Week 8: Peter Denies Knowing Jesus
Sunday * Read Matthew 16:13-23
Jesus asked his disciples, "Whom do men say that I, the Son of man,
am?" (16:13). When that question is asked in the twentieth century, the
answers are similar to those Jesus received: "He was a great prophet," "He was
a good man," and so on. The answer that saves souls is still the same: "Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God (16:16).
I once posed a question to a Catholic priest: "Who did Jesus say would
build His Church?" He incorrectly said, "Peter." Jesus Himself will build the
Church. It is no wonder that "the gates of hell shall not prevail" (16:18)
against the Church if Jesus is the Church's Builder!
Monday * Read Matthew 16:24-28
This passage of scripture always brings my thoughts back to the 1950's
when five missionaries were martyred by Auca Indians in Ecuador. Jim Wlliiot's
widow, Elizabeth, wrote a book entitled 'Through Gates of Splendor." In the
book she quoted an entry from her husband's diary- "He is no fool who gives
what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
The martyred missionaries certainly lost their earthly lives that
tragic day in Ecuador, but they certainly didn't lose their eternal lives. In
fact, their experience led many, including myself, into full-time service for
the Lord.
Tuesday * Read Matthew 26:26-35
Jesus' use of the phrase, "my blood of the new testament;(26:28), can
have additional meaning to our litigation-minded world. Just before His death,
we can think of Jesus' writing His "last will and testament": "I will my
possessions of eternal life to my followers."
We know that we cannot earn eternal life by our good works. We also
know that Jesus was the only Man who rightfully possessed eternal life. This
thought adds new meaning to the atoning death of Christ. By becoming His
followers, we become heirs of His eternal life through Jesus' "last will and
testament." This may be the very thought that Paul had when he wrote that each
believer in Christ becomes "an heir of God through Christ" (Gal. 4:7).
Wednesday * Read Matthew 26:36-46
It could be thought that when Jesus said, "Not as I will, but as thou
wilt" (26:39), Jesus' will and the Father's will were two different things.
Such a conclusion would contradict all the rest of Jesus' actions and
statements, such as when He said, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent
me" (John 10:30), or when He proclaimed, " I and the Father are one" (John
10:30). Jesus was in such anguish that His perspiration was mixed with blood
(Luke 22:44)). Perhaps Jesus said this because He did not want His disciples
to see Him in such anguish and He wanted to approach the cross in divine
calmness. But if the cup of anguish would not be removed, He will willing to
bear it. If this interpretable is correct, than Jesus' will and His Father's
will were still the same. Angels came to minister to and comfort Him and He
was able to overcame the anguish and face the cross with divine serenity.
Thursday * Read Matthew 26: 476-56
All the explanations that Jesus gave to His disciples had so far gone
for naught. When Peter affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the
living God, Jesus declared that this was revealed to Peter by the heavenly
Father. But Jesus later had to point out that Peter's disbelief in the death
of the Messiah came from Satan. At the Last Supper, He tried to make it clear
His body would be broken and His blood shed in death. Most likely, Judas
betrayed Jesus not to get Him killed but to encourage Him to establish a
Messianic kingdom. Judas had the same motivation as Peter when he drew his
sword and attacked the high priest's servant.
The disciples did not realize the Jesus' healing of the servant's ear
(Luke 22:51) and His claim to be able to call legions of angels to His aid were
also fulfillments of Messianic prophecy. "Now know that I the Lord saveth his
anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his
right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses [and some in swords]
but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:6-7).
Friday * Read Matthew 26:57-68
The only damaging testimony that the false witnesses could bring was
the misunderstood claim that Jesus said He could destroy and rebuild the
temple in three days. He was referring to His body instead of the actual
temple building, as they supposed. But even if He were speaking of the temple,
all they could fault Him for (since they didn't believe Him) was an exaggerated
belief in His own abilities. Jesus was finally convicted from His own
testimony. Since He openly claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God, and
since the high priest didn't believe His claim, Jesus was condemned to death
for blasphemy.
The world today faces the same two choices concerning Jesus. Either we
believe He is the Christ, the Son of God, as He said, or we believe He is a
blasphemer. It is not enough to say that He was just a prophet or a good man.
Sabbath * Read Matthew 26:69-75
Peter claimed that he would never deny Jesus, even if it meant his
death. But now, to declare that he was a follower of Jesus could actually
cause death. Until now, Peter believed that Jesus would establish His
Messianic kingdom. But now he was no longer so sure. Jesus might actually
die, and His disciples along with Him.
Don't judge Peter too harshly. Are we as willing to follow
Jesus through hard times as we are through good times? We can be thankful that
Jesus already has foreseen the times when we also are unfaithful. We can
rejoice in the knowledge that, for as many times as we deny our Lord, He will
stand on a twentieth-century spiritual shoreline and ask us, "Do you love
me...Feed my sheep" (See John 21:15-17).
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