Reflecting on Matthew 26:69-75
“He began to call down curses, and swore to them, ‘I don’t know the man!’” (Matthew 26:74)
As a follower of Jesus, I am sometimes asked about what I believe.
These situations are never dangerous, like Peter was facing here.
But sometimes my reputation might be at risk, how people view me.
I can’t say that I am the best witness for Jesus.
But I am not afraid to say that I know Jesus.
The Jesus I see in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John inspires me.
I don’t mind talking about this Jesus.
I am more hesitant when it comes to talking about the churchy Jesus.
When I hear some churches and christians describe Jesus, I think to myself…
“I don’t know the man!” (that is, the Jesus they believe in).
The Jesus I know is much more gracious and forgiving.
The Jesus in the bible welcomes strugglers and sinners like me.
Peter is the perfect example of this.
Think about how he calls down curses on himself.
The Greek word is anathematize, to put himself under a curse.
He also adds to this curse an oath: ‘I swear to God…
‘I swear to God, and may God curse me if I am lying…’
This is the same Peter who said he would NOT deny Jesus (26:35).
Jesus knows Peter and what he does here, yet he still accepts him.
He will restore this Peter three times, for every time he fails (John 21:15ff).
He will build His church on this unstable rock (Matthew 16:16-18).
This is the Jesus I know from the bible: radically patient and gracious.
This is not the Jesus I experience from many churches and christians.
As I said before, I don’t mind sharing about the Jesus in the bible.
This Jesus drew sinners and strugglers to himself.
The weak, the flawed, the foolish, the outcasts were drawn to Jesus.
It was only the self-confident religious people that resisted this Jesus.
And it was these same people Jesus warned with his woes (Matthew 23).
If you have failed Jesus, if you have put yourself under a curse.
If your life is a mess, if you’ve made unwise choices.
Be assured, Jesus still welcomes you, and wants to bless and help you.
Don’t let the church tell you otherwise, with their judgy, churchy Jesus.
Jesus knows our weakness and that we need help; this is why He came!
Memorize John 3:17, the often forgotten verse after John 3:16.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in the final judgment.
But based on Jesus’s woes, I believe it is religious people who need to beware.
Jesus will be amazingly gracious and merciful to people…
Except to those who refuse to be amazingly gracious and merciful to others.
Lord Jesus, when I read about You in the bible, I don’t hesitate to say, ‘I know this man! Use me to introduce others to this man, so that they too can experience Your amazingly gracious heart when we struggle, fail or even curse ourselves.