A Final Intimate Moment with Peter

As you all know, I love Peter, I identify with Peter, so I was thrilled that this was my last lesson. I also love the way Gire writes about this story as well. I love that maybe this was a miracle done just for Peter. To me, it really shows the love that Jesus had for Peter. It really is love when someone close to us lets us down, and instead of holding that over their head, you give them a special present.

Im still under the impression that Christ had a new, resurrected body that still was human in form, but was not the same as the one before His death. As noone, not even the people closest to Him recognize Him until He speaks.

A side note on the fish that were caught. John gives the number as 153 fish. Now, if you think about it, that really isn’t a lot of fish, until you know what that means…. Back in that time, there were only thought to be 153 different kids of fish. So for John to use that number – meaning that they caught so many fish that they thought it was one of every kind in the world…. Think about how big that catch must have really been…. And this time, it didn’t break the nets – another miracle often overlooked.

I love that Peter gets 3 chances – one for each denial, but it is often overlooked that Jesus asks three different responses – not the same response three times as people usually think.
These responses are important because Jesus was about to use Peter to build His church.
Feed My lambs – help the new Christians out, teach them the Truth
Take care of My sheep – keep them safe and together and guard against the Enemy to come
Feed My sheep – Continue teaching the followers that already are out there

This to me is a very tender story of love, forgiveness and loyalty. I don’t think Peter would have been the rock that Jesus needed if he had not had such a hard break-down with the denial. I think that cast off any last bit of selfishness and misdirection that he had. Peter was still Peter – strong and passionate, but now we see that those characteristics are finally harnessed in the right direction. And he does great things. I think all of us are like that – we want to do good, but we usually miss the mark just slightly… but once we get the kinks out and find the exact point we are supposed to be – we make a straight line to Christ, and that is powerful stuff.

An Insightful Moment at the Ascension

I was reading the last pages of this chapter (and the last pages of this book) and I kept finding myself with tears spilling out over my eyes. Some of those tears were for the disciples who would have to go on without their beloved Jesus by their side. Some of those tears were for Jesus himself - what it must have been like to leave earth knowing His role here was over until He would one day come riding back in all his glory to reclaim what isrightfully His. Some of the tears were for those who will never understand how this could all be truth - they'll never get past being too embarrassed or too proud or too cool to be a follower of Jesus Christ. And some of those tears were for my friends and loved ones that are already with our Savior in heaven.

But, really, most of those tears were for the four of us and the memories of everything we've been through during the reading of this book.

For all the chapters that brought out the worst in us and for all the ones that brought out the best in us, I will never forget this book. I'll never forget it because I read it with people I never knew existed and who now I've grown to love. Each and every one of you have just become so special to me. Christ has laid you all on my heart and I can never explain how connected I feel to each of you. Now, for the rest of my life, every time I read one of these stories in the Bible, I'll stop and remember the factoid that Claire added or the wit that CJ threw in or the secrets that Addie divulged. You not only made the Bible come alive, you all yourselves have come alive to me through the chapters of this book.

I cannot imagine living in the year 1 A.D. I cannot imagine the fire they felt in their hearts or the grief they cried at their loss. I cannot imagine how one feels in the presence of His actual presence. But now, instead of just a bunch of stories that I might read and wonder about, I have memories of these entries that are filled with laughter and anger and sarcasm and understanding and teaching and faith and joy and sorrow. The point of this last chapter is to highlight how Jesus left us all to ascend back home to heaven. When He went, he left these words behind:

Love your neighbor as yourself.

I love you all so very much for sharing all these experiences with me. I thank God that He set you all on this course with me and I pray He blesses your lives for what you have given to me. You've taught me truth. You've shown me compassion. You've nurtured me and grown me. You shared the secrets of your lives and the miracle that is each of your individual testimony to your faith. Because of you, my life has been forever altered - you've added layers and layers to my faith and I will never forget that.

So -I shed some tears for Him. I shed some tears for you all. I shed some tears out of gratitude and shed some tears for pain.

That's life.

That's friendship.

And now, my lovely friends...

That's the end of "Moments With The Savior."

I truly love you all.

God bless.

A Final Intimate Moment with Peter

"It's all for an audience of one—Peter." Well that certainly rankles. There were other disciples in that boat, eating that breakfast. Peter wasn't even the first to recognize Jesus. Why does Gire assume this meeting was all for Peter's benefit?

But in a cosmic sense he is absolutely correct. If I had been there, I would have seen everything through my own eyes, and held my own interpretation. It would have been all about me, because that's the filter I've been given. So Peter, reliving his guilt and sorrow must have really enjoyed the first question: "Peter, do you love me more than these?" (I've always perversely wanted to know more than which these? These disciples? These fish? These things of the earth?)

But Peter probably jumped to answer. "You know that I love you." (Never mind the fact that I have blundered my way through most of my discipleship, fell asleep when you asked me to pray, deserted you in your hour of need, denied even knowing your name... of course I love you.) And then the same question again and again... each confession of love blotting out each denial. Peter may have understood the process but I've found (for myself) it's always easier to sin than to repent. By the third time, he was sick of it. "You know I love you... you know everything."

I definitely agree with Gire that this provided the healing Peter needed to move on from the guilt that crippled him. He moved on and became a powerful witness for Christ and a true martyr.

Of course in spectacular Peter fashion... he couldn't be satisfied to be crucified right side up. That has always been a question in my mind... if crucifixion was death by asphyxiation, due to the weight of the body hanging, how do you asphyxiate upside down? If they actually granted his request (and why would they?) Seems like it would have taken a long time for Peter to die just from loss of blood. Maybe that was the point.

An Insightful Moment at the Ascension (Acts 1:3-11)

As I read this last chapter I marvel at how the Lord has transformed His disciples' fear into courage. How did He do it? For one thing, He came to them. And, not only did Jesus come to them, but He reassured them. He showed them His wounded hands and side and gave them opportunity to discover that it was indeed their Master, and that He was not a phantom.

But the wounds meant more than identification; they also were evidence that the price for salvation had been paid and man indeed could have "peace with God." Now, He lives for us! Even in our fears, we cannot lock Him out!

And, He commissioned them. It was a dedication of His followers to the task of world evangelism. What a tremendous privilege and what a great responsibility! Just think what the men must have thought. What joy must have arose in them when they realized that, in spite of their many failures, their Lord was entrusting them with His Word and His work. They had forsaken Him and fled, but now He was sending them out to represent Him. Peter had denied Him three times; and yet in a few days, Peter would preach the Word and thousands would be saved.

Jesus also enabled them through the Holy Spirit. I always think back to Genesis 2:7 when God breathed life into the first man. The breath (spirit) in the first creation meant physical life, and the breath of Jesus Christ in the new creation meant spiritual life. The believers would receive the baptism of the Spirit at Pentecost and be empowered for ministry. Apart from the filling of the Spirit, they could not go forth to witness effectively. The Spirit had dwelt with them in the Person of Jesus Christ, but now the Spirit would be in them.

As the early believers went forth into the world, they announced the good news of salvation. If sinners would repent and believe on Jesus Christ, their sins would be forgiven them! Only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:7). All that you and I can do is announce the message of forgiveness; God performs the miracle of forgiveness.

By now, their fears had vanished. They were sure that the Lord was alive and that He was caring for them. They had a high and holy commission and the power provided to accomplish it. And they had been given the great privilege of bearing the good news of forgiveness to the whole world. All they now had to do was tarry in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit would be given.

Two commandments were given by the Lord before He returned to heaven. The first, the apostolic band was to remain in Jerusalem; and the second, they were to go into the world as witnesses. These instructions might seem to be contradictory but they were to be obeyed sequentially.

