincerely that Father will forgive our sins to the same degree that we are willing to forgive others when they sin against us?  Can we even pray sincerely that His will be accomplished here on earth in the same way it is is heaven?

This covenant in the shed blood of Jesus is about so much more than where we go when we die.  It is about how we live our lives here and now.  Yes, the Kingdom is coming.  But at the same time, the Kingdom has come -it is here.  It is at the same time, here and not yet.  We must not wait until Jesus returns to begin living in the Kingdom.  He shed His blood and gave His body so that we can begin living in the Kingdom now as we await the glorious fulfillment of the Kingdom later.


Lord, help me live today as a Kingdom person -seeking first your Kingdom and righteousness; help me trust You for anything else I need along the way.  Amen.

Matthew 26:20-25 "God's Grace & Our Own Best Thinking"

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.  And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.  The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

It is surprising and perplexing to think that Jesus knew who was going to betray Him.  In fact, it safe to assume that Jesus knew when He chose Judas as a disciple that Judas would one day betray Him.  In fact, it is an even safer assumption that as God knit Judas together in his mother's womb, He was aware that this tiny child would grow up and betray Him.  And yet, knowing all of this, Jesus treated Judas with the same dignity and respect that He treated all the other disciples.  Jesus loved Judas just as much as the others.  Jesus gave Judas every chance possible.  But Judas, relying on his own best thinking, made a choice -a bad choice.

I believe Judas had a choice.  I don't believe that Judas was merely "pre-destined" to evil.  If God hardened Judas' heart, it was only hardening it and locking it into a position that Judas had already decided upon.  So, the question is, how did one of Jesus' chosen 12 come to this awful decision?

It seems unthinkable that Judas could have so misunderstood Jesus.  It is difficult to imagine that Judas was so completely clueless as to Jesus' identity and purpose.  So, it is possible, as some scholars believe that Judas was simply tired of waiting.  He may have betrayed Jesus simply to force His hand.  If so, Judas, no doubt, fully expected that Jesus would defend Himself at trial -that Jesus would use the opportunity to reveal once and for all His identity to the masses and would then raise His army and overthrow the Roman oppressors and re-establish Israel as God's chosen people among the nations.  But that didn't happen.  Judas was sadly mistaken -not about Jesus' identity, but about His purpose.


Jesus was, indeed, the long awaited Messiah, but He did not intend to overthrow Rome and establish an earthly, political kingdom.  His purpose was, instead, to establish a New Covenant (a new agreement between God and man) and in the process, bring God's Kingdom (spiritual kingdom) here to earth.


I think that Judas' sad mistake was natural.  He simply did not understand what Jesus had been saying.  He heard the words, but missed the meaning.  Judas entire relationship with Jesus was built upon some preconceived notions about what the Messiah was supposed to do.  In a sense, Judas already had a messianic theology.  He was not willing to set aside his own best thinking for the reality of the actual Messiah.


I wonder how often we do a similar thing?  How often do we come to God in prayer, or come to His Word with our preconceived notions of what it all means -with our pre-established systems of theology -and fail to hear what God is actually saying?  What would happen, I wonder, if we listened when we prayed expecting God to answer?  What would happen if we quit relying on our own best thinking?  What would happen if we set aside what we think we already know when we sit down to read the Bible, and let the Bible itself tell us what to think and believe instead using the party line of whatever theological camp we belong to determine how we interpret Scripture?  I'm guessing we would all be surprised.  Very surprised.