Thursday

Today’s Verses:  Luke 22:7-46

The Passover

“Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”  But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him” (Luke 22:54-57).

Today’s passage takes place after Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and clearly shows Peter’s first predicted denial of knowing Jesus—sadly, there were two more.  If you’re like me, it’s easy to judge Peter for his weakness and to think we could have handled the situation—until we examine the cowardly ways we handle daily opportunities to identify with Him.  David Roper comments on the passage:

“Remarkable, isn’t it, that Peter could have fallen so easily?  His honest, ingenuous nature didn’t lend itself to lying, and he wasn’t prone to cowardice, but in the face of ridicule he turned into a mass of pudding.  None of the other disciples would have imagined that the “Rock-man” could become such a hapless, blustering coward.  How could Peter have fallen apart so completely?  Well, the answer is easy.  He did so because he believed too much in himself.  Firm determination is commendable, steadfast commitment is laudable, but self-confidence is deadly, and there’s more of that dangerous stuff in us than even the best of us can imagine.  The main thing is to acknowledge that our strength is the worst thing about us.

Lord, I start so strong saying “Anywhere!”

And I try to war and to defend you with sharpness & steel.

But Lord, I merely maim and wound; You alone can heal. 

And then, bewildered in the mess, I start denying, all confused.

But Lord, that crowing in the night has jerked my spirit to attention.

And now I know—You knew it then—I’m weak, inept, cowardly, betraying, dust, guilty—just like him. 

O Lord, compassionate and healing, You prayed then.

And now I turn in humble weakness and in faith to worship You—and then to strengthen them.

Hallowed be Thy name! (5)

Questions to think about:

*Have you ever been a nobody in Jesus’ name?

*If you were one of the disciples in Luke 22; what would your response be to Jesus’ words and actions?

For Further Study: 

     *Exodus 12

     *2 Corinthians 7:10

     *1 Corinthians 11:23-26

     *Matthew 26:17-46 

     *Mark 14:12-42

     *Acts 1:18-19

     *John 13:1-18:1

5. Thursday

David Roper, In Quietness and Confidence: The Making of a Man of God (Discovery House Publishers, 1999) pp. 108-110.