In verse three it says He "showed Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs..." or "infallible proofs" in the KJV. This is used only here, the one time, in the New Testament. It's a technical Greek word and looks at demonstrable evidence in contrast with evidence provided by witnesses. In other words, the Resurrection was proven by touch, sight, and feel.

It also mentions in v. three that Christ spoke of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Granted, God has always ruled over the world and especially in Israel. However, a time is coming, commonly called the Millennium, when God will burst into human history in a spectacular way to establish His rule on earth. This is what is meant by the term "kingdom of God." Though this topic was the subject of much of the Lord's teaching and preaching before the Cross, He saw fit to discuss it further during His 40 days of post-resurrection ministry.

In verse 5, the word "baptized", which normally means "dipped or immersed," here has the idea of "uniting with." This to me kind of ties in the whole book of Acts as a transitional book between the Gospels (Israel and the Law) and the Epistles (Church and Grace). It unites believers together.

Moving on to verse 8. Let's look at it because this is the theme verse for all of Acts. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." The "you" mentioned here is the apostles. The word for "power" in the Greek is "dunamis lit., ability...'a God given ability', a miraculous ability. " And the word for "witnesses is a special word which refers to the apostles. This miraculous power was only given to the apostles.

I love to look at verses 9-10 and I think it's because Christ just did not vanish. It wasn't like He was here and then gone. It says, "...He was lifted up [taken up], ...and a cloud received Him." I see four parts to His ascension; 1) visible 2) bodily 3) gradual 4) local spot. History is not haphazard or cyclical; it is moving toward a specific point---the return of Jesus to judge and rule over the earth.

As I think back over this book I am reminded over and over again how gracious our Lord is to stoop to our level of experience in order to lift us where we ought to be. From the Old Testament, I am reminded of Gideon and his 'tests of faith.' And of Thomas in the New Testament...Jesus granted Thomas his request as well. I find no record that Thomas ever accepted the Lord's invitation. When the time came to prove his faith, Thomas needed no more proof! In fact, the Lord's words translate literally, "Stop becoming faithless but become a believer." Jesus saw a dangerous process at work in Thomas' heart, and He wanted to put a stop to it. To me the best commentary on this is Hebrews 3, where God warns against "an evil heart of unbelief" (v.12).

I don't think it is easy to understand the psychology of doubt and unbelief. Bare with me as I continue to touch on Thomas because I believe it will help tie up up our own understanding of what Christ is expecting of us. I read some more in John 20:29 which indicates that Thomas' testimony did not come from his touching Jesus, but from his seeing Jesus.

It is an encouragement to me to know that the Lord had a personal interest in and concern for "Doubting Thomas." I see Christ wanted to strengthen his faith and include him in the blessings that lay in store for His followers. Thomas reminds me that unbelief robs me of blessings and opportunities. It may sound sophisticated and intellectual to question what Jesus did, but such questions are usually evidence of hard hearts, not of searching minds. I see Thomas represents the "scientific approach" to life...and it did not work! After all, when a skeptic says, "I will not believe unless..." he is already admitting that he does believe! He believes in the validity of the test or experiment that he has devised! If he can have faith in his own "scientific," why can he not have faith in what God has revealed?

I need to remind myself that everybody lives by faith. The difference is in the object of that faith. Christians put their faith in God and His Word, while unsaved people put their faith in themselves.

It is not necessary to "see" Jesus Christ in order to believe. Oh yes, it was a blessing for the early Christians to see their Lord and know that He was alive; but that is not what saved them. They were saved, not by seeing, but by believing.

You and I cannot see Christ, nor can we see Him perform the miracles (signs). But the record is there, and that is all that we need. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17; 1 John 5:9-13). As one reads the Gospel of John, for instance, you come face to face with Jesus Christ, how He lived, what He said, and what He did.

The signs that John selected (and Luke etc) are proof of the deity of Christ. They are important. But sinners are not saved by believing in miracles; they are saved by believing on Jesus Christ. Faith in His miracles should lead to faith in his Word, and this leads to personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Jesus Himself pointed out that faith in His works (miracles) was but the first step toward faith in the Word of God (John 5:36-40). The sinner must "hear" the Word if he is to be saved (5:24).

The life and ministry of Jesus were simply too rich and full for any writer, even an inspired one, to give a complete record. But a complete record is not necessary. All of the basic facts are here for us to read and consider. There is sufficient truth for any sinner to believe and be saved! When people trusted Him, their lives were transformed!

Jesus offers sinners abundant life and eternal life; and the only way they can get it is through personal faith in Him. Eternal life is not "endless time," for even lost people are going to live forever in hell. "Eternal life" means the very life of God experienced today. It is a quality of life, not a quantity of time. It is the spiritual experience of "heaven on earth" today. The Christian does not have to die to have this eternal life; he possesses it in Christ today.

The disciples were changed from fear to courage, and Thomas was changed from unbelief to confidence. Now, I'm inviting you, if you do not know Him, to trust Jesus Christ and be changed from death to eternal life.

"He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (3:36).

As surely as He ascended up into the Heavens He will descend and come again! If we are Christians may we be faithfully sharing Him with the people God brings across our path. There are no coincidences...just blessed God-incidences!

An Intimate Moment with Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18)

The glorious truth of the Resurrection was not understood immediately by even His closest followers. That's a given. It was a gradually dawning realization upon these grieving people that their Master was not dead, but alive! For Mary Magdalene it meant moving from tears to joy; for the ten disciples it meant going from fear to courage; and for Thomas it meant moving from doubt to assurance. It seems to me, with Mary, the emphasis is on love; with the ten, the emphasis is on hope; and with Thomas, the emphasis is on faith.

As I read through the Scripture and considered Mary Magdalene's experience that Lord's Day morning, I see three stages in her comprehension of the truth of the Resurrection. And you just can't get around the fact that Peter and John are part of this experience, too.

The women on the way to the tomb were concerned about how to get the stone moved, so that they might show their love for Christ in completing the burial preparations. Obviously they were unaware that an earthquake had occurred and the stone had been rolled back by an angel. It seems that Mary Magdalene went ahead of the other women and got to the tomb first. When she saw the stone rolled away, she concluded that somebody had broken into the tomb and stolen the body of her Lord. Some might criticize Mary for jumping to conclusions but really, how could she have reached any other conclusion? It was still dark, she was alone, and, like the other followers of Jesus, she did not believe that He would return from the dead.

She ran flying to give the news to Peter and John, who must have been roommates. Mary's use of the pronoun "we" is interesting, for it included the other women who at that moment were discovering that Jesus was alive! (Check out Mark 16:1-8 and Luke 24:1-8.) The women left the tomb and carried the angels' message to the other disciples.

It is significant that the first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ were believing women. Like CJ noted in the comments yesterday among the Jews in that day, the testimony of women was not held in high regard. But I love how these Christian women had a greater message than that of the Law, for they knew their Savior was alive.

To me, Mary's faith was not extinguished; it was only eclipsed. The light was still there, but it was covered. I see Peter and John were in the same spiritual condition, but soon all three of them would move out of the shadows and into the light.

So, Peter and John go flying off to the tomb, not even waiting for Mary. John got there first and he cautiously remained outside and looked in. John saw the graveclothes lying on the stone shelf without any evidence of violence or crime. But the graveclothes were empty. They lay there like an empty cocoon, still retaining the shape of Jesus' body.

