Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Heavenly Compassion

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:31, 32, NIV)

Jesus and His disciples are sitting around the table together. They have just shared the Passover Feast and, unbeknownst to anyone but Christ, this is the eve of the Crucifixion. Jesus' heart, I'm sure, was feeling very heavy. As if that weren't enough, He has just had to referee (and not for the first time!) an argument between the men as to who was the greatest.

Jesus explains to them that they must become as servants. And then He gives them the promise and the dream of sitting on thrones in Heaven because they have stood by Him. He then turns to Peter and utters these words of prophecy about Peter's denial of Him, only a few hours away.

When we read the words, "Simon, Simon", it's easy to picture Jesus using a tone of either annoyance or frustration or disappointment as He speaks to Peter. However, the opposite is true. In the culture of that day, when a name was spoken twice in a row it showed a sense of empathy, compassion, and concern on the part of the person speaking. Even though Jesus knew that Peter was about to deny Him (not once, but three times!), He wasn't condemning Peter when He spoke these words to him. In the face of abandonment, Jesus was still able to convey a heart of love and care because He knew Peter's humanness, He knew his weaknesses and fears, and He knew his heart. In essence He was telling Peter, "I know you're going to get scared and abandon Me. I know you're going to screw up. But I've already prayed for you. I know you will turn back to Me, and when you do I want you to get right back on the job and strengthen your brothers!"

How amazing is that?!

We all have times that we fail in our walk with God. And He knows that. But rather than standing ready to condemn us, He has instead given us the Holy Spirit Who is interceding our behalf. And His message to us is the same as His message to Peter.... when we turn back around and get back in the saddle, we need to get back to work and strengthen our sisters in Christ.