Want to know God?

Community Baptist Church, Maylene

I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop” (John 12:24).

Who would not have been Peter that day in the garden as he sought to protect our Lord? After all, this was the Son of God, the Messiah, and here a company of armed soldiers came to take Him away from the ones who had given up everything to follow Him. Peter had watched Jesus heal the sick, walk on water, calm the storm and, most importantly, change the lives of those around Him.

Peter had sat with Him at the Passover table and even sworn loyalty unto death. So here, under the black of night, the soldiers came to take Peter’s Jesus.

You may ask why I phrase it that way, but I believe at that moment, it was exactly what Peter was feeling, exactly when sin reared its head in his life. You see in Peter’s mind, Jesus was his and no one would take Him. Peter was comfortable with Jesus where He was, as He was, not wanting things to deviate from the plan or the feeling.

As Peter drew the sword, Jesus yelled at him to put it up, and at that moment, we see Peter did not understand the lesson taught him earlier. Jesus must die and through that death and coming resurrection, there would be life and Peter then could be with Him for eternity.  

You see this beautiful story is a reminder that Jesus loves us and He came to save you and me, not vice versa. It is in humbleness that Jesus, the one and only Son of God, came to where He did not have to, to do what only He could do and to present us with the gift of salvation. So now if we will only repent of our sins and accept who He is and what He has done for us, then we will be saved. I admire Peter for his boldness but still wonder if, in later years, he ever pondered how if he had had his way, then he would have derailed the plan put in place since the beginning. I wonder if he ever sat down and prayed in the later years of his life, “Lord, please forgive me for that night … and not my will, Lord, but yours.”