Peter arrives and does just what we would expect him to do. He impulsively went into the tomb. He saw the same thing as John. Grave robbers do not carefully unwrap the corpse and then leave the clothes neatly behind. In fact, with the presence of the spices in the folds of the clothes, it would be almost impossible to unwrap a corpse without damaging the wrappings. The only way those linen clothes could be left in that condition would be if Jesus passed through them as He arose from the dead.

John then entered the tomb and looked at the evidence. "He saw, and believed."

When John wrote this account, he used three different Greek words for seeing. In verse 5, the verb simply means "to glance in, to look in." In verse 6, the word means "to look carefully, to observe." The word "saw" in verse 8 means "to perceive with intelligent comprehension." Their resurrection faith was now dawning!

What kind of faith did Peter and John have at that stage in their spiritual experience? They had faith based on evidence. They could see the graveclothes; they knew that the body of Jesus was not there. However, as good as evidence is to convince the mind, it can never change the life. Those of us who live centuries later cannot examine the evidence, for the material evidence (the tomb, the graveclothes) is no longer there for us to inspect. Be we have the record in the Word of God (John 20:9) and that record is true (19:35; 21:24). In fact, it is faith in the Word that the Lord really wanted to cultivate in His disciples (look at 2:22; 12:16; 14:26). Peter made it clear that the Word of God should be the basis for our faith, not personal experience (1 Peter 1:12-21).

Now let's move into the garden with Mary Magdalene where she lingered alone. When I think of Mary Magdalene in the garden, I recall Proverbs 8:17, "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me." Mary loved her Lord and came early to the garden to express that love. Peter and John had gone home by the time Mary got back to the tomb. Mary still thought Jesus was dead. This makes me think of another verse, Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

Mary was weeping. Nothing wrong with sorrow because God made us to shed tears; and weeping is good therapy for broken hearts. However, the sorrow of the Christian must be different from the hopeless sorrow of the world, because we have been born again "unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3). We weep...not because our believing loved ones have gone to heaven....but because they have left us and we miss them.

When Mary looked into the sepulcher, she saw two men in white. Their position at either end of the shelf where the body had been lying makes me think of the cherubim on the mercy seat (Ex. 25:17-19). It is as though God is saying, "There is now a new mercy seat! My Son has paid the price for sin, and the way is open into the presence of God!" Mary apparently wasn't disturbed at seeing these men, and there is no evidence that she knew they were angels. The brief conversation neither dried her tears nor quieted her mind. She was determined to find the body of Jesus.

Do you wonder about that meeting? Why did Mary turn back and not continue her conversation with the two strangers? Did she hear a sound behind her? Or did the angels stand and recognize the presence of their Lord? Purely speculation on my part. She was certain that the Lord's body was not in the tomb, so why linger there any longer?

Why did she not recognize the One for whom she was so earnestly searching? Jesus may have deliberately concealed Himself from her, as He would later do when He walked with the Emmaus disciples. It was still early and perhaps dark in that part of the garden. Her eyes were probably blinded by her tears as well.

Jesus asked her the same question that that angels had asked, "Why are you weeping?" How tragic that she was weeping when she could have been praising, had she only realized that her Lord was alive! It is encouraging to me to know that Jesus knows all about our sorrows. The Savior knew that Mary's heart was broken and that her mind was confused. He didn't rebuke her; but tenderly, He revealed Himself to her.

All He had to do was to speak her name, and she immediately recognized Him. His sheep hear [recognize] His voice and He calls them by name (John 10:3).

Mary not only spoke to Him, but she grasped His feet and held on to Him. This was a natural gesture, in my mind. Now that she had found Him she didn't want to lose Him. Jesus permitted the other women to hold His feet (Matt. 28:9), and He did not forbid them. Hmmm. Why did He say to Mary, "Do not cling to Me"? Maybe one reason was that she would see Him again because He had not yet ascended to the Father. Mary had no need to panic; this was not her last and final meeting with the Lord.

Maybe a second reason is that she had a job to do....to go tell His brethren that He was alive and would ascend to the Father. It's not like He was to ascend that very day and somehow fulfill the symbolism of the Day of Atonement. I mean, He had no blood to present; He had presented that on the Cross when He was made sin for us. In His resurrection glory, Jesus was "flesh and bones," not "flesh and blood." The Resurrection itself was proof that the work of redemption had been completed ("raised because of our justification" -- Rom. 4:24-24). What more could He do?
I find it so very interesting that our Lord never used the phrases "our Father" or "our God." His relationship to the Father was different from that of the disciples, and He was careful to make that distinction. We say "our Father" and "our God" because all believers belong to the same family and have an equal standing before God. He reminded Mary and the other believers that God was their Father and that He would with the Father in heaven after His ascension. In His Upper Room message, you might remember He had taught them that He would return to the Father so that the Spirit might come to them.

Although it was the same Jesus, only in a glorified body, it was not quite the same relationship and I think that is important. We must be careful not to relate to Christ "after the flesh" (1Cor. 5:16), by that I mean, relate to Him as though He were still in His state of humiliation. He is today the exalted Son of God in glory, and we must honor Him as such. Sometimes there can be an almost "juvenile" familiarity that some people display in public when they testify, pray, or sing which reveals that they have little understanding of Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 5:16. When John was with Jesus at the table, he leaned against His bosom; but when John saw Jesus on the Isle of Patmos, he fell at His feet as if dead! (Rev. 1:17)

It would have been selfish and disobedient for Mary to have clung to Jesus and kept Him for herself. She arose and went to where the disciples were gathered and gave them the good news. Mark reports that these believers were mourning and weeping---and they would not believe her! (Mark 16:9-11) Unbelief has a terribly deadening effect on a person. No wonder God warns us against "an evil heart of unbelief" (Heb. 3:12).

Mary not only shared the fact of His resurrection and that she had seen Him personally, but she also reported the words that He had spoken to her. Again, I see the importance of the Word of God. Mary could not transfer her experience over to them, but she could share the Word; and it is the Word that generates faith (Romans 10:17). The living Christ shared His living Word (1 Peter 1:23-25).

It is good to have faith that is based on solid evidence, but the evidence should lead us to the Word, and the Word should lead us to the Savior. It is one thing to accept a doctrine and defend it; it is something else to have a personal relationship to the living Lord. Peter and John believed that Jesus was alive, but it was not until that evening that they met the risen Christ in person along with the other disciples. (Jesus appeared to Peter sometime during the afternoon, 1 Cor. 15:5; Luke 24:34.) Evidence that doesn't lead to experience is nothing but dead dogma. The key is faith in the Word of God.

If the only message I convey from Mary is "Christ is Alive!" then I pray that people will grasp what that means. Alive----Alive----Alive! He is as alive as you and I are right this very minute! One may know this doctrine but please, grasp the reality of it. It should overwhelm us!!! It is "the living Christ"! We need to get hold of the glorious fact that Christ is alive, and to rejoice over it. You know, Sunday is the day on which Christ left the dead!

Historical faith says, "Christ lives!"

Saving faith says, "Christ lives in me!"

My question to whomever reads this is, "Do you have saving faith?"

An Intense Moment on the Emmaus Road

The Road to Emmaus. As I started to read this chapter I thought to myself, "What the heck am I going to have to say about this? I don't know the story all that well. I can't seem to find too much hidden symbolism in this one. I wonder why I got THIS chapter to read out of all the ones we divvied up?"

And then I got to the prayer...

Thank you that whatever road I take to get away from the pain in my past, that is the road where you meet me.

(I think you all know me well enough to see how and why THAT hit home.)

Thank you for your Word that sheds so much light on whatever road I take. Without it, how would I have ever found my way? Or my way back?

(Yep. That certainly sinks right in with me...)

