October 1, 2013

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am taking the good news today from Luke 22:7-13.

When the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread arrived, the day for sacrificing the Passover lamb, he sent out Peter and John, instructing them, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” They asked him, “Where do you want us to make the preparations?” And he answered them, “When you go into the city, a man will meet you carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house that he enters and say to the master of the house, ‘The teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”‘ He will show you a large upper room that is furnished. Make the preparations there.” Then they went off and found everything exactly as he had told them, and there they prepared the Passover.

Peter and John implicitly trusted Jesus because he had always been true to his word, God’s word. So, they didn’t question his instructions like I would have. I would have thought about how I was going to find the right person carrying a jar of water amidst hundreds of thousands of people flooding the city for Passover. I would have been focused on my own difficulties in fulfilling my charge, making sure I did everything correctly. Peter and John by this time had given up their self-centeredness and surrendered themselves to Jesus’ will and his plan. Naturally, they found everything to be exactly as Jesus had told them. They had learned that it was always to be expected. On this day they trusted that they would be able to fulfill his plans. For me there is a quietude in heart and mind when I trust someone enough to simply do as I am told without questioning. I can imagine Peter and John feeling that same way this Feast day.

Peter and John, the two disciples who seem closest to Jesus, are once again entrusted. Jesus confided in them; he revealed things hidden from others. Why? We don’t really know. They seem to be quite different from one another. What was it in their hearts that Jesus first saw and had confirmed over the many months they walked together? Why do I trust one person and guard myself against another? I think it is their capacity to love me as I am, sensing that they will honor my vulnerabilities, and believing that they will put my welfare above their own concerns. I think that’s what Jesus saw in the hearts of Peter and John, their capacity to love him and surrender themselves to him. In the end Jesus entrusted what was most important to him to these two friends. He entrusted Peter with his mission — to feed his lambs. To John he entrusted the care of his mother. What a testament to their love for him. That’s what sets a best friend apart for me — my trust in their unconditional love for me. That’s what Jesus wants to be for me, my best friend who loves me unconditionally.

Mike
mmaude@develop-net.com