"Table Talk"
Notes
Transcript
Tried and Proved like a Sailor
Tried and Proved like a Sailor
300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon (Tried and Proved like a Sailor (Psalm 17:3; 26:2; 66:10; Hebrews 5:8; James 1:12))
A man who has never been on board ship says, “I am a splendid sailor.” I have heard such boasting often. But I have seen that same gentleman, when we had started only a quarter of an hour, and he has learned that there is not so much of the sailor in him as he thought.In a similar manner, some people are fine Christians until they are tried and proved. They never have any doubt or fear whatsoever. But put them in the circumstances of others of God’s children, and they are the very first to show signs of weakness.
Jesus’ Last Week
Jesus’ Last Week
Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the grave after four days in some people’s mind confirmed for them that he in fact was the Messiah. Jesus has a hard conversation with Judas about the poor as he praises “the other MarY” for her act of kindness and foretold that whenever they tell the gospel, they will have to mention this act. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey as the Scriptures foretold. Jesus looks around the temple weeps like a mother hen brooding over her chick. He cleanses the temple, declaring that his house is a house of prayer, but they made it a den of thieves. He curses a fig tree, entertains guest while those he came for conspire against him. The religious leaders challenge Jesus’ authority as he taught a lesson from the withered fig tree. The question of taxes arise while other religious leaders inquire about the resurrection. He condemns the religious leaders and answers the question about the greatest commandment. He commends a widow’s gifts , predicts the destruction of the temple, and talks about his return and the end times. He predicts his own crucifixion in two days as the religious leaders seek to kill him. The disciples prepare for Passover while Judas Iscariot prepares a different fate for the master. He shares a last supper with his disciples and has “table talk” with them. At the table, one of the disciples wanted to talk about who is the greatest, to which Jesus answers the disciple in a manner that leave him perplexed. He tells them that all that is going to occur must be so that the Scripture will be fulfilled. After the supper, Jesus retires to the Mount of Olives to pray, and his disciples follow him. Tenderly tucked away in the Scripture is a very important conversation Jesus has with Peter, who would become one of the most important leaders of the church.
Request
Request
Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. The meaning of this verse is uncertain. Its interpretation is further complicated by the fact that the word translated “asked” (NIV) or “demanded” (RSV) is found nowhere else in the NT or LXX. The nearest analogy is found in Job 1–2, where Satan is permitted to test Job. This and the vocabulary in Amos 9:9 suggests the following interpretation: “Satan is seeking [a dramatic aorist] to shake you disciples violently as one sifts wheat and to cause you to fall.” The metaphor of sifting wheat should not be pressed in order to determine what is “wheat” and what is “chaff,” for this contrast is not mentioned. The use of this metaphor is simply intended to indicate the coming time of testing (cf. Luke 3:17; Amos 9:9). One should not interpret this as God’s granting a request by Satan for permission to test the disciples as in Job 1–2. The saying speaks primarily of Satan’s trying to unsettle the disciples and cause them to become unfaithful. Although Luke tended to avoid emphasizing the disciples’ failures (note his omission of Mark 8:32–33; 14:27–28, 50), he was aware of their faults and was not averse to mentioning them. The “you” here (hymas) is plural and refers to Peter and the other disciples (not Peter and Judas). By mentioning the role of Satan in Peter’s denial, Luke may have been seeking to increase his readers’ empathy toward the apostle.
“Ministry does not make you invisible; it makes you visible to our adversary, the devil.”
Reminder
Reminder
I have prayed. The “I” is emphatic. Jesus’ prayer would prove greater than Satan’s attempt to undo his disciples’ allegiance. Jesus prayed as their advocate against Satan (“the accuser”). Compare John 17:6–26; 10:27–29. For the importance of prayer and Jesus’ practice of prayer, see Introduction 8 (7). Compare 1 John 2:1, where the risen Christ continues to intercede before the Father for his followers.For you, Simon. The “you” (sou) here is singular, and Jesus’ attention turned from the disciples in general to Peter in particular.That your faith may not fail. The “that” (hina) reveals the purpose of Jesus’ prayer as well as its content. “Faith” here refers not to correct doctrinal belief but to “faithfulness.” Jesus prayed that Peter (and the other apostles) would not lose their faithfulness, i.e., their loyalty to him (cf. Luke 18:8; Acts 14:22) during this sifting period. Jesus, as well as Luke’s readers, knew that Peter would deny the Lord (Luke 22:34, 54–62). Thus the content of this prayer should not be understood as a prayer that Peter would not deny Jesus. If this were so, then Jesus’ prayer failed completely. Rather the prayer was that Peter would not disavow his allegiance and loyalty to Jesus. This Peter did not do; and the reader, who is aware of Peter’s leadership role in the early church, knows that Jesus’ prayer for Peter was answered.
“Don’t allow a momentary attack to shake your undying faithfulness to God.”
Reality
Reality
When you have turned back. The “you” is emphatic. The issue was not whether Peter would repent but what he would do after he repented. Jesus foreknew that Peter’s faith would not fail but that after his denial he would repent because he prayed for him. Although the verb (epistrephas) can mean “having physically returned” (back to Jerusalem), it must be understood here as referring to Peter’s repenting. Note how it is used together with “repent” (metanoein) in Acts 3:19; 26:20. Although turn back is not used in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32), what turning back means is described metaphorically in the action of the prodigal son (re)turning back to his father. Peter’s true faith and perseverance would be revealed in his repentance, not in his sinlessness. Strengthen your brothers. In the NT this verb frequently describes the process of helping someone grow in the Christian faith. How Peter fulfilled this is seen in Acts by his leadership in completing the number of the disciples to twelve (1:15–26), his preaching at Pentecost (2:14–40), his early preaching and leadership in Jerusalem (chaps. 3–5), and his role in the expansion of the church to Samaria (8:14–25) and to the Gentiles (chaps. 10–11; 15:7–11). “Brothers” therefore refers to more than just the other apostles and is essentially a synonym for “believers” (cf. Acts 1:15; 15:23). For the Johannine parallel to this, cf. John 21:15–19.22:33 Lord, I am ready. Compare John 13:37. For the fulfillment of the first part of Peter’s confession, cf. Acts 5:17–42; 12:1–11. The fulfillment of the latter part of his confession is not recorded in Acts but was no doubt known both to Luke and his readers. Note the parallels in Acts 21:13; 23:29.22:34 You will deny … that you know me. The Lukan account differs here slightly from Mark 14:30 and Matt 26:34. In Mark and Matthew, Peter would “disown” Jesus, whereas in Luke he would “deny knowing” Jesus. Luke may have been seeking to avoid a misconception that Peter by his denial disowned Jesus in the sense of Luke 12:9 (cf. 9:26). The fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy will be recounted in 22:54–62.
“There are times when you will experience momentary failure, but God gives you strength to return and strengthen others.”