Help me to be sensitive to the way you speak to me through that Word. And to be sensitive to the many other ways you speak, which are often unfamiliar ways, spoken in unfamiliar voices from unfamiliar faces.

(This happens to me ALL the time - Him showing up on the face or in the words of someone just passing through my life for a single moment...)

Thank you for the good that has come from the suffering I have known so far in this life. It has helped me learn to feel, and for that I am thankful.

(Hit that nail on the head...)

The pain I have experienced has made me more sensitive to the pain of others. And the sorrow I have known has made me more sympathetic to the sorrow of others.

(Everybody say amen!)

**********
Emmaus truly was "The Road of Life" don't you think?

An Intimate Moment with a Thief

I’ve always wondered…why two other thieves? Why not one or four or none? It makes sense that it would work out that there would be two others - one to represent all the evil that had surrounded Jesus’ ministry as one thief joined in on the name calling, giving Jesus a hard time about being the true Messiah as he hangs helpless on a cross. The second thief would represent all that had been good about the ministry of Jesus Christ – the second thief seeing how Jesus handled himself in the face of diversity and then ended up realizing (as so many others had) that this man was truly different – truly special.

But I can’t help but to focus on the fact that there are three crosses on the hill that day and any time I hear something appearing in three’s I automatically think of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It also reminds me of the passage of time: Past, Present and Future. What seems remarkable to me is that Jesus (if I’m not mistaken) hung between the two thieves and in both the examples that I have just cited, He represents the middle one as well. He was the "Son" and He was in the "Present." For some reason, this really stuck with me as I was reading this.

I also remember Claire showing me the "god-incidence" of Jesus becoming a carpenter and now, at the end, was here hanging from a wooden cross. The symbolism of that is so powerful to me – almost as much as the symbolism of him wearing the crown of thorns that she explained yesterday.

But what gets to me the most is the thought that He’s hanging on a cross, dying of asphyxiation and He’s STILL ministering to others. Saving souls. Calling them home to be with Him.

And then to finish His life with the words, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do." No gnashing of teeth. No cussing from the pain or futile promises of revenge. No performing of miracles to save himself. Just total acceptance at that point – and knowing that for all the pain – both physical and mental – He was on the verge of going home, knowing He had made the world right again with His bodily sacrifice.

As was the case with Jesus, I also had cause this past weekend to think about how close I came to death in order to start my "new life." I was so far off track at one point but now have been called back home to the arms of my Savior.

I also realize, too, that I am no better than a common thief when attempting to stand before my Him. Now that I think about it, He redeems my past and He promises me my future while He stands beside me in the present. (I KNEW that kept popping into my mind for a reason!)

This whole time period is so full of symbolism that I'm actually having trouble even putting all my thoughts down on paper. The one thing that does speak to me is how things seem to come full circle here - from the first day in the Garden of Eden to the last day of Jesus' life...it all wraps together in a story that only God could have thought of.

To me, the thiefs were such a minor part in all this and yet they symbolize the very essence of who Jesus Christ was to us. He forgave the one who mocked Him and he restored the one who called out to Him - just as He did throughout His entire life. He was constant from beginning to end and that proves to me that He is constant in my life even now. I can depend on Him to see inside my heart and forgive me when I need it as well as restore my life to me when it is taken away some day.

I can rest in that thought.

An Intimate Moment with the Savior's Mother

I cant imagine Mary having to go through this - its like every mother's worst nightmare for their child all rolled into one.... the school bullies picking on your child, your child getting beat to a bloody pulp, not being accepted for who he is, being killed.... and worse yet, there is nothing you can do about it - not one single thing - not a band-aid, a kiss, or even just saying that its all going to be ok.... nothing, but watch as it happens....

how that must have broken her heart

there was only part of the Passion that really got to me b/c it was so unexpected.... Jesus on the way to golgotha, carrying His cross... Mary in the shadows just watching.... and Jesus stumbles and she is instantly taken back to his childhood - Jesus running towards her with all His might and He trips and stumbles, and she runs, scoops Him up and takes care of Him.... but she cant do that now, and oh, how she longs to.....

Often, we think about what a sacrifice it was for Jesus to go through all this pain and humiliation, and what a sacrifice it must have been for the Heavenly Father to have to turn His back on His only begotten Son, but how often do we remember the sacrifice of Mary who had to watch, who couldnt turn away.... and how much courage did that take?

Intimate Moment with Joseph and Nicodemus

As much as I usually dislike Gire's reckless habit of putting words and thoughts into people's minds and mouths, I certainly liked this chapter. Two men from the margins, two fence sitters, finally make their move in faith.

Sure, Jesus was dead. But the threat of association with him was still very real. And these men had much to lose if the tides turned nasty. Yet they did what they could then. It's an interesting aside at the beginning of the chapter, when Gire mentions the irony of men worrying about keeping the appearances of the Sabbath when the Son of God has just been murdered.

But that too is so very human, isn't it? We do what we can when we can, and sometimes we're a day late and a dollar short. We've been planning to visit a sick friend in the hospital... and then she dies before we get there. We've been meaning to back up all those blogs we've been writing and Blogger fritzes out and loses the archives. We've been talking about turning our lives over to God totally... you know what I mean. Fear and procrastination are a lethal combination.

So whether these two guys were really reciting prophetic scripture while they were disposing of Jesus' body is up for grabs. Their final act of service to the man they cared about in secret was public. Good for them. The guilt must have been unbearable. I bet they worked in silence, with tears streaming down their faces, but that's my way of dealing with the harsh realities of my own apathy and negligence.

An Intense Moment at Golgotha (Luke 23:32-39)

I am going to just jot down pertinent points that interested me and hopefully you will find interest in them also. My approach is going to be a lot like Jules' was Tuesday. So it may not flow very smoothly. (I'm not saying that Jules' didn't flow well....it did.) :)

Gire just mentions, almost in passing, "A stranger was yanked from the sidewalk of gawkers and forced to carry his wood the rest of the way." This was Simon of Cyrene (N. Africa) who as a result of carrying the Cross became a believer. He was the father to Alexander and Rufus who later became quite a leader in the early church. His wife was also a believer.

Even as Christ was led to Calvary Jesus warned the people of their coming persecution. Because Jesus was going to the Cross, the kingdom was being "postponed" and times of tribulation would come on the nation. Why would anyone believe His message today? Really, Jesus' message was being rejected when He was physically present. How much more it would continue to be rejected in the coming years.

Luke did not state, as did Matthew and John, how the events of Jesus' death fulfilled Old Testament Scriptures. Luke's purpose, instead, was to show that Jesus was the forgiving Messiah even as He died. I'm sure you have heard the analogy of Satan accusing us before God but Christ is there defending us. It began on the Cross...look at Luke 23:34, "But Jesus was saying, "Father [address], forgive them [appeal]; for they do not know what they are doing [argument]." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves."

I think crucifixion probably had its origins among the Persians and Phoenicians, but it was the Romans who made special use of it. No Roman citizen could be crucified, although there were exceptions. My understanding is this mode of capital punishment was reserved for the lowest kinds of criminals, particularly those who promoted insurrection. In Pilate's day, the cross stood for the basest kind of rejection, shame, and suffering. Today, we think of the Cross as a symbol of glory and victory. It was Jesus who made the difference.

It was also required that the criminal wear a placard announcing his crime. The only announcement recorded in the Gospels is the one that Pilate wrote: This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews." The chief priests protested the title, but Pilate refused to change it. It was his final thrust against the Jewish religious establishment. He knew that the priests and elders envied Jesus and wanted to destroy Him. Pilate knew that his placard would insult and embarrass them, and I think that is exactly what he wanted.

