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II Samuel 14:1-15:22, John 18:1-24, Psalm 119:97-112, Proverbs 16:8-9
“Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the High Priest’s servant. But Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword away. Shall I not drink from the cup the Father has given Me?’ So, the Jewish police, with the soldiers and their lieutenant, arrested Jesus and tied Him. First, they took Him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas the High Priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who told the other Jewish leaders, ‘Better that one should die for all.'” John 18:10-14
Let’s look at two items in the above scripture. I want to highlight where we see Peter wanting to protect Jesus. Jesus tells Peter not to bother because he cannot save Jesus for the purpose in which He came. We are guaranteed hardships in life and some of these hardships will occur in the line of our call. They serve many purposes and Jesus is reminding us not to flinch but to embrace the call and everything that goes with it.
Notice a little further down as Caiaphas relates that “it is better that one man die for all” or you could say in place of everyone. It was actually prophetic even though he didn’t realize what he was saying. He was thinking in terms of a natural situation where if Jesus dies then things will calm down and the deaths of many will be prevented. On a deeper level, the Word states that the wages, or payment, for sin is death. Jesus was literally dying for all people in order to pay the sin debt we all owe so we would not have to pay the price ourselves with our lives. So, it was better that one man should die for all. I am grateful for what Jesus did, how about you?
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for not backing up in a scary, painful situation. If You had not followed through for us, I just hate to think of where we’d be. Again, thank You so much. I am eternally grateful. I do not want to take for granted or refuse the precious gift You provided. I apply Your sacrifice to my life and thank You that I am washed cleaned by the blood You shed. Thank You for shortening Your life for me. Also, thank You for showing me that I cannot fight a spiritual war with a physical solution. Love You Jesus, in Your name I pray. Amen.
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