WHAT HAPPENS IF I FAIL THE LORD? JOHN 13 (NIV) Verses 36-38: “Simon Peter asked Him, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.’ Peter asked, ‘Lord, why can’t I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You.’ Then Jesus answered, ‘Will you really lay down your life for Me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times!’” COMMENTARY: WHERE WAS JESUS GOING? We do not know if He is referencing His destination of heaven or His destination of the Cross. If He meant heaven, then He doesn’t want to tell them that because they may lose heart for the task before them - some day they would be in heaven, but they had to fulfill the walk before them first, even as Jesus was doing. If Jesus meant the cross, He didn’t want to be very specific, because Peter would indeed face his own literal cross. According to Origen of Alexandria (written in 200 AD), it is believed that Peter was crucified upside down. This text tells us that Peter requested this form of crucifixion as he felt he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner that Jesus died. BEWARE OF MAKING GREAT CLAIMS TO LAY EVERYTHING DOWN FOR THE LORD None of us can see into the future. We do not know what will be asked of us or what situations we will face before we finish our lives. We also don’t know the state of being we’ll be in when those situations arise. But, there is Someone who knows all that. The key is to remember that even when we are disloyal - Jesus is ever loyal. The difference between Judas and Peter was the fact that Peter loved the Lord even though he was a weak human being. He was impulsive, unstable, spoke from his heart and not his head - at this point in his life he was of a rather weak resolution. We must love the Lord, rely on Him, and do the best we possibly can. We can “hide God’s Word in our hearts” so that we will not sin against the Lord (Ps 119:11). We can hold to the fact that as He forgave Peter, He will forgive us our failures if we ask Him. We are to stay connected to the Vine so the juice of His Life is flowing in us (John 15)…and then face whatever we have to face. “WILL YOU REALLY LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR ME?” We find some additional information in Luke 22:31. Jesus speaking to Peter, “…Satan asked if he could sift you as wheat.” Satan requested to rip Peter apart and tear him into tiny pieces to see what he was made of….but Jesus asked the Father to strengthen Peter so he would not fail, so he would not be lost forever because of what was to take place. It is probably good we can’t see everything that takes place in the heavenly realm - all the discussion between God and Satan about us. Our feeble knees would surely buckle under the weight of it. But we have an Advocate sitting next to the Father, pleading our case. How many times do we fail, and we hate ourselves so much for our failure? In that state one can easily just want to throw everything away. But Jesus prays for us - He talks to the Father on our behalf and makes sure that we are not so taken apart that we destroy ourselves. Luke 22:31 continues, “When you (Peter) have turned again, you will establish your brethren.” After Peter is forgiven and turned the right direction, he has a very successful come back. Our lesson it seems is to plan to succeed, but if we fail, know that the Lord knew in advance and is ready to forgive us if we come humbly to Him and ask Him. When we fail, all is not lost.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 17:41:45 +0000