Peter's Progress in the Garden
To flourish in life, one must place themselves under examination from time to time. This begins from infancy, and continues until the day our funeral is being arranged by our families. These examinations, though often difficult or annoying, are beneficial to us. They tell us where we are, what we need to work on, what we can improve, etc... Without them we would have little self knowledge, and we would be going about on whims, and barely managing life. For all these reasons, and more, we frequently place ourselves under examination in almost every area of our life.However, when it comes to the spiritual life, we often avoid examination like the plague. Says Richard Foster in his book on prayer, "It is actually possible today for people to go to church services week in and week out for years without having a single experience of spiritual examen... No wonder people are barely hanging on."No wonder, indeed.If it is important to be examined in areas related to one's physical well-being, how much more important is it to subject oneself to have a spiritual examination? After all, the physical emerges from that which is spiritual. Therefore, to be examined spiritually is of the utmost import, and extremely beneficial to one's well-being.In this sermon reflection we are looking at an examination that Peter went through on the night in which Jesus was betrayed. In Matthew 26:31-35, we have Jesus telling all of his disciples that they would all become deserters because of him. For Peter, this doesn't sit well. He has been faithful to Jesus, at least according to his own definition, for about 3 years now. He has left house and wife, job and community, all so that he could travel and learn from Jesus. For him to hear Jesus question his faithfulness is an outright offense, and he will not have it.
"Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you." In other words, "You are wrong about me!"
One must hold steadfast conviction if they're willing to tell the Son of God, "You are wrong." Would you agree?Why, then, does Peter say this? I think it's because he is working off of the unexamined information available to him. He is looking at his experiences with Jesus, but not through the examiner's eye. All he sees is his time spent away from his family, his sticking with Jesus when everyone else runs away (John 6), his almost being shipwrecked. He sees all things instances of his time with Jesus, and this leads him to believe that he is faithful.
But I would like to suggest that he is only looking at the surface, he is focused on the externals. For if he would only look within, if he would only allow himself to be searched by God, then he would discover what might've lead Jesus to make this claim about him. But instead he stands firm. "I am right, Jesus; you are wrong!"Well, the truth is usually revealed when we go through a crucible, isn't it? For Peter it wasn't but a few hours later until his faithfulness was tried and found wanting. First he was supposed to stay awake and watch with Jesus, but he was too sleepy (Matthew 26:36-46). Next he tried to use violence to save Jesus from the time of trial (John 18:7-11), rather than embracing Jesus' way of self-sacrifice. And finally, when directly confronted with the question of his "being with" Jesus, he responds, "I do not know the man!"CS Lewis says, "Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding."When the light in the cellar of Peter's house was suddenly switched, the rats of self-preservation could be seen scurrying into the shadows. That's what his examination revealed. He was faithful to Christ, but only insofar as that faithfulness left him safe and secure. This is what he discovered about himself on the same night in which Jesus broke bread and juice for him.This all seems like a horrible thing, but it isn't.
One of the most misquoted Jesus sayings is, "The truth will set you free." That's not what Jesus said. Jesus said, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32). The truth, by itself, tends to destroy a person, and push them into denial. But when one receives the truth, under the gracious examination of Jesus, that is when freedom follows.Peter discovered the truth. It was a hard truth to discover. But his discovery about himself came as a disciple of Jesus Christ. History tells us that he would go on to be a faithful disciple. He would shed his self-preservation brand of discipleship, and embrace a discipleship that did all for the love of his savior.When is the last time you placed yourself under the examination of the Lord Jesus Christ?Listen to the sermon.