🌿Breathe Truth🌿
Judas came straight to Jesus…..Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested Him.
But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear. —Matthew 26:49-5
🌿Believe Truth🌿
A mob of Roman soldiers, Pharisees, Jewish leaders, their entourage, and Judas comes storming towards Jesus and His disciples. Confidently shouting, arrogantly pushing, with torches lighting the darkness. A terrifying night for Jesus’ disciples as they watch their beloved Jesus arrested.
But one of the disciples felt a rage swell up inside of him. How dare they, he thought. That is My Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. I must do something.
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Indeed, the man who struck the high priest’s servant was Peter. He couldn’t just stand there and not defend Jesus. So Peter pulls out his knife, not thinking, and just reacting out against the closest person, the closest enemy. In the heat of the moment, Peter cuts off the servant Malchus’ ear.
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Jesus’ response:
”Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)
Transitions are hard to swallow. Especially when you are dealing with ungodly people, hurtful relationships, destructive behaviors, toxic motives.
Even in the best of terms, transitions are still difficult to embrace.
Peter is struggling to deal with this new transition of losing Jesus. Yet how Jesus wants Peter to handle the circumstance is how He wants us to do as well.
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Walk away quietly. You are not surrendering to man, but to God. All of us have dreams and plans of how we hope our situations would turn out.
Sometimes, life just doesn’t unfold the way we prayed for. Relationships fail, visions falter, ideals fall apart.
Jesus doesn’t desire for us to return hurt for hurt. Harm for harm. Deception for deception. Lies for lies.
The eye for an eye theology doesn’t apply to Jesus’ followers. The world may embrace it, but Jesus wants authentic submission to something greater: God’s will for our lives.
Jesus’ arrest, beating, crucifixion, and death……all a part of God’s plan. Peter, you may not understand now, but it is my will for Jesus to be captured.
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In transitions, we let those who strive to hinder us make their ugly choices. We do not have to emulate them.
The Pharisees were setting a false entrapment for Jesus in preparation for murdering Him. Peter, you let me handle this. Don’t gift evil for evil. Walk out quietly. The world will rip apart, tear away, and endeavor to damage as much as possible, kicking and screaming, as it schemes, leaving and entering new transitions. But you are not of the world.
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In your transition to the unknown, trust Jesus is in control. No matter what the mob looks like it or how dark the night feels or how deep the loss you sense or how lonely the future seems.
Transition in a way that honors God when the unexpected happens. Transition in the hands of the Real Truth.
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