Jesus had a warrant out for his
arrest, much of the last week of his earthly ministry. The cowards led by
caiaphas eventually use judas to arrest him at night, apart from the crowds who
loved him. Peter figures this is the moment, when Jesus will restore the
kingdom from these compromisers.
But the real battle happened while Peter was
sleeping in Gethsemane, when Jesus overcame the temptation to set aside His
Fathers will. Jesus COULD get enough legions to defeat Rome, but how would that
accomplish his mission? Kingdom transformation is the big picture goal the gospel,
but service and sacrifice, crosses and losses come first. Peter and the people
are ready to lay down their lives fighting for Jesus. But once they realize
Jesus is going to let Himself be arrested, they flee.
We would rather fight
and die, than serve and sacrifice for a suffering surrenderer. But this is your life. Most of the time, you
are called not to a sensational down in flames sacrifice that wows everyone.
You are called to the quiet service that few notice. The service that doesn't
feel at all like victory. We die to our desires, daily.
4/1/12 - Palm Sunday
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