Luke 22:49-65
Luke 22:49-65
Vs 49-51
Peter tells Jesus at the last supper that he will fight and die for Jesus. Peter is following up on that zeal here. If Peter had been allowed to follow through on his plans he would have gotten in the way of what God was doing. We often don’t slow down and ask God what his plan is and join into that.
The grace and mercy shown by Jesus is amazing! He heals one of the guys who came to arrest Jesus. As followers of Jesus we don’t get to count people as our enemies. This flies in the face of American brashness and “Don’t mess with me attitude.”
Vs 52-53
Their arrest was illegitimate. They could have arrested him in daylight, in public at any time. They weren’t seeking true justice. They were trying to remove a threat to their power.
Vs 54-62
It is easy to despise Peter for his denial, but it’s because we see ourselves in what he does. We tend to have the least empathy for others that reflect back the ugliness inside of us. Peter goes from attacking a squadron with a sword to panicking when accused by a young girl. The “I would never” attitude should never be in us because we absolutely would if not for God’s grace. This was not an all out rejection of Jesus or change in the posture of Peter’s heart. He is the only disciple in the courtyard. He walked into danger because of his love for Jesus. It was just him caving to fear and saying things that were untrue because of temptation. This shows us the power of a moment of temptation. Only Luke records that Jesus locked eyes with Peter. His purpose isn’t to make fearful of the gaze of Jesus. It’s to give us hope that Jesus is aware of our darkest moments and still loves us. It is the starting place of redemption. There is no hidden thing that would change God’s mind about us.
Vs 63-65
You can insult and curse a person, but only God could be blasphemed. Clearly Luke believed that Jesus is God.
Was the guard whose ear was healed in this group beating and mocking Jesus? Mob mentality is ugly and a standing reality of humanity.