In the midst of one of Christianity’s greatest
events, the Lord’s final Passover with his disciple’s, we find not only a
beautiful pattern for celebrating our Savior’s sacrificial death, but also the
harsh reality of human relationships. We often forget that the tragic existence
of a traitor was revealed, the disciple’s fought over who would be the
greatest, and Jesus foreshadowed Peter’s trifold denial. This is certainly not the nice and neat
package that we celebrate in our padded pews.
Jesus explains to Peter, the soon to be leader of
the universal church of Jesus Christ, that he was going to be sifted by
satan. The word “sifted” implies a real
beating, the necessary process of getting rid of all that would hinder wheat
from becoming wonderful and nutritious bread.
God, “What is there in my heart
that must be beaten away in order to be useful in your plan for the spread of
the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.”
Something dangerous has crept into our developed-world
understanding of following Jesus. We
have somehow bought into the “health and wealth” subtleties of comfort and
entitlement. No problems or discomfort
need to creep into our daily lives. Everything is going to work out just
fine. As a result, we are incredulous
when difficulties come and Santa Claus
God doesn’t give us everything that we have placed on our Amazon wish-lists.
