FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM

As I was partaking of communion this morning, I was thinking of the passover meal that we know as the last supper when Jesus shared the bread and wine with His disciples.  The sharing of His body and blood in that way that night was the beginning of what we now celebrate at communion.  In Luke 22:15 it is recorded that Jesus said, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer..."  I was thinking Jesus, how could you look forward to this meal with great desire, knowing the great suffering that you were about to go through? Shortly after sharing the bread and wine of that passover meal with the disciples, Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. ³⁵ And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt." (Mark 14:34-36)

In light of that, how could Jesus have looked forward to that meal with great desire? As I was thinking about that, the scripture that came to mind was this.  "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)   Jesus was looking beyond the suffering and pain to the victory and joy that would be on the other side of the cross for Himself and for His disciples.

Because of the joy that was set before Him, I have often wondered if Jesus had a smile on His face as "He said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." (John 19:30) 

Simon Becomes Peter (Part 2)

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: ³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:31-32)

Jesus will do whatever is necessary to see us restored even as He did for Peter. 

Jesus told Peter that He had prayed for him.  We can be assured that even now the great intercessor, Jesus is interceding for us, as He did for Peter during that time.

After  Jesus' death and resurrection, when the women met the angel at the tomb his message to the women was "But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you."  (Mark 16:7)  I find it interesting that the angel called him Peter, his new name and not Simon.  Jesus wanted them to make sure that Peter knew that the message was for him too, even though he had denied Jesus.

Shortly after that in an encounter recorded in John 21, Jesus asked Peter if He loved Him three times and told Peter to feed His sheep.  I believe in that encounter Peter was set free from his shame and guilt  and was restored by the love of the Lord Jesus. 

I believe that failure that exposed a weakness in Peter was a key event in Peter's life to prepare him for the important ministry role he had in the early church after he was restored.

Not long after that encounter with Jesus, by the sea, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and preached a sermon that resulted in 3,000 people being saved.  Later in Acts 5:15 was see that Peter walked in such an anointing that people were laid in the street so that when Peter walked by just his shadow would touch them and they would be healed. 

Peter had been admonished to strengthen his brothers after he was restored.  Jesus knew that Peter would come forth on the other side of this failure with something of substance that he could share with others.  Out of that experience Peter could now strengthen his brethren and feed the sheep in the Lord's pasture as one of the undershepherds of the Great and Good Shepherd (1 Peter 2 & 5)

Our healing and deliverance is not just for ourselves, but so we can then go and minister to others as well.

In Luke 22:33 Peter said "Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death." Later Peter did go to prison and to death for the Lord, as he said he would.  But there was a work that needed to be done in his life before he was really ready to do that.  Jesus knew that as He looked at Peter that night.  But Jesus also knew that Simon would come forth on the other side as Peter, the rock.

Simon Becomes Peter (Part 1)

When Jesus first met Simon, He looked at him and called him "Peter," which means a rock.  (John 1:40-42)  In the Bible names were often changed by God to indicate a change of character or nature.  Jesus was seeing that Peter would indeed one day be a rock, one of solid character and one of the foundational apostles in the beginning of the church.

Just after the Last Supper, Jesus and Simon Peter had the following exchange:  "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: ³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. ³³ And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. ³⁴ And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me"  (Luke 22:31-34)

Jesus called him by his old name Simon, but also by his new name Peter. I believe it was because Jesus was letting him know that on the other side of his failure he would be restored and would indeed be Peter, the rock.  Although Simon Peter, would fail the coming test, he would not be disqualified. 

Jesus knew Peter was about to act out of his old nature, instead of the new man he was called to be.  Sometimes there are things in our lives that we do acting out of our old nature and it surprises us.  But it is not a surprise to God.  He knew it was in there all along and arranged a circumstance for it to come out so it could be dealt with.  Satan is often used as God's tool to sift us.  That sifting brings a purity.

The dictionary definition of sifting is ”examine (something) thoroughly so as to isolate that which is most important or useful." 

Peter was indeed sifted by this experience.  Jesus could see beyond the sifting that was about the take place in Peter's life. It was like Jesus was saying "you are going to fail in the coming test, but I still see the rock in you."

Jesus loves us as we are but He also loves us enough to not leave us in our current condition.  And He makes available to us all we need to become all He had in mind even before we were conceived. 

Just as Jesus had told him he would, Simon denied him. When he realized what he had done he went out and wept bitterly. 

(The only other place I have found it recorded in Scripture that Jesus called Simon by the name "Peter" is  Matthew 16:17-19 "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.")