Read John 18:10-14. Circle the word(s) that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.
Reflection on the Word.
Is God’s will always, good, pleasing, and perfect? How was it good for the Israelites when they were enslaved? Can we honestly say that it was good when Job lost every possession, his children, and even his physical health? What about all the losses and hardships in your life and my life? Is it really true that everything that has happened to our lives is good, pleasing and perfect?
As we read the account of Peter drawing his sword and striking off the ear of one of the servants, I would like to suggest that in that moment Peter was willing to fight and die to defend Jesus. With sword in hand, he was not only willing to defend, but attack those who sought to capture Jesus. What Peter did here was a noble thing.
But Peter didn’t expect Jesus’ words to him, “Put up your sword. Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Peter’s jaw probably dropped before he dropped his sword. In the heat of the moment, Peter did not have in mind the words of Jesus at their Last Passover. He heard Jesus’ words, but he didn’t realize what they truly meant. While Peter may have forgotten the prayer of Jesus and His words, Jesus didn’t. “39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39).
The events that happen in our lives can’t be judged by our present circumstances. We are called to have a “larger and longer” view of our trials. Will it be good, pleasing, and perfect? I believe so. Time will reveal the unsearchable ways of God, if not in this life, then it will be before the Bema Seat of Christ.
Jesus drank the cup given to Him by the His Father. We may have a cup to drink that is unpleasant for us. It is through His sacrifice and suffering that we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Jesus was not left in the tomb. He was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. Don’t judge the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God based on our immediate circumstances. There is much more to the story of our lives than the one page we are currently going through.
-Kingston