March 23, 2014 John 18:12-27
Third
Sunday in Lent Psalm
17:1-7
After
eating the Passover meal Jesus and his disciples went to Gethsemane, where
Judas led the temple guard to arrest Jesus. Jesus was taken to Caiaphas's
house for his first of many trials. The religious leaders were in a hurry
and wanted to complete the execution so they could to go on to their Passover
Celebration. They had become evil. When deceitful men pursue evil they want to
eliminate all opposition. Peter's refusal to identify himself as Jesus'
follower would change his life. The religious leaders knew they had no
grounds for charging Jesus, so they tried to build evidence against him by
using false witnesses. We can easily get angry for their injustice
in condemning Jesus, but we must remember that Peter and the rest of the
disciples also contributed to Jesus' pain by deserting and disowning him.
All of us, like the disciples, have been guilty of denying that Christ is Lord
in vital areas of our lives or of keeping secret our identity as believers in
times of pressure. Imagine being Peter standing outside while
Jesus was questioned. Imagine him being abused and beaten.
Naturally, Peter was confused and afraid. It is a serious sin
to disown Christ, but Jesus forgave Peter. No sin is too great for Jesus to
forgive.
During Lent
I feel Jesus' pain and suffering and can't imagine what he had to endure for
all of us. I can relate to Peter when he denied Jesus three
times. It's something many of us can relate to. You want to do
the right thing but fear or other circumstance make you say or do the wrong
thing. Jesus' love was so great that he gave himself for all of
us. It was a love and caring beyond any measure or understanding. If
we all could only live a life like Jesus teaches. One where we believe
in him and love so deeply and let everything else that doesn't matter just
melt away. During Lent I feel compelled to pay it forward and be thankful
for little things great and small. I try to see my cup as half full and
appreciate that everyone has hard times in their lives. We are all here
to help one another in Christ.
Heidi
Kuhland
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