Insightful Musings on theScriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Greetings, dear ones.
Not much space for a routine this morning. I couldn’t even eat any food or drink any coffee like normal. I was slated for my annual physical with my primary care doctor—who is a lady—including a fasting blood draw so they could monitor what’s making me tick. I’m kind of amusing myself right now with how I could have messed up your head by beginning something like this: “At one point this morning I was stark naked in the presence of two women.” Becki was there too. Anyway, the doctor confirms that I’m still in pretty good shape for an old guy. But now I’m kind of mad at Becki. She blurted out in that conference that I’ve never had a colonoscopy. Big mouth. Now one is to be scheduled. Yippee!
The two little boys were delivered here this morning at 6:30am. At present, Nick is napping, and Kaden is playing at and in the creek with Thano.
I did an early start on this devotional, but didn’t finish. It captured enough attention to motivate me to finish it after lunch. Sorry, though—it’s a little long.
Have a blessed rest of the day.
Love, Dad/Ray.
This reading seems to produce almost more questions than it offers answers for me. We are given a little keyhole glimpse into the spirit realm—a dimension that earth-bound humans cannot know much about. It offers a tiny piece of insight into how evil works. “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” Satan asked who? The fact that Jesus even knows about this helps to answer that question—helps to confirm his deity. What is meant by sifting? Does this imply that Satan has to get permission before he is free to launch his deceitful evil tricks against humans? It calls to memory the disclosure concerning Satan back in the book of Job (Job 1:6-12). In the case of Job, God was obviously for him while Satan was against him. In the case of Peter, Jesus is for him, and prays for him, while Satan is against him. That’s probably about the size of it for all of us.
Earlier in this chapter, we’re given another behind-the-scene diabolical insight concerning another puzzling person. “Then Satan entered Judas” (v. 3). That’s pretty spooky! Let’s spook on and presume that Satan was given permission to do so. But why didn’t Jesus pray for Judas so that his “faith may not fail” like He did for Peter? (Then again, why does God need to pray anyway? Pray to Whom? I think may be further evidence of the Trinity.)
May I suggest that the major point of distinction between Peter and Judas had everything to do with their embracing or not embracing a personal HEART AFTER GOD. Peter did while Judas did not. Having that essential internal quality does not necessarily void out one’s personality or even all of one’s stupid. But it does support one enough through the struggling bumps and bruises to prevent having a total faith failure. We can’t be sure, but it’s possible that Judas never really had a HEART AFTER GOD in the first place, so his faith may have already been in failure mode.
Now hang on that last sentence—“And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Without attempting to read a bunch of commentaries or research the nuances of original language, I’m going to attempt to put forth an amplified paraphrase of what I think was really in Jesus’ mind: “My beloved Peter—like it or not, human failure is an essential ingredient for preventing FAITH FAILURE. You’re about to taste this truth big time. You’re going to hit hard and it’s going to be tough. But as you maintain your basic HEART AFTER GOD through it all, and learn vital lessons from your fall, I will be supporting you. But even after your recovery, please don’t waste your failure by blowing it off or just keeping it to yourself, rather use it as a point of compassion and support to help your brothers and sisters going through the same process so that their faith may not fail.”
And now I have another question: Why are my own eyes filling with tears? I don’t get it. Is it possible that I’ve just bumped into one of the most neglected ministries available to us all?—that of acknowledging and making use of our own failures as points of contact for helping others? I wonder.