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Questions in this GPS marked with Ø are particularly recommended for group discussion. Group leaders may add other discussion questions, or substitute other questions for the marked ones, at their discretion.
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"Peter drew his sword"
Friday, 15 September 2017
Luke 22:49 When his followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we use our swords?” 50 One of them struck at the slave of the cohen hagadol and cut off his right ear. 51 But Yeshua answered, “Just let me do this,” and, touching the man’s ear, he healed him., John 18:3 So Y’hudah went there, taking with him a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple guards provided by the head cohanim and the P’rushim; they carried weapons, lanterns and torches. 4 Yeshua, who knew everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Whom do you want?” 5 “Yeshua from Natzeret,” they answered. He said to them, “I AM.” Also standing with them was Y’hudah, the one who was betraying him. 6 When he said, “I AM,” they went backward from him and fell to the ground. 7 So he inquired of them once more, “Whom do you want?” and they said, “Yeshua from Natzeret.” 8 “I told you, ‘I AM,’” answered Yeshua, “so if I’m the one you want, let these others go.” 9 This happened so that what he had said might be fulfilled, “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”
10 Then Shim‘on Kefa, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his right ear; the slave’s name was Melekh. 11 Yeshua said to Kefa, “Put your sword back in its scabbard! This is the cup the Father has given me; am I not to drink it?”
12 So the detachment of Roman soldiers and their captain, together with the Temple Guard of the Judeans, arrested Yeshua, tied him up,
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Led by Judas, what seems an absurdly large force arrived to arrest Jesus. Peter, who said, “I’ll give up my life for you” (John 13:37), bravely drew his sword to defend Jesus. Had he kept fighting, he’d likely have died. (Living for Jesus proved the harder task.) Luke, probably showing his physician’s heart (cf. Colossians 4:14), recorded that even amid all that turmoil, Jesus paused to heal the ear that Peter’s slightly misaimed blow had cut off.
Ø Later Jesus told the Roman procurator Pilate, ““My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight…. My kingdom isn’t from here.” Peter tried to fight, and Jesus stopped him. We still live in a world where violence often feels like the only viable response to evil. Is it? To what extent do you believe Jesus was right, and to what extent was his situation different from “real life”?
• Think about the man Malchus. “A personal servant of the high priest could wield much authority, including over the temple police.” * The text didn’t follow him further. Do you imagine that, with his ear restored by Jesus’ healing touch, he stayed busy the next day arranging Jesus’ execution? Might that experience have so altered his outlook that, if not immediately, perhaps by the day of Pentecost he was part of the group who responded to Peter’s preaching by joining the Jesus movement (cf. Acts 2:36-41)?
Prayer: King Jesus, when I see things that seem wrong, I so readily use words like “destroy,” “smash” or even “nuke.” But even as you faced the cross, you tried to stop the cycle of violence, not feed it. Teach me more about your ways, your kingdom. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 241308-241309). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
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Ginger Rothhaas
Ginger is a graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Rob have a son, a daughter, and a high energy dog. She loves writing, conversations over coffee, and teaching spiritual classes.
I don’t know what to make of the story of Peter slicing the arresting officer’s ear off. This one baffles me on many levels. All four gospels tell this story (which usually means we need to pay attention), Peter was carrying a sword (which may have been against Roman law for a Jew to be armed), Peter having a weapon is strange because Jesus was all about non-violence, and this story falls between Judas betraying Jesus and Peter denying association with Jesus. None of it makes sense--except that it was something that apparently happened. To prepare for this blog assignment, I did some research. I chased some proverbial rabbit trails, and yet found that scholars and theologians are all over the board on interpreting this story too.
Yet, as I read it once more, I noticed something I hadn’t noticed before…
I realized that this is the last miracle that Jesus performs on earth. This miracle of reattaching a man’s bloody ear is the last healing story we have in his physical ministry. A miracle granted to a supposed enemy.
I assume Malchus was in shock and pain. The mob was likely ready to attack Peter…but, I imagine a freeze frame in the action where Jesus walks over, picks up a bloody ear and seals it back into place.
How is it that this scene did not immediately degrade into a full-blown riot? There is something super-natural happening here. Jesus transcends violence, human behavior, weapons, bodily harm, and betrayal. He performs a miracle of compassion.
I think the miracle we are witnessing here is an intentional teaching moment. Jesus is always teaching. Jesus is showing the disciples, and us, how to live, even in the scariest, most violent of times.
Love, not fear.
We are called to stop the cycle of violence. We are called to right the wrong. We are called to stop the hurting of our enemies, our own families, our co-workers, our neighbors, ourselves.
Peter was scared and hurt another person. A child of God hurt a child of God. Threatened people hurt people. Loved people heal people. Jesus knew he was love. Peter forgot.
You are love. Don’t forget. Love.
