Empty Promises - Sincere, but Empty
Matthew 26:30-35
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
Have you ever made a promise and genuinely meant to keep that promise, but didn't? We all have. The promises can range from the incredibly simple like, "I'll be there to pick you up in 10 minutes," only to arrive 30 minutes later to the profound and life changing like, "I will love you until death parts us," only to be divorced 3 years later. And we often make promises without really thinking about the ramifications of what we are promising like Peter makes to Jesus in our reading for today.
In the passion of the moment, Peter promises Jesus that he will be willing to die with Jesus, no matter what. Of course Jesus sets Peter straight on this but we know that Peter doesn't actually believe what Jesus is telling him. Of course he will go to his death for Jesus! What we know is that Peter denies Jesus and runs for the hills. It is Peter's greatest moment of pain and we get a front row seat to watch his epic failure. But we can't even find a rock to throw at Peter because we might have done exactly the same thing.
Promising faithfulness unto death is quite a promise. Some of us were asked to make that promise in our confirmation as that is a part of the confirmation rite. But if you really think about what you are promising, perhaps you wouldn't be so quick to agree! That's huge. There are almost 250,000 Christians a year who are called upon to make that sacrifice. For those of us in the United States that request is not yet being made, so it is hard for us to even imagine. While the request isn't being made, perhaps we should look at our faith and ask ourselves if it could hold up under such a demand. I would suggest that it can - but only by the grace of God and power of His Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is the One who produced that faith, He is also the One who will sustain it.
This does not refer only to threats of death. Our faith is challenged every single day by the stresses and strains of everyday life. Each of us has to depend upon the Spirit each moment to keep our faith strong and viable. That faith can be fed by remaining in the Word and faithfully talking with God about your life everyday; maybe even all day! So go ahead - promise God your faithfulness and then let Him produce it!
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
Have you ever made a promise and genuinely meant to keep that promise, but didn't? We all have. The promises can range from the incredibly simple like, "I'll be there to pick you up in 10 minutes," only to arrive 30 minutes later to the profound and life changing like, "I will love you until death parts us," only to be divorced 3 years later. And we often make promises without really thinking about the ramifications of what we are promising like Peter makes to Jesus in our reading for today.
In the passion of the moment, Peter promises Jesus that he will be willing to die with Jesus, no matter what. Of course Jesus sets Peter straight on this but we know that Peter doesn't actually believe what Jesus is telling him. Of course he will go to his death for Jesus! What we know is that Peter denies Jesus and runs for the hills. It is Peter's greatest moment of pain and we get a front row seat to watch his epic failure. But we can't even find a rock to throw at Peter because we might have done exactly the same thing.
Promising faithfulness unto death is quite a promise. Some of us were asked to make that promise in our confirmation as that is a part of the confirmation rite. But if you really think about what you are promising, perhaps you wouldn't be so quick to agree! That's huge. There are almost 250,000 Christians a year who are called upon to make that sacrifice. For those of us in the United States that request is not yet being made, so it is hard for us to even imagine. While the request isn't being made, perhaps we should look at our faith and ask ourselves if it could hold up under such a demand. I would suggest that it can - but only by the grace of God and power of His Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is the One who produced that faith, He is also the One who will sustain it.
This does not refer only to threats of death. Our faith is challenged every single day by the stresses and strains of everyday life. Each of us has to depend upon the Spirit each moment to keep our faith strong and viable. That faith can be fed by remaining in the Word and faithfully talking with God about your life everyday; maybe even all day! So go ahead - promise God your faithfulness and then let Him produce it!
Comments
Post a Comment