Sword

Luke 22:33-38 (The Message)

33 Peter said, "Master, I'm ready for anything with you. I'd go to jail for you. I'd die for you!"

34 Jesus said, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Peter, but before the rooster crows you will have three times denied that you know me."

35 Then Jesus said, "When I sent you out and told you to travel light, to take only the bare necessities, did you get along all right?"

"Certainly," they said, "we got along just fine."

36-37 He said, "This is different. Get ready for trouble. Look to what you'll need; there are difficult times ahead.

Pawn your coat and get a sword.

What was written in Scripture, 'He was lumped in with the criminals,' gets its final meaning in me. Everything written about me is now coming to a conclusion."

38 They said, "Look, Master, two swords!"

But he said, "Enough of that; no more sword talk!"

Peter talks big. And, he has been a man of action. After all, remember that it's Peter who gets out of the boat and walks on the water with Jesus.

But his talk is bigger than his walk this time.

"I'll die for you!"

"Swords? Let's get swords! Let's go!"

"Let's fight!"

Sounds good. Sounds good to be ready to fight and go and die if necessary.

It sounds good. But in practice...how does it feel?

Peter could tell us. "Before the rooster crows, you will have three times denied me."

And guess what? I think that's good news for us.

Isn't it amazing that the Bible leaves this story in place? After all, Peter is "the rock," upon which the church would be built. The stories of his denial of Jesus, and the foolhardy way in which he bragged about his readiness just aren't very flattering to him.

And yet, there it is. And that's good for us.

There's a lot that "sounds good" in our world. But in practice, those very things may be scary, difficult, or threatening.

Sometimes we will fail in shameful ways. Those times are almost always when we fail to live in God's power. Sometimes we will live from our fear, our pride, our pain.

It even happened to Peter. And God redeemed that experience.

"No more sword talk," Jesus says. His time had come.

Prayer: Father, we pray that you would help us to live in your power and not our own.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.