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“Peter went out and cried uncontrollably”
Saturday, 16 September 2017
John 18:15-18, 25-27, Luke 22:59-62
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Let’s review: of all the disciples, only Peter walked on water (Matthew 14:28-29). He was the first to say flat out that Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 8:27-29). On this fateful evening, Luke wrote, “Lord,” Peter said, “I’m ready to go with you, both to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33) Yet, when the crunch came, he wasn’t, in fact, “ready.” He discovered that Jesus knew him better than he knew himself. He was no coward—but he was a human being facing kinds of pressure he’d never faced, and didn’t anticipate.
• Pastor Adam Hamilton wrote, “The incident [Peter’s denial] is one of the few that is mentioned in all Four Gospels…. It was not included to embarrass Peter…. The gospel writers knew the story because Peter must have regularly told the awful truth of that episode himself.” * Has pressure ever led you to be ashamed of and to hide your allegiance to Jesus? What do you think Peter saw in Jesus’ eyes when Jesus looked straight at him that broke his heart (and may have preserved his eternal life)? When have you grown through a failure that God’s grace enabled you to embrace and learn from?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, like Peter, I need to keep learning things about myself, finding room to grow even in areas I thought I had mastered. Thank you for your ongoing grace, for nudging me to grow even in places where I may think I’m done growing. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, 24 Hours that Changed the World. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009, p. 58. Family Activity: Jesus often shows us the power of forgiveness. Blow up one balloon for each family member. Place them in the center of the room. Invite each family member to choose one balloon and a marker. Ask each person to draw a picture or write words representing something they have done wrong. Read I John 1:9 aloud. Explain that this means that no matter what we do, we can tell God we are sorry and God forgives us. Pray together, asking God to forgive what is written on your balloons. After you pray, have each person pop his or her balloon, representing God forgiving and forgetting your sin. Continue until each person has popped their balloon. Thank God for forgiving our sins.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Christy Bradley and family on the death of her mother Carolyn McDonald, 9/6
• Julie Allison and family on the death of her mother Barbara Jean Allison, 9/5
•Clay Patterson and family on the death of his step-mother Jeanne Lillig-Patterson, 9/4
•Karl Neybert and Anne Marie Wells and families on the death of their father Gregory Neybert, 9/2
•Cathy AuBuchon and family on the death of her husband Jim AuBuchon, 9/1
•Nancy Kilpatrick and family on the death of her father Jim Merritt, 8/30
• Marcy Henderson and family on the death of her mother Margery “Midge” White, 8/30
•Bonnie Gleason and family on the death of her brother Bobby Ray Thomason, 8/11
"Peter drew his sword"
Friday, 15 September 2017
Luke 22:49 When his followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we use our swords?” 50 One of them struck at the slave of the cohen hagadol and cut off his right ear. 51 But Yeshua answered, “Just let me do this,” and, touching the man’s ear, he healed him., John 18:3 So Y’hudah went there, taking with him a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple guards provided by the head cohanim and the P’rushim; they carried weapons, lanterns and torches. 4 Yeshua, who knew everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Whom do you want?” 5 “Yeshua from Natzeret,” they answered. He said to them, “I AM.” Also standing with them was Y’hudah, the one who was betraying him. 6 When he said, “I AM,” they went backward from him and fell to the ground. 7 So he inquired of them once more, “Whom do you want?” and they said, “Yeshua from Natzeret.” 8 “I told you, ‘I AM,’” answered Yeshua, “so if I’m the one you want, let these others go.” 9 This happened so that what he had said might be fulfilled, “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”
10 Then Shim‘on Kefa, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his right ear; the slave’s name was Melekh. 11 Yeshua said to Kefa, “Put your sword back in its scabbard! This is the cup the Father has given me; am I not to drink it?”
12 So the detachment of Roman soldiers and their captain, together with the Temple Guard of the Judeans, arrested Yeshua, tied him up,
-------
Led by Judas, what seems an absurdly large force arrived to arrest Jesus. Peter, who said, “I’ll give up my life for you” (John 13:37), bravely drew his sword to defend Jesus. Had he kept fighting, he’d likely have died. (Living for Jesus proved the harder task.) Luke, probably showing his physician’s heart (cf. Colossians 4:14), recorded that even amid all that turmoil, Jesus paused to heal the ear that Peter’s slightly misaimed blow had cut off.
Ø Later Jesus told the Roman procurator Pilate, ““My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight…. My kingdom isn’t from here.” Peter tried to fight, and Jesus stopped him. We still live in a world where violence often feels like the only viable response to evil. Is it? To what extent do you believe Jesus was right, and to what extent was his situation different from “real life”?
• Think about the man Malchus. “A personal servant of the high priest could wield much authority, including over the temple police.” * The text didn’t follow him further. Do you imagine that, with his ear restored by Jesus’ healing touch, he stayed busy the next day arranging Jesus’ execution? Might that experience have so altered his outlook that, if not immediately, perhaps by the day of Pentecost he was part of the group who responded to Peter’s preaching by joining the Jesus movement (cf. Acts 2:36-41)?
