Leaders, Learners, Lovers
How could Peter still carry a sword after 3 years of walking with Jesus. I have a hard time getting over that. You would think that he would have gotten it somewhere along the way as Jesus taught him day in and day out. To be with Jesus was to be taught, to be a learner. He was a Rabbi, a teacher.
Peter must have had a thick skull. He took his sword out one dark evening and dropped the ear of the High Priest's servant.
Have you noticed how quickly we write leaders off in our world? Someone does something we don't like or belongs to a group we don't like and they have a strike against them. They do two things we don't like and they have three strikes against them. They do three things and they are out, not just the inning, but the game. We write them off rather quickly. All based on our preferences, what we like or don't like about them.
Jesus corrected Peter's mistake. I wonder if the severed servants ear functioned better than the unsevered ear? Don't you think Jesus would refurbish it, make it like new? And the new ear would be better than the other one having been used for 30 or 40 years. Jesus was teaching Peter something about massive renewal at this point as well as serving the wounded man.
And this is where Peter unbeknownst to himself manages to stay on the team. He doesn't know it, but he is still learning and apparently willing to be a learner. Otherwise he would have been canned. Fast forward to Acts 10 and you see him learning some more as he travels at the Spirit's request to the home of a Gentile. Peter does a powerful lot of learning. He's slow on the up tick, yes, but slow is still go.
Just what is he learning? I'm glad you asked. He's learning to love God's people. He's learning that they are all God's people, the good, the bad, the right, the wrong, the tall, the short, the men, the women, the boys and girls. He's learning to love them all.
Are you in leadership this new year? If you are, you are a learner and you are loving to learn to love God's people. I don't know if you know that or not, but that's what leaders do. They learn and they love. Lead well. Class is in session.
Peter must have had a thick skull. He took his sword out one dark evening and dropped the ear of the High Priest's servant.
What amazes me is that Jesus still kept him on the team. Notice verse 10. I have not lost one of those you gave me. I have never fully figured that one out either because Judas seems like a loss at this point by becoming Jesus betrayer. Even though I don't get that yet, vs 11 tells me that Jesus has a thing for stopping losses. He's out to gather in every morsel of living breathing humanity He can and He never stops redeeming, reclaiming and retraining His leaders."I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."
ThenSimon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest'sservant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)
Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
John 18:8-11
Have you noticed how quickly we write leaders off in our world? Someone does something we don't like or belongs to a group we don't like and they have a strike against them. They do two things we don't like and they have three strikes against them. They do three things and they are out, not just the inning, but the game. We write them off rather quickly. All based on our preferences, what we like or don't like about them.
Jesus corrected Peter's mistake. I wonder if the severed servants ear functioned better than the unsevered ear? Don't you think Jesus would refurbish it, make it like new? And the new ear would be better than the other one having been used for 30 or 40 years. Jesus was teaching Peter something about massive renewal at this point as well as serving the wounded man.
And this is where Peter unbeknownst to himself manages to stay on the team. He doesn't know it, but he is still learning and apparently willing to be a learner. Otherwise he would have been canned. Fast forward to Acts 10 and you see him learning some more as he travels at the Spirit's request to the home of a Gentile. Peter does a powerful lot of learning. He's slow on the up tick, yes, but slow is still go.
Just what is he learning? I'm glad you asked. He's learning to love God's people. He's learning that they are all God's people, the good, the bad, the right, the wrong, the tall, the short, the men, the women, the boys and girls. He's learning to love them all.
Are you in leadership this new year? If you are, you are a learner and you are loving to learn to love God's people. I don't know if you know that or not, but that's what leaders do. They learn and they love. Lead well. Class is in session.
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