Thkrough the Bible - Leviticus 13-15, Matthew 27
Good morning,
In yesterday's devotional we considered how an aroma can bring about a flashback. Yesterday's New Testament reading in Matthew covered Peter's denials of Christ, where Christ's words "flashed" in Peter's mind as he heard the rooster crow after his third denial.
The NLT Life Application Bible notes that "there were three stages in Peter's denial. First he acted confused and said he didn't know what the girl was talking about. Second, using an oath he denied that he knew Jesus. Third he began to curse and swear. Believers who deny Jesus Christ often do so subtly by pretending not to know him. When opportunities to discuss religious issues come up, they walk away or pretend they don't know the answers. With only a little more pressure, they can be induced to flatly deny their relationship to Christ. If you find yourself subtly avoiding occasions to talk about Christ, watch out. You may be on the road to denying him."
For today's verse we'll go to the end of the passage where Peter hits rock bottom in the stages outlined above.
Matt 26:74 Peter swore, "A curse on me if I'm lying—I don't know the man!" And immediately the rooster crowed.
75 Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me." And he went away, weeping bitterly. Holy Bible, New Living Translation
We're often too quick to become critical of Peter. Try to put yourself in the same shoes. Have you gone through some, possibly all of those stages at some point in your life? Before "jumping on the bandwagon" of criticism, consider this:
I was forwarded a note from my mom's Pastor, Ray Kollbocker of Parkside Community Churchwhich he recently sent out to the congregation, encouraging them to live, taking some risks , through which God may bring purpose to life. "Remember the time in Matthew 11 when all the disciples were in a boat and saw Jesus out on the water? So often the Apostle Peter gets a bum rap as the guy who lacked faith and sunk, but we forget the fact that he's the only one who risked getting out of the boat in the first place. As a result, he's the only disciple who ever walked on water. Peter is also the disciple who denied Christ three times, but he was the only one who risked getting close enough to Jesus to get caught. He's also the guy who took a swing and cut off a dude's ear, but again he was the only one who came to Jesus' defense.
In short, taking a swing for Jesus is better than standing idly by; sinking is better than sitting. When everything is said and done, I think our greatest regrets will be the risks we didn't take. We won't regret sinking. We will regret sitting. The German writer Goethe said, "Hell begins the day God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, should have done, and would have done, but did not do."
Thankfully, the God we serve is a God of second, and third chances. He can use our failures to teach us valuable lessons. Later, after His resurrection, Jesus asks Peter three times "do you love me?" Peter answered "you know I do", and Jesus did.
Both instances worked together to strengthen Peter for the road ahead, to the point where in Acts chapter four, he and John boldly stand before the very people that crucified Christ, refusing to deny Him, or stop speaking about Him. Their courage and faith did not go unoticed.
Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. NKJV
How does the passage speak to you? Does it warn you about pride? Encourage you to let Christ pick you up if you've fallen? Or possibly to strengthen others who may have fallen and need to be lifted up. Someone in need of mercy?
Look at Jesus words to Peter in Luke 22:
Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."
In Christ,
Mike
Matt 26:69-27:1
Peter Denies Jesus, and Weeps Bitterly
69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."
70 But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."
71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."
72 But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"
73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."
74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"
Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.
NKJV
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