Our Gracious Lord
Scripture Reading: Luke 22:24-34
Jesus and the disciples had gathered for Passover in the Upper Room. How much of what was about to transpire the disciples understood is not clear. What they seemed to grasp was that whatever Jesus was talking about would somehow lead to the institution of His kingdom. Therefore, their minds quickly turned to question who among them would have the highest places in that kingdom. Their thoughts became a discussion, and the discussion became a dispute.
Jesus corrected their thinking about how greatness is achieved in the Kingdom of God. Then, with the self-centered pride of these men on full display, and with the knowledge that they would all fail by fleeing from His side, Peter even going so far as to deny his Lord, Jesus spoke a word of grateful appreciation to the elven: “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials.”
Some translations use the word “temptations.” I think “trials” is better if only because “temptations” make us think of the wilderness temptation and Jesus was alone there. What Jesus is referring to is the fact that these men stayed with Jesus when a lot of others walked away.
The events recorded in John chapter six come to mind here:
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’ (John 6:66-69)
The disciples’ service to our Lord, like our own, was full of flaws. It was an imperfect work. But as imperfect as it was, it was done out of love. And where there is a heart of love, there is acceptable service. Jesus can sift the wheat from the chaff in our service. He doesn’t throw the wheat away because it was touched by the chaff. He doesn’t even say that our past acts of love and devotion don’t count because of our future failures. He doesn’t tell Peter that his faithfulness we see demonstrated in John 6 is erased by his denials of Luke 22.
As the author of Hebrews writes:
For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name… (Hebrews 6:10)
Take heart. We all fail at many points and the Lord will certainly bring that to our attention. Out of His great love for His children, He will convict, correct, and discipline His children. But He also sees your work and the love you show for His name.
