Monday, 16 May 2016 - "Jesus' warning"
Daily Scripture: Matthew 26:31 Yeshua then said to them, “Tonight you will all lose faith in me, as the Tanakh says, ‘I will strike the shepherd dead, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[Matthew 26:31 Zechariah 13:7] 32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil.” 33 “I will never lose faith in you,” Kefa answered, “even if everyone else does.” 34 Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I tell you that tonight before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” 35 “Even if I must die with you,” Kefa replied, “I will never disown you!” And all the talmidim said the same thing.
Luke 22:31 “Shim‘on, Shim‘on, listen! The Adversary demanded to have you people for himself, to sift you like wheat! 32 But I prayed for you, Shim‘on, that your trust might not fail. And you, once you have turned back in repentance, strengthen your brothers!” 33 Shim‘on said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go with you both to prison and to death!” 34 Yeshua replied, “I tell you, Kefa, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.”
Reflection Questions:John’s gospel said that Jesus early preaching attracted large crowds. But Jesus didn’t trust himself to them because “he didn’t need anyone to tell him about human nature, for he knew what human nature was” (John 2:25). As his arrest and crucifixion approached, that extended even to his closest followers. Matthew showed Jesus warning all of his disciples they would “fall away” from him. In Luke, the warning focused specifically on Peter, who made quite a show of bravado.
- John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, encouraged people to regularly ask (and answer) a set of self-examination questions. The very first one was, “Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am?” How do you see that at work in the responses of Jesus' disciples, especially Peter? When do you find the same tug at work in your own life?
- Another of Wesley’s searching questions was, “Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?” When Peter said, “If everyone else stumbles because of you, I’ll never stumble,” how did he illustrate the workings of that competitive dynamic? When are you most tempted to compare yourself favorably with others?
Lord Jesus, you know my human nature. You know me better than I know myself. Guide me today and every day, shaping and nudging me to become more fully the person you call me to be. Amen.
Insights from Roberta Lyle
Roberta Lyle has been on the Resurrection staff since 2006. She serves as the Program Director for Local Impact Ministries, concerntrating on Education, Life Skills and Youth Focused Ministries.
The last few weeks I have been busy pulling weeds, planting seedlings, filling planters and mulching. Right now the vegetable garden looks pretty good with rows of onions, cabbage, and a few tomato and pepper plants. But I am debating about whether or not to plant cucumbers and zucchini. Every year I plant these vines and carefully tend them as they grow and start to set fruit.
But usually around July I stop watching them so carefully. When I finally think to check on them I find the vines have been attacked by borers, leaving the plants wilted, brown blobs. My more dedicated gardening friends who diligently check their gardens every day are able to spot the first signs of infestation and intervene so the plants can survive. But even though I begin every year with the best of intentions to do a better job tending the plants I eventually get distracted by other things or would rather the spend the evening in my air conditioned house.
I definitely fall short when it comes to being a good gardener. I know I miss the mark other ways as well and I don’t like it when I let myself or someone else down. In today’s scripture Peter vehemently promises to be there for Jesus, a man he has loved and followed for three years, no matter what. But good intentions aren’t enough. We know that before the evening is over he will deny knowing Jesus, not once but three times. Even though Peter has fails miserably Jesus doesn’t forsake him but returns to forgive Peter and trusts him with the great responsibility of building the church. Peter’s failure was not final and neither is ours if we humble ourselves and ask forgiveness.
Failing to follow through on my good intentions to care for my garden may be one of my smaller failures, but I am thankful for the many opportunities God gives me to redeem myself and try again.
Today’s passage gives new meaning to a little poem I heard many years ago:
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer to God’s heart in the garden
Than anywhere else on earth.[Dorothy Gurney]
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
The last few weeks I have been busy pulling weeds, planting seedlings, filling planters and mulching. Right now the vegetable garden looks pretty good with rows of onions, cabbage, and a few tomato and pepper plants. But I am debating about whether or not to plant cucumbers and zucchini. Every year I plant these vines and carefully tend them as they grow and start to set fruit.
But usually around July I stop watching them so carefully. When I finally think to check on them I find the vines have been attacked by borers, leaving the plants wilted, brown blobs. My more dedicated gardening friends who diligently check their gardens every day are able to spot the first signs of infestation and intervene so the plants can survive. But even though I begin every year with the best of intentions to do a better job tending the plants I eventually get distracted by other things or would rather the spend the evening in my air conditioned house.
I definitely fall short when it comes to being a good gardener. I know I miss the mark other ways as well and I don’t like it when I let myself or someone else down. In today’s scripture Peter vehemently promises to be there for Jesus, a man he has loved and followed for three years, no matter what. But good intentions aren’t enough. We know that before the evening is over he will deny knowing Jesus, not once but three times. Even though Peter has fails miserably Jesus doesn’t forsake him but returns to forgive Peter and trusts him with the great responsibility of building the church. Peter’s failure was not final and neither is ours if we humble ourselves and ask forgiveness.
Failing to follow through on my good intentions to care for my garden may be one of my smaller failures, but I am thankful for the many opportunities God gives me to redeem myself and try again.
Today’s passage gives new meaning to a little poem I heard many years ago:
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer to God’s heart in the garden
Than anywhere else on earth.[Dorothy Gurney]
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120---------------------
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