Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Matthew 26:57-58
57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.
In Matthew 26, we see the beloved Jesus, son of the living God seized and arrested, set to go on trial for blasphemy. His crime? Blasphemy. The religious leaders of the day had enough of Jesus’ teaching, and His statements equating Himself to God. They thought he was a crazy man who was blaspheming the name of their God who deserved to pay. As we know Jesus was not lying. He was God in the flesh and His subsequent death, burial and resurrection was for all mankind, including the religious leaders who falsely accused and sent Him to the cross.
However, in the midst of the arrest narrative of Jesus, we see an interesting development take place. In verse 58 we see when Jesus is arrested, the disciple Peter is following behind at a distance. What’s interesting is that just a few verses earlier in Matthew 26:35 he led the charge telling Jesus that he would never leave Jesus! Yet we find him in vs. 58 following Jesus from a distance. As a matter of fact it talks about him being far away. At one time Peter was following close to the Lord Jesus absorbing every word, but now he is following Him from a distance.
This same reality can happen in our lives as well if we are not careful. We can find ourselves drifting away from the Lord. One day we are on fire for Him and it seems as though He is right in front of us; the next it seems as though we find ourselves far away from Him, following Him at a distance. We go from spending every day in the Word and in prayer, to neglecting those spiritual disciplines and only attending church every once in a while.
I have found in my life that in these seasons of life when I drift, it is due to taking my eyes off Jesus and setting them on something else in my life. Hebrews 12 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus. We need to choose to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus because here is the truth: When your eyes begin to wander, your faith in Him will begin to waver.
So here is the question for you today: At what distance are you following Jesus? Have you drifted from Him here lately and have decided to follow Him at a distance? If so the good news is that you do not have to stay drifting. Listen, you can return to that close fellowship with the Lord. You can walk in that intimate relationship with Him again. You can return to Him. We see that take place in the life of Peter. After Peter denies Christ three times he goes back to his old life, Jesus meets Peter where he is and forgives/restores him and we see Peter become a pillar for the first century church in the book of Acts. Jesus is still in the business of forgiving and restoring drifters. Choose to repent and run back to Him today!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your love for me! I repent for the times I drift away from You. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You and to see the importance of my personal relationship with You. Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.