Five Minute Friday: Opinion

Photo by Harris Vo on Unsplash

Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and free write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "opinion."

Begin.

After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?”

“Yes,” he answered.

When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?”

“From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus declared. “But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”

                                                             -Matthew 17:24-27 (BSB)

This is an interesting passage of Scripture. In it Jesus actually asks Peter’s opinion, what he thinks. Jesus likes to ask questions.

Has He ever asked you a question? I have had Him ask me questions before when He was trying to lead me to the solution to a question I had. It helped a lot.

In the above passage, He also uses the question to provide not only a solution to a current issue, but to do so in a supernatural, miraculous way.

Have you ever gone fishing before? Do you like to fish? I used to go fishing with my dad when I was a little girl. I remember because I would always get some kind of treat from the snack shop. We fished in a stocked pond. I am assuming this expedition for Peter took place in the Sea of Galilee since they were in Capernaum. But in all of my fishing trips, I have never gotten a fish that had a coin in its mouth. How would that even be possible?

Another interesting fact about this passage is that Jesus told Peter to cast a hook. This is the second time Jesus has told Peter to do something regarding fishing and a miracle happened. The first time was with the net-breaking catch of fish when Jesus called him to ministry. Do you think he was building in Peter that he was the solver of all problems?

I don’t think he needed Peter’s opinion, but He might have wanted Peter to arrive at the conclusion on his own.


Stop.

Five Minute Friday: Follow

Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and free write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "follow."

But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome-Matthew 26:58 (BSB)

Sat down with the guards? What?


I have read this story multiple times. But today, when I looked up some Scriptures for the word follow, this came up, and I noticed something new! Don’t you love when that happens?


I have always thought Peter was afraid from the get-go. He boasted after the Passover meal that he would follow the Lord to death. Remember?


Well, apparently he wasn’t lying. Or at least he didn’t think he was…and he wasn’t, at least not until the very last minute.


If you remember, the guards come to arrest Jesus. Peter apparently had a sword, and cut off the high priest servant's ear whose name was Malchus. So far, Peter is holding to his promise to Jesus.


And then they take Jesus. Peter follows, from a distance the Bible says. But then look at what happens next.

“But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome”-Matthew 26:58 (BSB)

The Berean Study Bible says he sits down with the guards. Many translations use the word “guards". Others use the word officers, and some use the word servants. I looked the word up in Greek and it means “an underling, servant.” It is often used in many other places in the Gospels and it is translated as officers, attendants, ministers, servants, and helpers.


I have often thought of Peter as losing his courage in the garden, but it doesn’t seem so. He follows Jesus, even after he cuts off Malchus’ ear. He follows Him all the way to the high priest’s courtyard. That would be inside the home’s area.


If you read further on in the story, chapter 26 moves into the religious leaders questioning Jesus. They eventually decide that He is “deserving of death.”(Matthew 26:66) Right after they decide this is when the high priest’s servant girl approaches Peter, and this is when the denial starts.


Peter had been full of courage, but the longer he sat there, it drained. Maybe he heard what was happening inside, and realized they were really going to put Jesus to death. Maybe it hadn’t been real to him. Remember at one point he had corrected Jesus and told him that He would never die. See Matthew 16:21-23. Jesus rebuked him at that moment.


Maybe Peter did not believe Jesus was really going to die, until it began to dawn on him, after his adrenaline had gone down, while sitting, waiting in the courtyard.


Why bring this up? Sometimes I think we think we know everything in Scripture, because we have heard the stories many times, especially if we have been Believers for a while. But it is always worth another look. We will learn something new about God, and something new about ourselves.


Peter followed Jesus, up to almost the very end. I love this story because it teaches us about mistakes. Even if we are moving along, doing what we are supposed to be doing, and then trip and make a mistake, the Lord knew about it before it happened. And He is not holding it against us. He still has a job for us to do. To learn more about it, read John 21 and the story of Jesus and Peter by the sea of Galilee, where they first met.


Don’t you just love this about Jesus? Keep following Him. He still has stuff for you to do.

*Have you ever had an experience like this with the Lord? I'd love to hear about it. 

Many blessings,

Beth 🌴

Names in the Life of Jesus

There have been quite a few times that I have heard people speak about women in the Bible and try to combine the different personalities, like the woman who was a great sinner, or Mary Magdalene, or Mary of Bethany. But, I think they were all individuals. I have a couple of reasons why.

The first reason was the authors were specific. They called them the names of people to whom they were connected, or linked them to the name of a specific region. Like, the mother of James and John (John 20:20) or Mary and her sister Martha (John 11:1). Mary Magdalene was most likely called that because she was from a region called Magdala. And the Syrophoenician woman was called that because that is where she was from.

Second, if something changed about them, usually the writers let us know. Like when Jesus renamed Simon. The author would state different names for one person., and Simon, who was also named Peter (Acts 10:18).

Finally, and this is opinion, I feel like we short change the ministry of Jesus when we combine persons. I believe that a lot of those people were all very interconnected, more than we know. But Jesus touched so many lives. How do I know that?

John 21:25 says, "There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written."

He's a great Jesus, and we want all their stories to be told. Because in them, we find ours.

