Wednesday, March 20, 2013
John 18:10-11 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
DON'T INTERFERE WITH THE SAVIOR'S WORK
Jesus loved His disciples dearly, but there were times when they really got in His way. You might remember how in one instance Christ told His disciples He would suffer and die at the hands of the elders and chief priests. Peter rebuked Him and said, "This will never happen to you!" Then Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23). Peter had gotten in the way of Jesus' determined march to the cross. In that moment he was tempting Christ not to go through with His Father's plan.
Again when Jesus was arrested in the garden, Peter interfered by drawing his sword and striking out against the high priest's servant, trying once more to put a stop to Jesus' journey toward the cross. This time the Lord did not refer to Peter as Satan, but He had some strong words for him nonetheless, beginning with, "Put your sword away!" Jesus understood that it was necessary for Him to suffer and die and on the third day rise again.
Do you ever get in Jesus' way when He is trying to do something for you? Do you get in His way by disagreeing with something He has told you in His word or by insisting that He work differently in your life than the way in which He has planned to work? Do you get in the way of His desire to forgive your sins by falling into needless despair over them (like Judas did) or by thinking they really aren't serious enough for Him to need to help you with them (like the Pharisees did)?
Our sinful flesh wants to interfere with everything Jesus does for us-- both the earthly and the spiritual. But how gracious Christ is that He blesses us anyway! What a wonder that He kept going to the cross and offered His life there for the sin of the world even though there were many temptations laid upon Him not to go through with it. What a wonder that "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
