Denied

Last week we took a look at Judas and his betrayal of Jesus (click here to read it). This week we're going to look at another one of Jesus' disciples, Peter.

I got to say, I like Peter. I love reading passages that he's in. He's far from perfect, but that makes him so relatable.

So after the Passover meal (and the first Lord's supper) Jesus and His disciples (all except for Judas) were gathered around. After hearing that Judas was going to betray Jesus, I'm sure the disciples were still a bit shaken up. Then Jesus says this...

"Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." (Matthew 26:31-32)

Peter, always quick to speak, answers, "Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away." (Matt. 26:33).

But Jesus says, ""Truly I tell you," Jesus said to him, "tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."(verse 34)

""Even if I have to die with you," Peter told him, "I will never deny you," and all the disciples said the same thing." (verse 35)

After this, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a place called Gethsemane. He told the three of them to sit and wait while He went to pray. He went a little ways away from them and prayed. When He returned He found them asleep.

"He asked Peter, "So, couldn’t you stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:40-41)

But they didn't stay awake and pray. They fell asleep, again.

I wonder sometimes what would've happened if Peter had prayed. Jesus knew what was about to come, I mean He straight out told Peter that he would deny Him three times! He knew that the strength they need wasn't in themselves, but in Him. He knew that while their spirits were willing, He knew their flesh would win out. That's why He encouraged them to pray.

Alright, now let's fast forward some to after Jesus was betrayed and led away.

Matthew 26:69-75,
 "Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl approached him and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean too."
But he denied it in front of everyone: "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
When he had gone out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!"
And again he denied it with an oath: "I don’t know the man!"
After a little while those standing there approached and said to Peter, "You really are one of them, since even your accent gives you away."
Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, "I don’t know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly."

Just as Jesus had said, Peter denied Him three times before dawn. Peter, who had just hours before promised to be willing to die for Jesus, denied Him three times.

I believe that Peter truly regretted what he did. I mean he wept bitterly. I believe that he didn't have any intention to deny Jesus. But when the pressure was on, he caved.

We may be quick to judge Peter, but don't we do the same thing? We promise to love Jesus and to never deny Him, but how often do we do the opposite? We deny Him when we lie about going to church, or when we do something that directly contradicts His Word.

Just like Jesus told Peter to do, we need to pray so that we won't fall into temptation.

All the good intentions we have mean nothing without prayer.

Without prayer, we will deny Jesus every time. Because our flesh is weak! We can't do this on our own! We need Him.

Thankfully Peter was redeemed. John 21:15-19 talks about Peter and Jesus (after He was risen) walking along together on the beach, talking. Jesus asked Peter three times if Peter loved Him. Three times Peter said he did.

Peter grew a lot. I mean the book of Acts talks about him a lot and he was persecuted and he didn't deny Jesus again. While not recorded in scripture, historians write that he was later crucified upside down for Jesus' name.

He learned the power of prayer.


~~

What're your thoughts? What stands out to you about those passages?

Betrayed

Last year around Easter I wrote a post called Incomprehensible Love. Besides talking about Jesus, of course, I focused on another person mentioned. Barabbas. But in this post I'm going to look at Judas. Actually, this is going to be a three part series, each post looking at someone else.


Picture the scene: It's the night of the Passover and Jesus and His twelve disciples are reclining around a table, celebrating it together. Perhaps the disciples were joking with one another, after all, they had known each other for a while at this point. Or maybe they were in respectful and thoughtful silence, reflecting on what the Passover represents. Regardless, their world was shaken when Jesus spoke.

Matthew 26:21, "While they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.""

They begin to question one another and ask Jesus, "Surely not I, Lord?" (Matt. 26:22).

Matthew 26:23-25,
"He replied, "The one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl—he will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born."
Judas, his betrayer, replied, 'Surely not I, Rabbi?"
"You have said it," he told him."

John 13:27, "After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Jesus told him, "What you’re doing, do quickly.""

At this point the rest of the disciples were still a bit confused.

So when did this all come about?

Luke 22:1-6 ,"The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put him to death, because they were afraid of the people.
Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered among the Twelve. He went away and discussed with the chief priests and temple police how he could hand him over to them. They were glad and agreed to give him silver. So he accepted the offer and started looking for a good opportunity to betray him to them when the crowd was not present."

Jesus was betrayed by Judas. To be completely honest I had never thought that much about that part. But think about it. Jesus had been with these twelve disciples for a while. He had spent time with them. They had eaten together, talked with one another, traveled with each other. They lived life with each other.

Then Judas betrayed Jesus.

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? Even if you hadn't I'm sure you can imagine the heartbreak of that occurring. Yes, Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him, but that doesn't make it any less painful.

But Jesus died for Judas. He went through that, for Judas. He was betrayed for the one who betrayed Him.