The fact that this title was written in Aramaic (Hebrew), Greek, and Latin is significant. At least I believe so. For one thing, it shows that our Lord was crucified in a place where many peoples and nations met, in other words, a cosmopolitan place. Hebrew is the language of religion, Greek of philosophy, and Latin of law; and all three combined to crucify the Son of God. But what He did on the Cross, He did for the whole world! What strikes me is Pilate actually wrote a "Gospel tract" when he prepared this title; for one of the thieves discovered that Jesus was King, and he asked entrance into His kingdom. So there was the first Gospel tract put out for people to read!

I know this really doesn't touch on my part but I did want to say one thing about Mary, the mother of Christ. Her silence at the foot of the Cross is significant to me; for if anyone could have rescued Jesus, it was His mother. All she had to do was announce that His claims were false....but she said nothing!! What a testimony to the deity of Christ!

That's it for Tuesday, for me! I'm off to bed.

An Intense Moment in Roman Hands

FYI - this is just my comments for this section and not an entire post but there are so many things I wanted to say to what Claire wrote so here goes...

First, I have a REALLY hard time reading about this in all its graphic detail. I almost DIED when I saw "Passion of the Christ" and this just brought all that back up again. You're so right, Claire - it's just next to impossible to think about how he died at the hands of the Romans and NOT be overcome by it.

I also think this is an interesting point...that in an episode I saw on "West Wing" a few years back they were talking about how Jews are totally against the death penalty. I'm certainly not an expert on the Jewish religion or their traditions but I'm pretty sure this is true. I can't help but wonder what changed over the years that they went from stoning to totally abstaining from killing anyone. Makes me wonder... (Anybody know?)

Claire then writes about Jesus' conversation with Pilate:

"Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"

She then says, "What was our Lord really asking?"

I remember from the movie that a woman (his wife?) warned Pilate about Jesus. It makes me wonder when Jesus asked him that if perhaps Jesus couldn't see inside Pilate's heart and KNEW that he saw that Jesus was really the true Messiah. Why else would he continue to talk the crowd out of killing him?

I also wondered why they beat him half to death and THEN crucified him so this was a great explanation of reasoning for me. Pilate was trying to get them to back away from killing Jesus so he offered him up for a beating instead. Smart thinking. Too bad it didn't work.

But the revelation I think I liked the best was the one about the thorns. As you know, Claire, I was dipping into Genesis over the weekend because of the thing you wrote to me about food. I was following up with all the passages you quoted to me and one of them was the part about eating from the tree of life and that's what got that last round of questions going in my mind. I had just read that part about the thorns in the ground and then to hear you say that this is the completed circle to him wearing the crown of thorns....well, that just blew me away. It really did. Starts in Genesis and ends with the crucifixion. Man, when you see the little things in this kind of detail it REALLY makes these "stories" become the living word, doesn't it?

And the last thing that just did me in was this:

"It is a basic spiritual principle that God does not reveal new truth to us if we fail to act upon the truth we already know."

It is? News to me! How cool is that? It made me think back to a post I did not too long ago about how God makes us His stewards over money and probably also over love. If we mess up what we have, we are prone to not get more. Here you are saying that again only in a whole other context. It also explains (to me at least) why so many people stop growing in their knowledge and their faith. God shows you something to be truth and you refuse to act upon it then why WOULD he continue to enlighten you more?

I think the whole point of the past couple of days for me has been to see that once we learn something we must act upon it but it has also been that you should never just accept something someone else says as truth. It is YOUR personal responsibility to seek out the truth and go before God with it and wrestle with it until it can sit on your heart and rest there. I love learning about all these things from all of you but I still have to sit down with God and ask Him to clarify them even further for me through every day incidents so that I know what I'm asking Him about is really truth. I'm sure as I grow and learn more and more my opinions will develop and change and that's okay. I've always looked at knowledge as a lifelong journey and not just something you did in school and then forgot about. I hope I continue to learn great things about my great God the rest of my life. Even then, I know the mysteries that will be left for me to explore with Him in heaven will still be endless.

An Intense Moment in Roman Hands (John 18:28-19:16)

This is a most difficult passage for me to read through because of the physical suffering which Christ endured all the way to the Cross.

Pontius Pilate was an indecisive man, a weak man, a compromising man. Pilate was not concerned about justice; his only concern was to protect himself, his job, and Rome. Yet, he failed at all three!

The Roman "trial," conducted by Pilate, revolved around four key questions:

1. What is the accusation?
2. Are You the King of the Jews?
3. Shall I release the King of the Jews?
4. Where are You from?

As for the Jewish leaders there seems to be at least three official charges:

1. He led the nation astray
2. He opposed paying tribute to Caesar
3. He claimed to be the Jewish Messiah and King

I find it very interesting in that had the Jews alone judged Jesus and found Him guilty, He would have been killed by stoning; and God had determined that the Son would be crucified. Jesus was to bear the curse of the law and become a curse for us; and in order to do this, He had to hang on a tree (Deut. 21:22-23; Gal. 3:13). The fact that the Romans allowed the Jews to stone Stephen to death indicates to me that Rome was lenient with the Sanhedrin on some capital cases.

Obviously, when we look at the charges against Jesus, we quickly see that they were completely unsupportable. For one thing, He had not "subverted" the nation, either politically or religiously. Of course, He had publicly denounced the Pharisees and their hypocritical religious system, but He was not the first one, or the only one, to do that. Jesus had blessed the nation and brought them new hope. And as far as not paying tribute to Caesar, He taught the exact opposite!! He did claim to be King but not in a political sense. Of course, the Jewish religious leaders were groping for any piece of evidence they could find on which they could build a case; and they even went so far as to secure false witnesses!

I love the part where Pilate asked Christ if He was King of the Jews. No doubt he felt himself to be on safe ground. However, he was not prepared for His answer. "It is as you say." But then Jesus added a question of His own: "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" What was our Lord really asking? "What kind of a king to you have in mind? A Roman king or a Jewish king? A political king or a spiritual king?" I don't see Jesus evading the issue but rather He was forcing Pilate to clarify the matter for his own sake. After all, it was not Jesus that was on trial; it was Pilate.

Pilate called Jesus "king" at least four times during the trial, and even used that title for the placard he hung on the cross. Pilate's concern was the source of this kingdom; where did Jesus derive His authority? I love Jesus' response. In John 18:37, Jesus explained who He is and what kind of kingdom belonged to Him. Pilate probably didn't grasp the significance of these profound words, but we today can discern some of the meaning Jesus had in mind. He was "born," which indicates His humanity; but He also "came into the world," which indicates His deity. The fact that Jesus came "into the world" means that He had existed before His birth at Bethlehem; and this is an important and repeated truth in John's Gospel.

But Jesus not only told Pilate of His origin; He also explained His ministry; to bear witness unto the truth. His was a spiritual kingdom of truth; and He won people to His cause, not through force, but through conviction and persuasion. He spoke the truth of God's Word, and all who were His people would respond to His call (8:47 and 10:27). Rome's weapon was the sword; but our Lord's weapon was the truth of God, the sword of the Spirit.

Pilot tried a new approach...sympathy. The crowd had cried, "Crucify Him!" but perhaps they would be placated if Jesus was scourged. What person could behold a scourged prisoner and still want the victim crucified? Many a prisoner never survived the whipping. It pains me, and I know it pains you, to think that the sinless Son of God was subjected to such cruelty. He was innocent, yet He was treated as though He was guilty; and He did it for us. How much He suffered for us!

