John 18:11
“So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into its sheath, shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?'”
Jesus was not what the disciples expected. While we’re at it – it’s fair to say that Jesus isn’t what any of us expect. Peter drew his sword to fight for his Lord. It’s the mark of valor, honor, and integrity to face off against such daunting odds as these, certain of failure, to protect the person one loves. But this whole story is upside down and backwards. In fact, Peter does what any hero is supposed to do. Roman soldiers are here to arrest, torture and kill the Son of God. A hero rises amongst them and takes to arms! Peter attacks the murderers even though he has little or absolutely no chance of surviving. He doesn’t flee; he fights.
And, yet, he’s reprimanded. And he’s reprimanded because he doesn’t realize what’s happening yet – he doesn’t see that the central problem of life, which is sin, can only be solved by the cross. No man can solve the problem – not with a sword, a gun, a vote, a plan, or anything else in all creation – because man is the problem. The cup Jesus must drink is the Father’s wrath upon sin; He must drink it all down or else we’re lost. .
We would think of our heroes and such behavior as Peter’s is the norm. Men of honor fight against such impossible odds as these to prove to all their love and their mettle. David went forth against Goliath when all of Israel shrank in despair and cowardly fear. Indeed, David was seemingly the only man amongst a nation of cowards. And Samson could never be defeated unless his libido did his enemy’s work for them; no mortal man could conquer him. This is the stuff that stirs the hearts of the strong. But the Scripture turns that around, shakes it up, throws it out and it makes no sense to worldly eyes.
Great men of the world confront evil with power, determination, and fearlessness. Great men of God confront evil with God’s word and will. How do we make sense of it all? Oh, and that’s the sweet, deep, and enduring question of the Christian life too. How do we make sense of Jesus telling Peter to stand down? And how do we make sense of it when God leads us into divers strifes and struggles?
The answer is simple really; it shouldn’t vex us. A man or woman must certainly meet a criminal with force – with the sword, that is. A police officer is needed for the criminal and a Marine for the foreign invader. Indeed, there’s a time for war and every purpose under the sun. But sin can only be answered by the cross. The Christian needs to understand this principle and apply it. Christ went to the cross to redeem the elect and those who come to believe, through faith alone, are saved. But this is certainly not all! This faith calls us to a life of discipleship with the goal being that the individual believer is transformed into the very image of Christ – that is, they develop Christ-like character. And this character of Christ comes through the application of God’s weapons, not man’s. Sanctification doesn’t come, nor is it tied to, one’s economic success or worldly achievements. These things may come and maybe they won’t. What must be there is submission to God’s will.
Shall we not drink the cup the Father gives us?
When we do, dear friends, this is faith – and this is power.
Our Lord won’t have Peter a coward. He doesn’t command a pacifist; He commands that we seek, know, and obey God’s perfect will. I dare say that no men ever faced a darker night of the soul than the disciples did that night in Gethsemane. To see their blessed Leader betrayed by one of their own with, of all things, a kiss. Oh, and to witness His apprehension by foul hands, hear the mockery and scorn. In mere hours – after agony upon agony – He hangs lifeless from the Cross! Never could any mortal men be more crushed than they were that night and yet Jesus commands them not to fight. What could they take of this? Surely they would not have seen this as anything but a signal of surrender but this isn’t what Jesus intends. Heaven forbid it! Jesus sees triumph where they see disaster. Jesus has peace and certitude where they experience unspeakable dread.
It’s all so simple really. Jesus knows and follows God’s will. On the precipice of this calamity and horrible trial, Jesus warned Peter, James and John to watch with him and to pray. They slept. He waked them and warned them again…trial is coming – prepare. And how did He tell them to prepare? He (the Word) told them to pray. Still, though, they slept.
Christ is never again to be treated like this by men. When He appears again all will bow but, in the meantime, we are surely to be confounded as they were that night too. We will surely rush to battles that The Lord tells us not to fight with the world’s weapons. We have no earthly kingdom either, you know. We are sons of God, and Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. We fight for a heavenly kingdom and the weapons we wield are devotion to Scripture and prayer. Yes, yes, there will be dark nights for our souls but there will be peace because we will know that nothing in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
We shouldn’t sleep when battles loom. The flesh is always weak. We should pray always for protection from the evil one and that our battles are waged in the Spirit rather than the flesh, for if we rage with the weapons of the world we will surely die with them in our feeble hands. Should we war against the forces of darkness, our own sinful desires, and the pride of life, through the weapons God has decreed, we will never truly die.
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