SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/18/2017
9:52 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Peter’s Denial: Act Two
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John
18:25-27
Message
of the verses: “25 Now Simon Peter
was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You are not also
one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it, and said, "I am
not." 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one
whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with
Him?" 27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.”
Now as we look at this section we
know that there are two interrogations going on at the same time, one Annas
interrogating Jesus, and two some of Annas’s subordinates interrogating Peter
perhaps wondering why this stranger was there with them at the fire warming
himself. There was good evidence against
Peter for there was a slave of the high priest there who was a relative of Malthus
whose ear Peter had cut off and Jesus had healed, but still Peter denied that
he was with Jesus, telling a lie, something that Jesus would go to the cross to
pay for.
At this time being a disciple of
Jesus was not a crime, but we know that in the years to come it would be and
still is in different countries even today, but cutting off the ear of someone
was a crime and I suppose that Peter knew this and therefore denied the whole
thing.
Now I want to go to what Luke had to
say about this situation as it gives us more details into the two things that
happened after the rooster crowed: “59
After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying,
"Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too." 60
But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about."
Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at
Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him,
"Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." 62 And he went out and wept
bitterly.”
I believe that what we see here is
the beginning of the sifting that Satan asked for concerning Peter as Peter
went away and wept bitterly this sifting began and as this first event happened
at this charcoal fire so the healing of Peter’s heart would happen at the next
charcoal fire in the last chapter of John’s gospel.
Judas also wept when he realized
that Jesus was going to be put to death, and he went out and hanged
himself. Peter wept bitterly but because
he was a true believer in Jesus Christ he did not kill himself, but perhaps he
thought about it for denying the Lord was very hurtful to him. I can’t be hard on Peter because there are
times when I, too deny my Lord and when I do it hurts me very much and so I can
understand somewhat what Peter went through.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: Thinking
about the situation that Peter was in as he was actually cursing to his accusers
that he did not know Christ and then looking up and seeing Christ must have
been very dramatic for him. When I sin I
know that the Holy Spirit who lives within me sees and knows what is going on
and so because of that it causes great pain for me, and yet like Peter would
find out the Lord Jesus went to the cross to pay for his sin, and all of those
who believe in Him.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Like Peter I
cannot fight these kind of things on my own as Peter thought that he could, but
have to remember “’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD
of hosts (Zech. 4:6b).”
Answer
to yesterday’s Bible question: “On the
wall of his palace” (Daniel 5:1-5).
Today’s
Bible question: “What Syrian officer was
healed from leprosy by bathing in the Jordan River at Elisha’s command?”
Answer
in our next SD.
4/18/2017
10:16 AM
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