Knowing Jesus as our Savior and Completer

So yesterday morning my next to last reading was Mark 14. In that reading and the next/last one the Holy Spirit helped me see something that was a great encouragement to me in this whole matter of being a more devoted disciple of Jesus and helping others become more devoted disciples of Jesus.

The main plot, focus or message of Mark ch. 14 is Jesus’s suffering as it began to ramp up. But a subplot is what I want to bring your attention to.

The chapter starts off with Jesus and His 12 disciples hanging out at Simon’s house. A woman began to anoint Jesus with very expensive perfume. Matthew’s account informs us that evidently all the disciples reacted negatively to this apparent waste of money. Mark’s account tells us they “….were scolding her.” (vs. 5). That would have included Peter. Jesus mid way through the chapter – after singing a hymn with them informs them (based on Zechariah’s prophecy) that they will all fall away from him, but that that will not be the end of the story (see vs. 28). Peter then arrogantly boasts that no matter what the rest of them do he will not fall away. By the end of the chapter he is eating his words and crying his eyes out. 

Jesus takes the 12 to the garden of Gethsemane but only His choice 3 (including Peter) a ways beyond there ideally to support Him in His grief and anticipation of the suffering to come. He exhorts Peter, James and John to “keep watch”, which has the idea of praying and supporting Him in this prayer watch/battle. Three times he comes back and finds Peter and the other two sleeping. A little later Judas betrays Jesus and Peter draws his sword and cuts off the ear of the slave of the high priest. Jesus clearly never intended such a thing to happen and rebuked Peter for such. Peter then at the close of the chapter denies every knowing or having anything to do with Jesus three times – twice to a harmless servant-girl.

We know Jesus was aware of those three denials because of the look He gave Peter after the third one. But Jesus’s look was not like the look I would have given him. Jesus was not finished with Peter (see Mark 14:28). Peter would have been history were I in Jesus’s sandals. What an utter failure Peter proved to be when Jesus (in human terms) most needed Peter to be the leader he was called to be. Did we not have the rest of the New Testament we would have to deduct that Jesus’s investment in Peter was not one of His better ones.

But we do have the New Testament and my last reading yesterday morning was Acts 9. Actually Acts. chps. 1-9 all show us a shockingly transformed disciple and godly leader named Peter. In the latter part of ch. 9 we find Peter traveling through the regions of Judea, Galilee and Samaria. In Lydda he wanted to visit with the believers there and discovered a bedridden and paralyzed man (for 8 years) and healed him. Many turned to the Lord in that region as a result of that amazing healing. Then Peter was beckoned to come down to Joppa for a much beloved lady had just died. Peter then raised her from the dead and many people “all over Joppa…believed in the Lord”.

Here’s the message I received from the Lord yesterday morning. When it comes to making disciples or even becoming a disciple we are all a piece of work. We are all far weaker than we know and we see through a glass dimly. But Jesus is one amazing Savior!! He is the “author and perfector of faith” (Heb. 12:2). He is “…the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;” (Heb. 3:1). He is the One who saves each of us “forever or completely” (Heb. 7:25). So in this whole process we must have our hope firmly placed in Him and in Him alone. Not in our performance, not in a program, not in anything else.

God bless you today with a greater revelation of how great and competent and faithful and un-relenting your Savior is. He specializes like none other in this miraculous work of turning a hopeless sinner into a holy and fruitful servant. May He alone receive our praise and worship!