I will read God’s Word. This is the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26.
“Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”(Matthew 26:33-41).
We live our lives, move on, year after year, different things interest us, we master new professions, conquer new areas of life, solve some tasks and problems, but what does Jesus Himself mean to us at this time? In my season right now, I’m interested in Jesus. And although my close people are always with me – this is you, brothers and sisters, this is God’s House, and I am happy that I chose it, I have no other life, I have one life – life in the House of God – but I am interested in Jesus.
It’s weird for me to be called a priest or a pastor; these are titles that make me neither better nor worse. You can make advantage of them, but they don’t bring intimacy, and sometimes they take us further away, because I am not a pastor before Him. Who am I before Him? – Son, just a little son. That’s it, no other thing I desire.
“Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” What was in Peter’s heart? This statement – why did he speak such words about others, why does he use others to affirm himself? Why do you touch others if you haven’t done it yourself? Then you fell face down so that no other disgraced himself like you did…
What was in him? It was he who was already a shepherd – after he had been declared an Apostle, after he had raised the dead, showed miracles, when the Lord had named him Cephas. What was happening to him led him to the point that in Gethsemane he was most foolish of all. Do you understand? You live your life with Christ and turn out to be stupid..
“Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” And yes, he was speaking the truth, this blazing impulse, he released it and admired himself. “Jesus answered him”… I wonder how He answered him? Quietly, whispering or out loud? Whether He said it fast or slow, I’m interested in Jesus, I’m very interested in Jesus! Think about it! How interested you are in Jesus – all of Him, in all manifestations, and even as the Son of Man.
I feel the dimension of the Son of Man here. We must be real. Jesus delves, He penetrates. Why? – Because He loves.
I wonder how Jesus said these words to him: “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” I wonder if Jesus cried after that or not? Were His eyes filled with tears? I am sure that there was no sarcasm, a shadow of revenge or reproach – any feeling that Peter would “snatch” and it would make him doubt Him. Jesus looked quietly through Peter to Cephas.
We think that it was Peter who got into such a “trouble”, that this is not us, thank God. But we can do this several times every day. When? Is there anyone among you who has slipped several times today? You stood, but you slipped! How stupid it is to feel ashamed because you slipped! How absurd! But religion does just that. It punishes.
What does it mean to deny? This is when we go a different way than we believe. Be it the most harmless things. And when conscience condemns us and we go against it, isn’t this the same thing as denial?!
Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
Oh, Peter! Arguing with Jesus… Why did you have to say this and swear? Jesus did not force them to answer. The “worship service” when they all started vowing to God that they loved Him with all their might. Think – a conflict situation occurred with Peter – and everyone starts “yelling.”
“Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane and says to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there” (Matthew 26:36).
I wouldn’t like to hear such words. If you go with Him, then go. If John had come and asked Jesus to go with Him, He would have said, “Come!”
“And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then Jesus said to them: “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death; stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed saying: “O My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:37-39).
No longer “Our Father”, but “My”. What was inside? This is the diamond prayer that can end all our prayers. When we pray with pretentious prayers, with various ideas that will “save humanity in our one generation” (“not through us, of course), we can always add at the end – “… nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will!” Try it! And everything falls apart at once, everything falls into place.
It seems to me that this is the highest glory – just to be with Him, the highest mountain that can be in a person’s life. But He says: “Feed the lambs if you love,” that is, go to people.
You need to break yourself, not keep! Scripture says He is a stumbling block to both houses of Israel. Whoever falls on this Stone will be broken, and whoever the Stone falls on will be crushed.
That’s what we’ve got to do – break ourselves. This is contrite spirit. It has to br this term “fall” – and not to come over and hug a “soft pillow” that keeps you warm, so as not to catch a cold. To break against the Stone and allow Him to put you together in a new way. I think that if we do not interfere with Him, He will gather a new man. This is not an improved version of the old man, this is not a corrected version after training. This is a new man.
For me it is so precious when we look at Him. We can see Him in each other too, when He is manifested. This is wonderful.
It seems to me that when we look at Jesus, Jesus looks through us, because there is a radiance in this Divine dance. How else? How else can we love Jesus if we don’t see Him? We don’t feed on energy and then run to give it out into the world. Only in a mystical connection, in this union, can we manifest Him.
It is said that “He began to be exceedingly sorrowful and deeply distressed.” Lord, why are you so sorrowful? How can we help you? Shall I give you a second blanket? Maybe I should sit down and take your hand? Well, at least that way. But they didn’t. They struggled with sleep. It was hard. The atmosphere was very heavy: Jesus was in doubt! What could be more terrible – the Lord sits and cries, and yearns, and grieves. Little children saw their strong dad sitting helplessly, broken.
“Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?” (Matthew 26:38-40).
What does one expect? Peter has just sworn – he got tired, had wasted a lot of energy.
“Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 40-41).
This is the Word to us today. Today is the time for wisdom. It’s not that strength is neglected, no. But it is not strength that is ahead, it is wisdom that is ahead. Scripture says that strength is not so strong without wisdom. It is written that when the ax becomes dull, you have to take a lot of effort, but there is little result. But wisdom can correct this and bring success.
Ask for wisdom, because this is the time of wisdom. It is not for nothing that Paul, looking at the Ephesians, says such words that he still needs to reveal many secrets to them – about the glory of grace or about the praise of the glory of grace. Can you tell what this is about? You don’t know and will not know until God answers Paul’s prayer that God would give the spirit of wisdom and revelation. And only through Him will we understand what a glorious inheritance is expected for the saints, what greatness of His power is in us. But where can I get it? You can’t overcome sin yet. Therefore, the Spirit of revelation is required.
This is the time of the wise. The book of Daniel says that the wise will turn many from unrighteousness and will shine like the stars – it is the wise who will be made white in difficult times and get stronger and act. It doesn’t say faithful and strong, it says wise.
We need this today. Remember: this is the time of the mantle of wisdom.
To watch means to be sober, it is keeping the most important things in the main place. I think that this “drunk, rallying” spirit is when the values, this Divine pillar, are removed, and Babylon from Lego begins. They put pieces here and there, but the picture doesn’t fit together. The puzzles fit, but the picture is Babylonian. When the puzzles fit correctly, the face of Christ will be there – in everything you do, in everything you go. The face of Christ will be everywhere!
Spring! It is so important that spring blooms in our spirit! This is first love, a blooming garden, a deer leaping over the mountains, Divine enthusiasm. Maybe we need to fall on His bosom? Think about it.
Let’s break against Jesus. Let’s stop trying to look someone and being someone. It feels vulnerable at first. You will find yourself vulnerable and in a dangerous position – it’s like taking off an old shell. But new things are growing. This time of changing clothes is a tough one, sometimes with blood. The old must depart from us.
And when we are broken against Jesus – simply “in pieces”, we just run into a wall, into a rock – we sink down, and that melancholy, the pain that was with us, descends on us. And the Lord begins to gather us in His image. But don’t resist. Let Him gather a new man.
And then spring begins to bloom. Give way to spring! Don’t prune the buds. When the soul blooms, don’t rush to fear. This is a gift to a person. This is a gift – spring!
When something begins to bloom within us, it is a gift from God. Let it be released within us. Maybe this is who God intended you to be. Maybe this is finally something you can understand and let it be?
I know that wisdom, solid food, must sound among the mature. I prayed that everyone would receive a word from Him. I pray that this wind, the sea breeze, will awaken you. So that you can feel and set your focus there. Feel the breath of spring. Yes, there is stench and smoke on the street, swearing and anger are coming from the apartments, the smell of death is pouring out. But in the midst of all this is spring. Nobody canceled it. No matter how wicked the peoples are, they have the spring. And here comes the scoundrel, and white, white snow falls on him! Isn’t this the Lord’s grace? This is Divine tenderness.
I would like to hear how My Lord, My Jesus, said it – He looks at Peter with wet eyes, because He is hurt, because He knows how Peter will then weep and cry, and Jesus cries with him, and allows him, and lets go for a while – lets go of the child’s hand, and Peter runs into the darkness.
Let’s get back to love! We are afraid to love. How could humanity fall so that we are afraid to love! We are not afraid to deceive, get crafty even in a holy place – but we are afraid to love! What happened to us?! Today I challenge us all to find the courage to love. After all, this is wonderful. And this has no law. It is written that he who loves fulfills the law. How much I want this mantle – I would clothe in it and as a holy fool go around the world – to love. Maybe someone else will follow. Saint Francis did this, followed by a train of young people, they went simply to love people. What a beauty!
You know, many young people in the streets are looking for exactly this. But they are faced with a church – gray, traditional, where correctness is more important than love, where correctness is more important than relationships. I notice in myself – I am weak! I can speak well, that’s what people say. And when I am weak in love, I am afraid to love. And I don’t know how to love – no one taught me this. Do you know how? But this is the most important thing! This is God’s commandment.
Therefore, I call all of you – no matter who you are: “Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.” (Song of Solomon 2:10-12).
Spend your life in the Divine dance and in love, even if you love when you shouldn’t, even if you love not according to the rules, even when you love, when the church format is still figuring out how to deal with it – I think this is the best song in the world!