After abandoning Christ in Gethsemane and yielding to sleep at such a crucial time in earth’s history, Peter finds himself wide awake and working in his own power to defend His Master. With his knife in hand, he chops off the ear of one of the soldiers bounding the hands of Jesus. Using his own zeal and experience, the “son of thunder”, was just genuinely being him”self”; by trying to defend the gospel; but unfortunately, in the wrong direction.
Had he laboured with Jesus in prayer that night, the same Holy Spirit that strengthened Jesus for the persecution He was about to go through, would have been his guide to help him work in sync with his master. Perhaps, He would have understood that the road “Via Dolorosa” was to be traveled to reach calvary. It was the purpose for which Jesus had come… and He (Jesus) needed to go there if Peter and all of us could be saved.
Often times we are working out of line and Jesus ends up covering our actions that are contrary to His will; just the same way, He then performed one of His last miracles to protect Peter’s reputation…; by putting back that cut off ear on the soldier. If Peter would have prayed for the Holy Spirit in this hour, and worked in sync with Jesus, his zeal would not have been misplaced.
A few hours later, is it not the same zealous Peter that went undercover among the people and still denied the same Jesus that He was willing to kill for in Gethsemane? How we need the Holy Spirit Jehovah to settle us in the truth that Jesus is our LORD; both in Gethsemane and in the crowd. To know and to not be ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone…
Through his actions and eventually his words, Peter denied the same Jesus He so loved privately in Gethsemane… not just once, not just twice, but three times he denied Him.
How often for the love of “self preservation” do we prefer to protect and provide for ourselves by hook and crook, as if God was not able to take care of us in a time of crisis. We go on sometimes and live like we don’t know Jesus so that we can fit in the crowd. Our actions, our words, our lifestyle then says to the crowd, “I do not know him”. In hiding we go about living a separate sinful life, that says, “I am not one of them”, only so that we can free our conscience to go on in our wrongdoing.
As the cock crowed, Peter remembers the words of Jesus, “You shall deny me 3 times and the cock shall crow”. At this point he realises how he just could not do this on his own… he wept bitterly for self to die. How can I serve Jesus aright? Without misplaced zeal… without denying him in the crowd? How can I feel safe and live a life without fearing for my life and reputation? Can I actually live a consistent life in Gethsemane and in the crowd?
Peter knew he needed the promised Holy Spirit so desperately should self die in his life. If he should live boldly for Christ in the public, then the Holy Spirit had to be within him. And surely He prayed in one accord with the rest of the disciples and the followers in the upper room for the Holy Spirit… 10 days pleading. Then the outpouring of the Holy Spirit came, and we start to see an amazing story unfolding; of the acts of the apostles under the bold leadership of Peter… and amazing results followed their labour of love. Self had been crucified and Christ was living fully in his heart. This man was no longer afraid to preach Christ in public, nor be persecuted for Him… he became a bold preacher and became the first leader of God’s church.
God has so much in store for you and me. But first, self must die to make room for the Holy Spirit. Die self! Die Self!
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