As I sat here pondering I thought how sin had brought thorns and thistles into the world, so it was only fitting that the Creator wear a crown of thorns as He bore the sins of the world on the Cross. The very metal He had created and placed in the ground was used to make nails to pound through His hands and feet.

For the third time, Pilate went out to face the people, this time bringing Jesus with him. Surely the sight of this scourged and humiliated prisoner would arouse some pity in their hearts; but it did not. For a second time, Pilate declared that he found no fault in Jesus, but his words only aroused their hateful passions more. I guess on Pilate's part it could be considered a noble effort, but it failed.

But Pilate's approach, or plan, shows me something very important. That is, it takes more than human sentiment to bring the lost sinner to salvation. I've heard of a view of the atonement called "the moral influence theory." It states that the realization of our Lord's sufferings moves the heart of the sinner so that he/she turns from sin and begins to love God. It is purely subjective and has no bearing on the holiness of God or the importance of satisfying divine justice.

Here me out on this. If any crowd should have been moved by pity, it was the Jewish crowd that awaited on Pilate. What nation has suffered more than the Jews? Here was one of their own, a Jewish prophet, suffering unjustly at the hands of the Romans, and the Jews didn't repent or even show any touch of pity!! If sinners who actually saw Christ in His suffering did not repent, what hope is there for people twenty-one centuries later who only read about His agonies?

The Cross involves much more than an exhibition of innocent suffering. On that Cross, the Son of God paid the price for the sins of the world and thereby declared the love of God and defended the holiness and justice of God. We are not saved by feeling pity for Jesus. We are saved by repenting of our sins and trusting Jesus, the sinless Substitute.

Okay, don't get me wrong....I am not saying that it is wrong for the believer to contemplate the Cross and meditate on Christ's sufferings. I strongly feel that we must not confuse sentimentality with true spiritual emotion. It is one thing to shed tears during a church service and quite something else to sacrifice, suffer, and serve after the meeting has ended. We do not simply contemplate the Cross; we carry it!!! Or we should!

I'm sure Pilate had never met a prisoner like Jesus before, and never would again. Can you see him asking Christ, "Where are you from?" Do you find it interesting that Jesus did not answer Pilate's question? Jesus had already answered the question (John 18:36-37). It is a basic spiritual principle that God does not reveal new truth to us if we fail to act upon the truth we already know. And, I think it's clear Pilate was not personally interested in spiritual truth. All he was concerned about was maintaining peace in Jerusalem. Of course, our Lord's silence before both Herod and Pilate was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7.

John 19:11 records our Lord's last words to Pilate, words that reveal His faith in the Father and His surrender to His will. All authority comes from God. Jesus as able to surrender to Rome and the Jews because He was first of all yielded to God. Pilate was boasting about his authority, but Jesus reminded him that his so called authority was only delegated to him from God.

Just think, when Israel asked to have a king, and God gave them Saul, the nation rejected God the Father (1 Sam. 8:5-7). When they asked for Barabbas, they rejected God the Son. Today, they are rejecting the pleading of God the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51; Rom. 10:21). Yet there will come a day when they shall see their King, believe, and be saved (Rev. 1:7); Matt. 24:30; Zech. 12:10-11). Both the nation and the governor were on trial, and both failed miserably.

Oh, may I/we not fail! Exactly what will you do with Jesus? At some point you will have to deal with Him, whether you want to or not. You can't be neutral.

An Insightful Moment in Religious Hands

I dont know how everyone else feels with the schedule of the lessons, but I feel like mine were definetely God-directed....

This one was a very short meditation, but a very powerful message. This has been one of my biggest struggles, and I dont deny it. I often am guilty of judging another person's walk when I really need to be working on my own.

I think this is a major problem in today's churches - especially the ones here in the Bible belt where I live. Every denomination thinks that theirs is the correct way and only way to do things. They (we) backbite and struggle with each other - this is exactly what the Enemy wants! Divide and conquer. If we would just step back a minute and quit looking at each other and take a closer look at ourselves, we could really see some things we dont like. And if we worked on ourselves, how much easier would it be to love everyone else?

A friend of mine once asked for some advice. He had been witnessing to another friend, and the other friend asked him something he didnt know the answer to, so he asked me what I thought. The question was - how come in Christianity there are so many denominations and they are always fighting? No other religions seem to really have this problem, why is that? I told my friend that the devil is not concerned with his own children and will leave them alone, but..... he will stir up as much trouble in God's children as he can - that way they are too busy with themselves to bother with doing God's will

It is also important to note that this trial by the Pharisees and high priests was not a lawful trial as it was done at night. But they felt they were doing the right thing, so it didnt matter - even though they were convicting Jesus using the law. It makes me look back at our world and how many awful, awful things were done in the name of "God." Have we learned nothing? Im hoping that I have.

Checking In...

Hey, where is everyone?! :) I thought "the plan" was to begin today. I know....it's summer and everyone's thoughts are elsewhere....as are mine! Just checking in...will check back later.

the plan?

so Im guessing since its almost the weekend and I wont have any internet that I figured Id better put something up now and hopefully everyone will agree since we will be posting Monday....

I see 2 ways of doing things.... both of which involved reading 2 chapters a day

1. post on 1 of the 2 chapters you read and hopefully we will get at least one entry on each one between the 4 of us

2. we take turns posting on different days on different lessons... for example
(I dont have my book with me, so I will just list the last 10 lessons as numbers) - this is just an example for who goes when, I just wanted to make sure I did mine on Monday, since I can do that one whichever option is chosen, since I dont have internet on the weekends, and wont know what everyone decides on....
1. Addie - Monday
2. CJ - Monday
3. Claire - Tuesday
4. Jules - Tuesday
5. Addie - Wednesday
6. CJ - Wednesday
7. Claire - Thursday
8. Jules - Thursday
9. Addie, CJ - Friday
10. Claire, Jules - Friday
and if you have anything thats important to you on a lesson that wasnt yours, then feel free to post your own or just add comments to the ones who did do lessons

there are pros and cons to both ways.... the first option makes it easier to post on the lessons that actually speak to you, but doing a post every day after reading 2 can be a bit tedious... with the second, it will be less "work" as you will be posting every other day (besides Friday) like you are used to, but you may get a lesson that doesnt really move you....

Im kind of partial to the second one, but will go along with the first if thats what everyone wants...

Another Intimate Moment with Peter

This is my favorite lesson that Gire does b/c for all his faults, I think Gire nails this one on the head. And it probably has alot to do with the fact that I relate to Peter so much. We both share a characteristic my husband calls "passion." Doesnt matter what we do, we do it whole-heartedly - whether it be wrong or right. So I always tend to be a bit defensive of Peter b/c I understand where he is coming from.

I think its important to note that Satan asked to test Peter - so even Satan could see that Peter was worth testing - that his faith was that strong. And I dont know about you, but I couldnt stand up to Satan's testing - I fail on a normal basis. Also, Peter wasnt the only one who denied. In the upper room, all the disciples made the same promise to Jesus that Peter did - that they would never deny Him, but where are they now? Only Peter and John have followed thus far.

I also love that Jesus knew Peter was going to fail, but He told him anyway that after he had failed to come back to Him. Sometimes we have to be broken of all of ourselves before we can serve Jesus with our whole hearts, and I think thats what was happening to Peter.

Another Intimate Moment with Peter

There are three insights that I got from this chapter.

The first one is that Peter was anything but the "ideal" man for the apostle "job." He was always thinking with his heart instead of his head. He was always jumping to the wrong conclusion or acting impulsively. He never quite got things right all through the three years he was with Jesus. But - he was the one that became the rock that Jesus set his church on. And why was that?

