Bible Reading: Luke 22
Luke 22:62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
Why was Peter weeping? He had been sifted like wheat and it looked like he was nothing but chaff! He had failed his Lord. Just as Jesus had told him, Peter had denied the Lord on the very same night that Peter had declared that he was willing to go to jail with Jesus and even to die with him! Now he stood outside the high priest’s house and wept bitterly. It is interesting to me that Jesus knew what Peter would do and the sifting that Peter was to go through. He also said he had prayed for him.
Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
The only way Peter was able to withstand the sifting from Satan was the fact that Jesus had prayed for him. His faith would falter, but it would not fail!
Let us look at another time that someone wept in Scripture.
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
Outside the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus was groaning in spirit. The people did not believe. His friend Lazarus was dead and he was there to show the power of the resurrection. As I think of the times when people weep, it is interesting. We weep when we grieve. We weep when we lose of fail. Jesus weeps over the lack of faith in himself.
Our sins cause us to weep. Our sins cause Jesus to weep. He has no failure or sin to weep over. He weeps over ours! I suppose one aspect of being Christ-like is when we begin to weep more for others than we do for ourselves!
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
In Christ,
Rody
