Who do You Say that I Am?
Each day of Holy Week we feature devotionals written by our church members. Today’s post comes from Keith Pitman!
Luke 22:47-62
Central to this passage is Jesus’ arrest and removal from Gethsemane during the last days of his life on earth. This passage is also “Bookended” by two of His disciples, both of whom expected different outcomes from this encounter. Both were called by Jesus and had been followers of Him for about seventeen chapters (over two years). They had daily walked with Him, talked with Him, and saw Him perform miracles. They had fellowship with Him and knew Him personally. Today we look at a Tale of Two Disciples. A tale that has very different endings. In Jesus’ final hours on earth a calculating Judas Iscariot betrayed Him; while impulsive Simon Peter denied knowing Him three times. One life ended tragically, one was dramatically changed. In these few verses we see the power of choice and the strength of redemption.
A choice that leads to remorse and death
That night Judas brought the soldiers and Jewish officials to a place where Jesus often met with the Twelve. When Judas approached Jesus with a kiss, Jesus asked, “Would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” What was Judas thinking? How had Satan tempted him? We may never know. It appears Judas never understood who Jesus really was, he never caught on to the true meaning of His teachings, and he never found salvation. Somehow, he fooled others but he didn’t fool Jesus. Judas missed the point and no one questioned him, even at the end. Judas’ real nature and intent as a disciple is explained by the apostle John (John 12:6). Judas never dealt with the sin in his life. He had regrets, he showed remorse, he was sorry, but not enough to repent.
A choice that leads though denial to repentance and life
Almost a year earlier, when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”, Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” (Matthew 16:15-16).
God’s work in Peter allowed him to understand the truth about Jesus. In the Garden, impetuous Peter cut off the right ear of a servant of the High Priest to defend his Savior. Jesus healed the servant’s ear. When Jesus was led away, “Peter followed at a distance”. He denied being a follower of Jesus three times. Then, when the rooster crowed, Jesus looked at Peter, and he remembered the warning (Luke 22:34). Peter wept bitterly and repented. Peter didn’t let his sinfulness keep him from Jesus. In time, he went from being a head-strong follower to a Spirit-filled leader.
Jesus came to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). At some point in life, every person needs to wrestle with Jesus’ question:
“Who do YOU say that I am?”
Lord Jesus,
I pray that the story of these two men will make us focus on your finished work. Help us to learn from your Word, and one another, who You are in order that we will boldly share You with others. Amen