We betray Jesus sometimes too. Every time we sin we're betraying Him and what He means to us.

Jesus was humiliated. He was mocked and jeered at. He was spat upon. He was whipped. Being whipped means that His flesh was literally ripped off. His organs were exposed. He stood silent, being accused before a crowd who kept shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!". He was nailed to a cross. He struggled to breathe while hanging there. Until at last He breathed His last.

He went through all of that for Judas. For you. For me. He knew we would reject Him. He knew we would betray Him. But He still went through that.

Jesus was betrayed and killed by the ones He came to save.

Why?

I ask myself that question sometimes. I look around me at our evil world, at the sin in my own heart, and I simply ask why. Why would Jesus go through all of that for us? We don't deserve it and often we reject it.

The answer is simple, but so far beyond our comprehension. He loves us. The King of the Universe, Creator of all things, God of every nation... He loves us.

1 John 3:16, "This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us."

Jesus said to love your enemies (Matthew 5:44). We may claim this is too hard and that He doesn't know what He's talking about but He knows that better than we do. He loves us and we were all His enemies.

Ephesians 2:12-13, "At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

So what happened to Judas? I find it very sad. After Judas betrayed Jesus into the hands of the religious leaders, after he saw that He had been condemned, he was full of remorse. He realized what he did was wrong and he returned the money that he had received from betraying Jesus. I wish I could say he repented. I wish I could say he turned back to Jesus. But Judas hung himself. (Matthew 27:3-10).

~

Jesus loves us. He loves us so much He died for us, so that we could have a way to the Father. Judas' life had a heartbreaking ending, but we can choose differently. We can choose to repent and turn to Jesus. Yes, we may have been enemies of God, we may have betrayed Him, but He still loves us and we can turn back to Him!

John 15:9, "As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love."

~~~

What're your thoughts? What stands out to you about this? Have you ever thought that much about Judas?

He's Risen!

A few weeks ago my youth group had a movie night and we watched Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's based on the first book in the book series by C.S Lewis called The Chronicles of Narnia. Different characters in the movie (and books) represent things from the Bible. Aslan is a lion who represents Jesus.

In the movie (spoilers ahead) then there's a boy named Edmund (who represents us) who betrayed his family and according to Narnia's laws since he was a traitor he belonged to the White White (who represents Satan) and was to be killed. But Aslan gave up his life for Edmund. In that scene Aslan walked through the jeering crowd, he was bound in ropes, he was mocked and humiliated, and he was killed.

Aslan gave up his life for one person. He suffered all of that for one person.

That movie is, of course, fictional. But what happened represents what Jesus did for us.

Jesus was chained. He was beaten. He was mocked and spat upon.  He stood before a jeering crowd. He was humiliated. He was crucified.

He went through all of that for each and every person. If each person was the only person on earth He would have done no less.

Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of Jesus' coming and describes Him as the Suffering Servant.

Verses 4-5... "Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities...."

Verse 12... "Therefore I will give him the many as a portion, and he will receive the mighty as spoil, because he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels."

Something that just blows my mind is the fact that Jesus stepped down from His heavenly throne into the world of mere humans. The fact that God took on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14) is just... wow.

He did it because of His great love for us.

But the story doesn't end there! Jesus rose again! (Luke 24)

It was His death that gives us life, but it was His resurrection that gives us hope.

Without Jesus shedding His blood for us, we would have no redemption, no way to Jesus. (Hebrews 9:22, 27, 28) His resurrection, however, showed that He really is the Son of God. It would have been impossible any other way.

When I think about what Jesus did for me I'm just amazed. I can't even begin to comprehend that kind of love. We're the ones who deserve that humiliation, that pain, that death. Yet He loved us so much He took our place.

This next Sunday is going to be Easter Sunday, when we celebrate His resurrection. Let's rejoice for Jesus is alive in heaven and seated at the Father's right hand!

Psalm 35:9, "Then I will rejoice in the Lord; I will delight in His deliverance."

Luke 19:37-40, "Now He came near the path down the Mount of Olives, and the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen: The King who comes in the name of the Lord is the Blessed One. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven! Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out!""

~~

On a different note, next week (if all goes as planned) I'll be starting a three part series, backtracking some to the events before, during, and after Jesus' death and resurrection. I'll be looking at a different person in each one.

Let's talk...

What's something that stands out to you about Jesus taking our place? What's your favorite verse about God's love? Have you ever seen Narnia? If so, how did that scene where Aslan was killed make you feel? Any other thoughts?

“Let me see Your glory”

Throughout the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy we get a glimpse at the relationship between God and Moses.

Deuteronomy 34:10 says, "No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face."

"Whom the Lord knew face to face".... wow. Their relationship reminds me of Enoch and how he walked with God (Genesis 5:24).

One of my favorite passages in scripture is a conversation between God and Moses and I love what Moses says...

Exodus 33:18, “Then Moses said, ‘Please, let me see Your glory.”

“Please, let me see Your glory.” .....So often when we pray we get caught up in all the requests running through our minds that we don’t really think about Who we’re praying to. When’s the last time you prayed something similar to what Moses prayed? That question is pretty convicting to me. Sometimes I get so focused on seeking what God wants me to do that I forget to seek God.

Moses was focused on what mattered. He had his priorities straight. In that moment the only thing that was on his mind was that he was in the presence of God and he longed for more of Him. Moses could've kept questioning the Lord about the Israelites, he could've just complained, he could've asked more questions. But no. He had one request.... to see God's glory.

When we get a glimpse of God's glory we're going to long for more.

Psalm 63:2, "So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory."

Psalm 27:4, 8, “I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple.... My heart says this about You: ‘Seek His face’. Lord, I will seek Your face.”

I love those verses!

When did we forget to seek the Lord? Not just seeking His will, what He can do for us.... just to seek His face. When did we stop looking at His glory and try to claim all the glory for ourselves?

Psalm 29:9, "The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the woodlands bare. In his temple all cry, "Glory!""

When we see His glory we want to give Him glory.

Let's glorify His name!

Psalm 57:11, "God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth."

