SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/16/2017
6:54 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 Peter’s Denial: Act One
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John
18:15-18
Message of the
verses: “15 Simon Peter was
following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to
the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, 16
but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known
to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
17 Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this
man’s disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." 18 Now the
slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for
it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them,
standing and warming himself.”
Now as we look at what the slave -girl asks Peter there
is one thing that I have not recognized before, “You are not also one of this
man’s disciples, are you?’” Now as we
look at that word also we must understand that this slave-girl knew that John
was one of Jesus’ disciples, and therefore this gives more evidence as to why
she asked Peter that question. John
MacArthur adds “The question in the Greek text expects a negative answer. Following her cue, Peter tersely blurted out,
‘I am not.’ Why he should deny being a
disciple of Jesus is not immediately apparent.
After all, John, who was known to be one of Jesus’ disciples, had just
been admitted without incident. It may
be that Peter was not accustomed to associating with the rich and
powerful. Perhaps the unfamiliar setting
he found himself in caused him to lose his nerve and burst out a cowardly
denial when he was caught off guard by the servant girl’s unexpected
challenge. Whatever the reason many have
been, this and his subsequent denials proved that the Lord knew Peter better
than he knew himself.” Not only is this
true of Peter, but true of all of those who belong to Jesus Christ, and even
those who don’t. What we can learn from
this is that we should not claim self-confidently that they would follow Jesus wherever
He leads them. “Boasting of our
abilities is an invitation to failure and this is exactly what Peter did.
We see Peter then move to the other side of the court to
avoid any more questions and also to keep warm as he stood by the charcoal
fire. Mark 14:66-67 reads “66 As Peter
was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came,
67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she
looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Nazarene."” Peter was found out again. Luke 22:55-56 tells us “55 After they had
kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter
was sitting among them. 56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the
firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him
too."”
MacArthur concludes “In a bitter irony Peter, like Judas
a little while earlier in Gethsemane (18:5), wound up standing with the enemies
of Jesus.”
So we leave Peter in what is a vulnerable position, and
next we look the dramatic confrontation between Annas and Jesus in our next SD.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Nicodemus.”
Today’s Bible
question: “Who said, ‘But as many as
received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.’?”
Answer in our next SD.
4/16/2017 7:19 AM
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