I think it was because Jesus knew that, although Peter would betray him those three times, it was Peter who would show more faith than any other apostle - not to mention any other person on the planet. Peter knew with unwaivering certainty that Jesus was who He said He was and He never once thought twice about it. It makes me realize just how prized and cherished Jesus held those who carried with them a strong belief and faith more than he did those who were intelligent or socially savvy.

It also made me realize that Jesus (God) really does equip those He calls and not calls those who are equipped. If that weren't true, would He have ever chosen Peter to become the rock of his church? Somehow, He saw that Peter's big oaf heart would someday grow to produce a fearless and passionate preacher man. No one else would probably have picked Peter but, then, no one else knew what Jesus knew.

And last but not least, I see that there are times where God letting Satan have his way with you are for your own good. Only God could come up with a way to make the best of evil in the world, no? If Peter hadn't been broken by the betrayals would he have gone on to feel such a passion for making it up to Jesus? Would his resolve to carry this thing through to the very end (and it was a bitter end for Peter) have waivered had he NOT gone through this sifting? It makes me realize that God really can use all the bad stuff in life to make us stronger and more set in our faith.

So, despite his three betrayals and the fact that he was always getting it wrong, he would become (IMHO) the second most important person that ever walked the face of the earth in terms of his influence on Christianity. Take Peter out of the final equation and you have to wonder if we'd all have ever heard the message of Jesus Christ.

Another Intimate Moment with Peter (Luke 22:31-34, 54-62)

Jesus did predict that Peter would deny Him three times, but that he would be restored to fellowship and service. Poor Peter. He followed the crowd when he should have been fleeing. If he would have gone his own way, he would never have denied his Lord. Jesus warned him about temptation in the garden. Yet he walked right into temptation.

As I watch Peter, I see him gradually moving into the place of temptation and sin; and his actions parallel the description in Psalm 1:1. First, Peter walked "in the counsel of the ungodly" when he followed Jesus and went into the high priest's courtyard. Peter should have followed the counsel of Jesus and gotten out of there in a hurry! Then, Peter stood with the enemy by the fire; and before long, he sat with the enemy. It was now too late and within a short time, he would deny his Lord three times.

The crowing of the cock reminded Peter of the Lord's words, and he went out and wept bitterly. Oh, but I see Jesus in complete control of the situation, even though He was bound and being harassed by the authorities. By controlling one bird, Jesus affirmed His sovereignty. How powerful is that? According to Genesis 1:26, god gave man authority over the fish, the fowl, and the animals. Peter had seen Jesus exercise authority over the fish and the animals; but now he recognized His authority over the birds.

However, this is the beginning of a new day! The cockcrowing was also an invitation to repentance. Jesus turned and looked at Peter, and this look of love broke Peter's heart. This scene reminds me of the verse in Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." What a contrast between Peter and Judas. Peter wept over his sins and repented, while Judas admitted his sins but never really repented. Judas experienced remorse, not repentance. When Judas went out from the Upper Room, it was night; but when Peter went out to weep bitterly, there was the dawning of a new day. It is the contrast between godly sorrow that leads to true repentance, and the sorrow of the world (regret and remorse) that leads to death. How wonderful it is that Jesus restored Peter and enabled him to serve with great power and blessing.

In the garden that night, I look and find both guilt and grace. Peter was guilty of resisting God's will. Judas was guilty of the basest kind of treachery. The mob was guilty of rejecting the Son of God and treating Him as though He were the lowest kind of criminal.

But oh how gracious I see Jesus was! Like King David, He crossed the Kidron, fully conscious that Judas was betraying Him. He went into the Garden of Gethsemane surrendered to the Father's will. He healed Malchus' ear. He protected His disciples. He yielded Himself into the hands of sinners that He might suffer and die for us.

That makes me think of the song....."Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all!"

Another Intimate Moment with Peter

So my first question is: why does Satan get all this preferential treatment from God? He gets to strip Job of everything he has, all his possessions, wife, kids, health... he gets to spend forty days in the desert with Jesus, goading him on to reject his destiny... and now he gets to sift Peter like wheat? What's with that anyway?

Just what kind of relationship does Satan have with God that God gives in to his whims and demands? Does he share some dark secret from the beginning of time? Does he get to have his way because he was once the brightest and most beautiful angel in the hosts of heaven? Another question for God when I see Him!

So Peter gets sifted and falls short (yet again). I love Gire's description: "The winnowing is over... he could winnow all the chaff he wanted, but the wheat belongs to Jesus." That would be my prayer: that there's a small kernal of wheat somewhere amidst all the chaff. Every one of us has our share of chaff, some more than others. Mine seems to be immense at times. I'm reading Anne Lamott's latest book Plan B where she talks about the "church of 80% sincerity", which, if we can manage to muster that much in life, we're doing pretty well. I'd have to agree. Peter at least was aware that Satan was doing the nasty work. some days I'm even confused about that.

An Incredible Moment in an Olive Grove (John 18:1-11, Luke 22:51b)

This whole section is one of my most favorites in all of the Bible and I think it is because John's Gospel is saturated with symbols. Some are more obvious than others but they convey some important spiritual truths. Here I see Jesus' private ministry with His disciples ending and the public drama of redemption is about to begin. It brings to my mind Romans 5:20, "but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."

I actually see five spiritual truths here but I'll stick to the passage which Gire is highlighting. That leaves four spiritual truths.

The first I alluded to the other day in regards to the Garden. I see the Garden as Obedience. Human history began in a garden and the first sin of man was committed in that garden. The first Adam disobeyed God and was cast out of the garden, but the Last Adam was obedient as He went into the Garden of Gethsemane. In that first garden, the first Adam brought sin and death to mankind; but Jesus, by His obedience, brought righteousness and life to all who will trust Him. He was "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil 2:8).

Just think of the progression here. History will one day end in another garden, the heavenly city that John describes in Revelation 21 and 22. In that garden, there will be no more death and no more curse. The river of the water of life will flow ceaselessly and the tree of life will produce bountiful fruit. Imagine! Eden was the garden of disobedience and sin; Gethsemane was the garden of obedience and submission; and heaven shall be the eternal garden of delight and satisfaction, to the glory of God! [Sorry, I know, I can get carried away sometimes.]

Gethsemane means "oil press." The olives were picked and put into the press for their oil. What a picture of suffering! So our Lord would go through the "oil press" and the "winepress" (Isaiah 63:3) and taste our judgment for us.

Even the Brook Kidron is significant. The name means "dusky, gloomy," referring to the dark waters that were often stained by the blood from the temple sacrifices. Our Lord and His disciples were about to go through "dark waters," and Jesus would experience the "waves and billows" of God's wrath (Psalm 42:7; and note Jonah 2:3).

The historical significance of the Kidron was King David crossed the Kidron when he was rejected by his nation and betrayed by his own son, Absalom. Jesus had been rejected by His people and at that very moment was being betrayed by one of His own disciples! I find it very interesting that David's treacherous counselor, Ahithophel, hanged himself, and David's treacherous son, Absalom, was caught in a tree and killed while hanging there. Judas, of course, went out and hanged himself.

Jesus fully knew what lay before Him, yet He went to the garden in obedience to the Father's will.

The second symbol I see is The Kiss which equates to Treachery. Here Judas had lived with the Lord Jesus for perhaps three years, and had listened to Him teach; yet he knew NOTHING, okay, very little about Him. The traitor actually brought a company of temple guards, armed with swords and clubs! Just think of the privileges Judas despised and the opportunities he wasted! Did he not realize that the Lamb of God would meekly submit and that there would be no need to battle?

