Conversations with Jesus: Love, Part 1
By Jeff Cranston
Have you ever had an epic fail? Have you ever felt, “Why do I even speak out loud?!” If that describes you, you're not alone. We all do it. We fail, we come up short, and we disappoint people.
The Bible is full of examples of fallible people, including one who was very close to Jesus: His disciple, Peter. Peter has always been one of my favorite disciples. I love his sincerity. I love his sense of loyalty. I love his bravado and his self-confidence. He was a man of passion. You know his heart was in the right place, and his intentions were good.
Read Matthew 26:31-35. Don’t you want to wince at Peter’s words in this passage? His overconfidence in himself is startling. Peter finds himself on the path of epic failure. What can we learn from this?
An epic fail is soon to follow whenever we purposefully elevate ourselves above others.
In this passage, Peter is saying, “Even if everybody else … even if all these other clowns can’t handle it, I’m Your guy, Jesus.” Peter’s coming out of pure pride here and is elevating himself above all the other disciples. He thinks he is better. Competition among the disciples wasn’t a new thing. But Peter takes it to a whole different level. We also learn …
An epic fail is soon to follow whenever we trust in ourselves.
Peter trusted in Peter. It’s very clear. Somehow Peter believes he is strong enough to withstand the trials he knows nothing about. He believes he’ll be the exception to Jesus’ prediction here. He has no basis for his confidence. Yet he promises unwavering support, all based on himself. And whenever that happens, an epic fail is soon to follow. But here’s something else for us …
An epic fail is soon to follow whenever we directly contradict the words of Jesus.
Peter is putting himself above the amen-supported, awesomely particular words of his Master and Lord. This is very dangerous ground. Listening to the words of God and obeying them is always a better choice. Why do you think Peter reacted so strongly? I think there are a few answers here, and in them, again, we see ourselves. First of all, like Peter…
We don’t like to face our weaknesses.
None of us do. We like to think of ourselves as strong and able and capable. We don’t like to be confronted and challenged with our weaknesses. We don’t like to find out we are vulnerable and needy and dependent. Neither did Peter.
There are times when we simply do not like God’s plan.
Peter doesn’t like God’s plan because it involves the suffering of Someone he loves. He doesn’t want to see Jesus in pain. Sometimes it’s easier to endure pain yourself than it is to watch somebody you love go through pain, right? That was hard for Peter, and it’s hard for us.
Matthew 26:69-75 tells us that later that same evening, Peter denies Jesus three times and the rooster crows. In the courtyard that night, there is a separation—brought on by Peter—between him and Jesus. But that’s not where Jesus leaves it—which is a good thing for Peter and for us! In Part 2 of this blog post, we will look at how Jesus is faithful to Peter and restores their relationship, and how he will do the same thing for us!
Jeff Cranston is the lead pastor at LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, S.C.