~~~


Here's a link to a beautiful song called Nothing Else by Cody Carnes (click here to listen to it). It talks about simply sitting in God's presence, worshiping Him. I highly recommend listening to it.

What's one of your favorite passages from the Bible? What's something about God and Moses' relationship that stands out to you? Any other thoughts?

A Cry to God's Heart : A Study in Lamentations

This past Saturday evening I was trying to decide what to do... I was feeling a bit restless. I ended up picking up my Bible and I flipped through to the book of Lamentations. I've never read the entire book before, just bits and parts. I started reading through with just a pen in hand, to underline and make notes. I ended up reading all five chapters. I wanted to share in this post some of the things I learned.

First here's a little background on the book. The book of Lamentations is believed by most to have been written by the prophet Jeremiah. It was written after 586 BC, after the third group of people had been taken to Babylon. Jerusalem lay in ruins, with so many of her people gone.

One thing that I probably like about the book of Lamentations is the way it's written. The author uses personification, metaphors, and vivid imagery. Now, the book does take a little diving into to understand, but it's worth the time. I'm not going to go into all of that in this post, instead I want to focus on a few main points. 

Why did all of that happen? Why were  the Jews carted off to Babylon? Why was their country invaded? Why didn't God intervene? 

^ If you've ever read the book of Lamentations, or even just one of the books of prophecy written around that time then those are some questions that may have popped in your head. The author of the book actually answers some of those questions...

Lam. 4:13, "Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous within her."

Lam. 5:6, "We made a treaty with Egypt and with Assyria, to get enough food."

Lam. 1:18, "The Lord is just, for I rebelled against His command..."

The people of Judah had sinned against God. They turned to other countries for what only God could give them. God had forbidden them from making alliances with other countries. He wanted them to rely on Him for their needs. But they didn't. They trusted in other nations, who later failed them. 

I've often heard the quote, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay." It's true, in our lives and in their lives. Sin has a huge price. The price is death (Romans 6:23). But God, in His mercy, He often gives us another chance. But that doesn't mean there aren't consequences.

I have a question for you, and I want you to really think about it. Does your heart break over your sin? "Lament" means to express deep grief and sorrow and that's what the writer of Lamentations does. He says how he's in distress, how his heart is broken because of his rebellion. (Lam. 1:20)

To be completely honest I don't think I am most of the time. When it comes to some things.. like snapping at a sibling, letting my thoughts wander where they shouldn't, etc... I tend to shrug it off rather than truly repenting to God. That doesn't mean we're to live in shame and guilt. No! God called us to freedom (Galatians 5:13). But if we want to live in that freedom we have to bring our sin and shame to Him and truly turn from it. 

The people of Judah turned from God and to others. They turned from Who truly loved them, to alliances with cheap promises. 

We may be quick to judge them, but how often do we do the very same thing? So often we turn from God and His love and truth to the world and what the world offers. But the pleasure sin brings is fleeting and isn't worth the price. 

Lamentations 3:31-33, "For the Lord will not reject us forever. Even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to the abundance of His faithful love. For He does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind."

I think those verses pretty much sum up the book of Lamentations. God doesn't enjoy the pain and devastation our world faces today. I believe all of the sin and sorrow breaks His heart. He has allowed us the gift of freewill, and sadly we often chose to rebel against Him. But He always remains compassionate and His love is faithful.

On a different note, I think I'm going to start doing posts like this more often. Perhaps once a month or something like that. I actually did something like this a while back on Isaiah (click here to read it).

Lamentations 3:21-22, "Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end."