A Foundation of Grace: Grace Gives Big Time

As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, He was standing by Lake Gennesaret. He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat."

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

“Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I’ll let down the nets.”

When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!”  For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they took,  and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Simon. “From now on you will be catching people!”  Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.-Luke 5:1-11 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

For the last few years, I have started spending more time looking at people and the way they responded to Jesus in the Gospels and the way He responded back to them.  We can learn so much about his character in this way, who he was/is, how he treated people, and this will give us insight into how he is treating us now.  Because a lot of people really don't have an accurate picture of how God is relating to them.

I was reading this story this morning and a few things about Jesus' encounter with Peter stood out to me. 

This was an early meeting of Peter and Jesus.  Peter did not yet really know Jesus based on his actions. He was not traveling with him yet. But he goes through a little transition during this meeting.

The Bible says Jesus saw two boats.  He chose to get into Peter's boat that day.

He asks Peter to push the boat out a little from the edge and then starts teaching the people.  Peter was still in the boat listening to Jesus teach.  After Jesus finishes, he tells Peter to let his nets down for a catch.  Peter doesn't think that is a good idea.  He has just fished all night, caught nothing, and doesn't believe it will do any good.  But because Jesus just told him to, he decides to do it.  He has been teaching in his boat after all. 

What Peter doesn't realize, as many of us don't, is that Grace is sitting in our boat.  Even after an encounter, it takes us a little bit to get it.

So, he lets down the net and they catch so many fish (somebody else is in the boat with Peter, but he's doing all the talking as usual) that they have to call for their partners to help and then both boats began to sink.  That is a lot of fish!!!  How many fish would it take to cause a boat to sink?  They are made to be buoyant.  They were carrying grown men and there were so many fish in the boat it started to sink!!

Peter still didn't get it completely, who Jesus was, and what he was about.  We can tell by his response to Jesus.  I plan on talking about that more later.

But, my oh my, we can learn about Jesus in this passage, and about the Grace He brings with Him.

The Grace Jesus brings gives big time! The Grace He brings is a superabundantly, overflowing, boat-sinking type of giving!

Passion in the Life of Peter

This morning I woke up thinking about passion and the life of the apostle Peter.  He started out almost afraid of Jesus.  When Jesus filled his boat full of fish, he said, "Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man." (Luke 5:8)  That didn't deter Jesus.  He told him, "From now on you will catch men." (Luke 5:10)

He was probably the most vocal of the twelve.  He said so many good things during Jesus' time on earth.  One of my favorites is when people were leaving Jesus and Jesus asked Peter and the others around him if they were going to leave Him too.  Peter says, "To whom would we go?  You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

Then, when they come to take Jesus, Peter grabs a sword and cuts Malchus' ear off.  Jesus had just told him he would deny Him three times, and Peter still defends Jesus with his whole heart. (John 18:10)

After they take Jesus away, Peter follows.  He is only one of two disciples the Bible records as being there when they are interrogating Jesus.  Then he denies Jesus.  (Matthew 26) He is not recorded as being at the cross, but we see him on Resurrection Day. (John 20)

Later when Jesus appears to them in Galilee, and the disciples are fishing.  Peter is the only one to jump out of the boat and swim to Jesus on land.  Jesus restores Peter at that point with a beautiful conversation about love, and the job He has for Peter.  He does it for Peter, not for His sake.  (John 21)

Peter is in the upper room with the 120 on the day of Pentecost, and preached an awesome message and 3000 people get saved! (Acts 2)

Later, he is responsible for the first Gentiles coming into the Church! (Acts 10) People are healed through him and one woman, Tabitha is raised from the dead! (Acts 9)  He later writes 1 & 2 Peter, two of the epistles found in our Bible today!  

It is remarkable what Jesus can do with the human heart.  He took this timid, fearful man and turned him into a man full of passion and love and a heart for His Lord!  What can He do with you and me?

but grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.- 2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)

Bare... as a Believer

Occasionally I participate in 5 Minute Friday.  Today's topic-Bare.

Begin 5 minutes......

I keep hearing this word.  Bare.  To me it means to lay open, to expose something, to get to see inside.  Sometimes I just want to bare it all on the inside, the pain, the passion, the grief, the excitement.  But if all that emotion overwhelms me, what will it do to others? 

Sometimes I feel like Elijah who has just seen the fire fall, and later is like, "Lord, just let me die."(1 Kings 19:1-12) Other times I feel close to God like David, and in the next breath am uttering his same words, "Why are you downcast oh my soul?" (Psalm 42:5) I also feel like Peter a lot who was physically with the Lord for 3 years, and in the garden, cut the soldier's ear off, anger blazing within. (John 18:10) But in the next moment, I am running on the beach, toward the Lord, and when He asks me, "Do you love me?", my heart melts and my reply is "Yes Lord!"(John 21:15-17)

As a believer, my faith is supposed to be laid bare, but what about the rest?  Is it to remain hidden?  Can  we as people of faith not handle it all?  I think not.  When we experience other's emotions laid bare, it makes us uncomfortable, or like we/they are doing something wrong.  What if, just what if, we looked up to God, the maker of our souls in these times of bareness, for comfort, peace, and direction as a small child would to a Father?  He is able to handle the bare.

End of 5 minutes.