Daily Bread 2010 - Luke 22
Daily Bread 2010 – Luke 22
Peter Disowns Jesus
54Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him."
57But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said.
58A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them."
"Man, I am not!" Peter replied.
59About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean."
60Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." 62And he went outside and wept bitterly.
This is one of the most poignant scenes in the bible. Here you have Peter who had avidly said, “Lord I will never betray you and I will go to prison and death for you” following the crowd wondering what will happen to Jesus. Notice he is not really doing anything to prevent what is going to happen.
As one of them realizes it is Peter, she reveals his identity, but Peter denies it. This happens two more times with the intensity of Peter’s denial increasing each time. As the rooster crowed fulfilling Jesus’ earlier prophecy, Jesus looks straight at Peter. You can only imagine how wretched he must have felt.
Fortunately, we have the rest of the bible and we read of Jesus’ reinstating Peter, and then we go to see Peter being one of the leaders of the early church. But at this moment Peter has hit rock bottom.
Maybe in not as dramatic fashion, this scene happens in many of our lives. We come off a retreat or significant life changing moment where God and Jesus become real to us, and we say “I will do anything for you!” But as time goes on and we face some persecution for our faith, or things don’t turn out the way we think they should, we are tempted like Peter to say, “I don’t know him”.
Fortunately we serve a God who is gracious and slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God continues to give us chance after chance to make good on our promises, and He never fails to keep one of His. Over time as we see God’s faithfulness to us it leads to a place where we desire to serve Him at all costs. As we see the cost of Jesus’ sacrificial death for us tomorrow, as we remember Good Friday, may it compel us to want to serve the Lord wherever he would lead us!
Jesus, thank you for emptying yourself for us on the cross. Help us to pick up our own cross and follow you wherever you lead us. When we are tempted to deny you, help us to overcome our fears and anxieties knowing that you are with us until the end of the age. In Your name we pray, Amen.
Peter Disowns Jesus
54Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him."
57But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said.
58A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them."
"Man, I am not!" Peter replied.
59About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean."
60Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." 62And he went outside and wept bitterly.
This is one of the most poignant scenes in the bible. Here you have Peter who had avidly said, “Lord I will never betray you and I will go to prison and death for you” following the crowd wondering what will happen to Jesus. Notice he is not really doing anything to prevent what is going to happen.
As one of them realizes it is Peter, she reveals his identity, but Peter denies it. This happens two more times with the intensity of Peter’s denial increasing each time. As the rooster crowed fulfilling Jesus’ earlier prophecy, Jesus looks straight at Peter. You can only imagine how wretched he must have felt.
Fortunately, we have the rest of the bible and we read of Jesus’ reinstating Peter, and then we go to see Peter being one of the leaders of the early church. But at this moment Peter has hit rock bottom.
Maybe in not as dramatic fashion, this scene happens in many of our lives. We come off a retreat or significant life changing moment where God and Jesus become real to us, and we say “I will do anything for you!” But as time goes on and we face some persecution for our faith, or things don’t turn out the way we think they should, we are tempted like Peter to say, “I don’t know him”.
Fortunately we serve a God who is gracious and slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God continues to give us chance after chance to make good on our promises, and He never fails to keep one of His. Over time as we see God’s faithfulness to us it leads to a place where we desire to serve Him at all costs. As we see the cost of Jesus’ sacrificial death for us tomorrow, as we remember Good Friday, may it compel us to want to serve the Lord wherever he would lead us!
Jesus, thank you for emptying yourself for us on the cross. Help us to pick up our own cross and follow you wherever you lead us. When we are tempted to deny you, help us to overcome our fears and anxieties knowing that you are with us until the end of the age. In Your name we pray, Amen.
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