“I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies,

it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.”

John 12:24 

Who would not have been Peter that day in the Garden as he sought to

protect our Lord? After all, this was the Son of God, the Messiah, and here

a company of armed soldiers came to take Him away from the ones who had

given up everything to follow Him. Peter had watched Jesus heal the sick

when no one else could. Peter had watched Him walk on water and even calm

the storm. Peter had seen Him bless a little boy’s lunch and feed thousands

with a meal not big enough for one man. Peter, day after day, had watched

Jesus change the lives of those around Him, some with a touch, and others

with words. Peter had sat with Him at the Passover table, and even swore loyalty

unto death. So here, under the black of night, they came to take Peter’s

Jesus. You may ask why I phrase it that way, but I believe, at that moment it

was exactly what Peter was feeling, exactly where sin reared its head in Peter’s

life. It was the beginning of the betrayal.

     You see, in Peter’s mind Jesus was his, and no one would take Him. Peter

was comfortable with Jesus where He was, as He was, not wanting things to

deviate from the plan or the feeling. As Peter drew the sword, Jesus yelled at

him to put it up, and at that moment we see that Peter did not understand

the lesson that had been taught earlier to him. In tha ttense moment, Peter

simply did not understand that Jesus must die, and through that death and

coming resurrection there would be life, and Peter could then be with Jesus

for eternity.

      Personally, Easter reminds me that I am His and that He came to save me,

and not vice versa. It is in humility and humbleness that Jesus, the Christ,

the one and only Son of God, came to where He did not have to, to do what

only He could do. I admire Peter for his boldness, but still wonder if, in later

years, he ever pondered how, if he had had his way, he would have derailed

the plan put in place since eternity. I wonder if he ever sat down and prayed

in the later years of his life, “Lord, please forgive me for that night….”

It would take a lunch on the shore with a newly–resurrected Savior for Peter

to begin to understand that he was not called to protect Jesus, but rather

to love Him at all cost, feeding the Shepherd’s sheep and following–not fighting–

unto death.

Lord, let us be so blessed to learn that lesson as well…

 What thou, my Lord, has suffered was all for sinners’ gain;