Prayer: King Jesus, when I see things that seem wrong, I so readily use words like “destroy,” “smash” or even “nuke.” But even as you faced the cross, you tried to stop the cycle of violence, not feed it. Teach me more about your ways, your kingdom. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 241308-241309). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
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Ginger RothhaasGinger is a graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Rob have a son, a daughter, and a high energy dog. She loves writing, conversations over coffee, and teaching spiritual classes.
I don’t know what to make of the story of Peter slicing the arresting officer’s ear off. This one baffles me on many levels. All four gospels tell this story (which usually means we need to pay attention), Peter was carrying a sword (which may have been against Roman law for a Jew to be armed), Peter having a weapon is strange because Jesus was all about non-violence, and this story falls between Judas betraying Jesus and Peter denying association with Jesus. None of it makes sense--except that it was something that apparently happened. To prepare for this blog assignment, I did some research. I chased some proverbial rabbit trails, and yet found that scholars and theologians are all over the board on interpreting this story too.
Yet, as I read it once more, I noticed something I hadn’t noticed before…
I realized that this is the last miracle that Jesus performs on earth. This miracle of reattaching a man’s bloody ear is the last healing story we have in his physical ministry. A miracle granted to a supposed enemy.
I assume Malchus was in shock and pain. The mob was likely ready to attack Peter…but, I imagine a freeze frame in the action where Jesus walks over, picks up a bloody ear and seals it back into place.
How is it that this scene did not immediately degrade into a full-blown riot? There is something super-natural happening here. Jesus transcends violence, human behavior, weapons, bodily harm, and betrayal. He performs a miracle of compassion.
I think the miracle we are witnessing here is an intentional teaching moment. Jesus is always teaching. Jesus is showing the disciples, and us, how to live, even in the scariest, most violent of times.
Love, not fear.
We are called to stop the cycle of violence. We are called to right the wrong. We are called to stop the hurting of our enemies, our own families, our co-workers, our neighbors, ourselves.
Peter was scared and hurt another person. A child of God hurt a child of God. Threatened people hurt people. Loved people heal people. Jesus knew he was love. Peter forgot.
You are love. Don’t forget. Love.
-------
“Peter went out and cried uncontrollably”
Saturday, 16 September 2017
John 18:15-18, 25-27, Luke 22:59-62
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Let’s review: of all the disciples, only Peter walked on water (Matthew 14:28-29). He was the first to say flat out that Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 8:27-29). On this fateful evening, Luke wrote, “Lord,” Peter said, “I’m ready to go with you, both to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33) Yet, when the crunch came, he wasn’t, in fact, “ready.” He discovered that Jesus knew him better than he knew himself. He was no coward—but he was a human being facing kinds of pressure he’d never faced, and didn’t anticipate.
• Pastor Adam Hamilton wrote, “The incident [Peter’s denial] is one of the few that is mentioned in all Four Gospels…. It was not included to embarrass Peter…. The gospel writers knew the story because Peter must have regularly told the awful truth of that episode himself.” * Has pressure ever led you to be ashamed of and to hide your allegiance to Jesus? What do you think Peter saw in Jesus’ eyes when Jesus looked straight at him that broke his heart (and may have preserved his eternal life)? When have you grown through a failure that God’s grace enabled you to embrace and learn from?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, like Peter, I need to keep learning things about myself, finding room to grow even in areas I thought I had mastered. Thank you for your ongoing grace, for nudging me to grow even in places where I may think I’m done growing. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, 24 Hours that Changed the World. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009, p. 58. Family Activity: Jesus often shows us the power of forgiveness. Blow up one balloon for each family member. Place them in the center of the room. Invite each family member to choose one balloon and a marker. Ask each person to draw a picture or write words representing something they have done wrong. Read I John 1:9 aloud. Explain that this means that no matter what we do, we can tell God we are sorry and God forgives us. Pray together, asking God to forgive what is written on your balloons. After you pray, have each person pop his or her balloon, representing God forgiving and forgetting your sin. Continue until each person has popped their balloon. Thank God for forgiving our sins.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Christy Bradley and family on the death of her mother Carolyn McDonald, 9/6
• Julie Allison and family on the death of her mother Barbara Jean Allison, 9/5
•Clay Patterson and family on the death of his step-mother Jeanne Lillig-Patterson, 9/4
•Karl Neybert and Anne Marie Wells and families on the death of their father Gregory Neybert, 9/2
•Cathy AuBuchon and family on the death of her husband Jim AuBuchon, 9/1
•Nancy Kilpatrick and family on the death of her father Jim Merritt, 8/30
• Marcy Henderson and family on the death of her mother Margery “Midge” White, 8/30
•Bonnie Gleason and family on the death of her brother Bobby Ray Thomason, 8/11
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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