Luke 22:31-38
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Look back over Jesus’ declaration of the upside-down nature of God’s Kingdom in Luke 22:25-30, and then read today’s passage, Luke 22:31-38.
Peter – the disciple whose passion for Jesus led him to declare Jesus as “the Messiah sent from God (Luke 9:19-20),” the one among Jesus’ followers who always verbalized what the others were thinking, the one to whom God spoke on the mountain of transfiguration - this impulsive, sometimes rash but always fervently committed follower of Jesus has been singled out by Satan.
We cannot see behind the curtain to know what Jesus sees and understands as he gives this warning to Peter, but we can rest assured that Jesus can and will take even the assaults of evil and turn them around for good in our lives. Peter is about to learn what it means to be “poor in spirit” and completely dependent on the mercy and grace of God.
Spend some time contemplating these words written by the Apostle Paul to Jesus followers in and around Rome:
“…the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” – Romans 8:26-28
Share your thoughts and feelings about this with Jesus.
Read Luke 22:31-38 again.
In just a few weeks, a newly refined Peter, full of the Spirit of Jesus, will inaugurate Jesus’ Church with a prophetic sermon on the day of Pentecost. Ultimately, he will give his life for the sake of Jesus and the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Peter will become great by becoming the servant of all.
For the final moments of this time of reflection, recall Jesus’ words about poverty and then listen to Jesus:
“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.” – Luke 6:20
What might Jesus be calling you to do today?
What will you do in response?
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