What a shock it must have been both to Judas and the arresting officers when He boldly presented Himself to them. He had nothing to fear and nothing to hide; He would willingly lay down His life for His sheep! And, just think about this...by surrendering to the officers, Jesus helped to protect His disciples. He kept them safe not only spiritually but also physically.

I'm disappointed with how Gire deals with Christ saying, "I AM." The "he" is in italics which means it is not in the original. I've always understood it to be a glimpse of the Shekinah glory which caused the men to fall back. They could not stand before His presence for that brief moment. Gire does address it by saying, "At the words, "I am," the soldiers collapse. In one brief but incredible display of deity, Jesus overpowers his opposition."

The kiss was the greatest insult Judas could have given. It is one of the basest acts of treachery recorded anywhere. Back then, a kiss was a sign of affection and devotion. Members of the family kissed in greeting and departing, but Judas was not a member of God's family. Disciples greeted a rabbi by kissing him; it was a sign of devotion and obedience. But Judas was not truly a disciple of Christ, though he belonged with the group. In the garden, Judas stood with the enemy, not with Jesus' friends!! When people today pretend to know and love the Lord, they are committing the sin of Judas. It is bad enough to betray Christ, but to do it with a kiss, a sign of affection, is the basest treachery of all!! I would say it was born in the pit of hell.

The Sword is the third symbol...representing Rebellion in my book. Peter's sword symbolizes rebellion against the will of God. Peter should have known that Jesus would be arrested and that He would willingly surrender to His enemies. Peter made every mistake possible!! He fought the wrong enemy, for crying out loud! He used the wrong weapon, had the wrong motive, and accomplished the wrong result!! He was openly resisting the will of God and hindering the work that Jesus came to accomplish! While I admire his courage and sincerity, it was certainly a demonstration of zeal without knowledge.

Why did Peter fail so miserably? For one thing, he had argued with the Lord when Jesus warned him that he would deny his Master that very night. Peter had slept when he should have been praying, and he talked when he should have been listening. I see he imitated the very enemies who came to arrest Jesus, for they too were armed with swords. Oh, but soon, Peter would discover that the sword of the Spirit is the weapon God's servants use in fighting their spiritual battles. He would use that sword at Pentecost and "slay" 3,000 souls! Hallelujah!

Luke tells us that Jesus healed Malchus' ear, which I think was certainly an act of grace on His part. I see it being gracious from Peter's point of view; for had He not healed Malchus, Peter most likely would have been arrested and crucified! Peter was acting like one of the Jewish "zealots" and not at all like a disciple of Christ. Of course, it was an act of mercy toward Malchus. After all, he was just a servant. And, he was the enemy. I wonder if Malchus actually touched Jesus? I cannot imagine laying hands on the holy Son of God! But, rather than judge Malchus, Christ healed him. Do you wonder if he then believed? How could you not? I guess we will find out one of these days.

By Christ extending grace toward Peter and also toward Malchus, I see the miracle of His healing the ear revealing His grace toward me. If Jesus had the power to stun an armed mob and heal a severed ear, He could have saved Himself from arrest, trial, and death. But He willingly submitted! And He did it for me, for you, for us! Peter hurt Malchus. Peter hurt the testimony of Christ.

The final symbol I draw from this passage is The Cup...representing Submission. Peter had the sword in his hand, but my Lord had a cup in his hand. Peter was resisting God's will but my Savior was accepting God's will. I see Jesus was able to accept the cup because it was mixed by the Father and given to Him from the Father's hand. The Father had mixed and measured the contents of the cup, Jesus knew He had nothing to fear. We may suffer pain and heartbreak, but He will eventually transform that suffering into glory. This truth is what enabled me to come to grips with my handicapped brother's murder. I knew that it had first passed through the Father's hands before He ever allowed it to touch my brother, me or my family. It was horrendous but God was glorified throughout. I'm thankful I had an obedient Savior to look to.

Incredible Moment in an Olive Grove

I think I have a bad attitude. All these scmaltzy chapters of Gire's have just worn me down. I didn't even like the prayer that much... so I figure this has nothing to do with the chapter. I love this scripture. I love Jesus' restraint and Peter's brash courage in the heat of the moment.

I don't necessarily believe that this is Jesus' last miracle, just because Gire thinks so. Lots of things didn't get written down, not to mention the conversion of the centurian at Jesus' death. I'm out of sorts. And Gire's manhandling of the Gospels pisses me off.

An Incredible Moment in an Olive Grove

I disagree with Gire on one point – that the crowd fell back because of Jesus’ power. To me, this doesn’t really make sense with the rest of Jesus’ ministry. I look at this part of the story as almost comedic. I think they stepped back out of sheer unbelief. Unbelief that someone would voluntarily give themselves to an angry mob. It makes me think that this group of people that the religious leaders was given a different picture of the man they were supposed to be picking up.

To me, it is more believable that the religious leaders told the crowd that Jesus was an unruly man. He would insist on Himself being the Messiah, and that they would have trouble containing Him. Otherwise, why would they need so many people to go get Him?

Even Jesus asked them why they came with swords and clubs. They could have picked Him up in the temple any time they wanted…. Ahhhh – but the temple would have meant that they had to do it in broad daylight for all to see. Not likely to happen that way.

Then we go to Peter. I like how Gire brings out that a fisherman is not the man to normally carry a sword. I go back to the last entry where I said that the disciples knew something bad was about to happen to Jesus. Why else would Peter be carrying a sword around in a garden. And we all know about Peter’s denial, but often we forget about his passion for the Savior here – in front of all of these people – an angry mob, if you will. Where are all the other disciples? Besides John, they’ve all snuck away. Not Peter – as always, he acts before he thinks and just swings away. Not sure why though, since Jesus has never implored violence in His ministry.

And He doesn’t now either. I like how Gire explains that it wasn’t the whole ear – just a part… although I would tend to think it would be the top part of the ear instead of the lobe – how could you cut someone’s ear lobe off and not hurt any other part of them? Either way, Jesus does as He always does and loves.

I like how Gire brings out that this is His last miracle before being raised. How small it is, and yet how big the statement it makes.

An Incredible Moment in an Olive Grove

This is one of those places in the life of Jesus that just never sits right with me. Peter with a sword in his hand? A sword? Really? And Malchus gets part of his ear cut off and Jesus puts it back on and Malchus doesn't say, "Holy cow. That man just put my ear back on?" I think if I was Malchus, I'd be thinking twice about taking this guy into custody...

And I'm sure this was all how God intended it to be but it still rather bothers me. It feels out of character with the rest of what the disciples did. The one thing I did get out of this chapter that I never did understand before why Jesus didn't fight or stand up for himself. It wasn't until Gire pointed out that it was important that he go like a lamb to the slaughter and not like a caged animal that I finally got it. Now I understand that if he had fought or resisted or said a single word on His own behalf, it would have been a sin because it would have been in defiance to the will of the Father.

To go down because God says you must is one thing. To do it standing there without the will to protect yourself is even more courageous. I just can't get over that.

There have been times in this book when we've viewed the character of Jesus and I have thought, "I could grow to be like that" or "I hope one day I can stand up to things the way He does" but to be THIS in tune with God...it still just blows my mind. It's downright amazing to me that he could be in human form and get through this like He did.

I guess that's where my kernel of faith first started growing - right here at the olive grove. When I realized what He did for me it was one thing but when I realized how He did it - I knew in my heart He was God in the form of man. No one else would have stood up to these last days the way He did.

Who else but Jesus?