Old Testament reading: 1 Kings 13-14
1 Kings 13 notes an intriguing, yet sad, account of a young unnamed prophet. Sent to rebuke King Jeroboam for his sins regarding changes made to the priesthood and worship, this young prophet goes boldly and proclaims the word of the Lord. Consistent with God’s messengers and their missions, this young prophet was given the means to prove the divine origin of his message. Namely, he performed a miracle in the presence of his audience. Tragically, this same man falls prey to the lie of an older prophet, leading to his death in the jaws of a lion. He was on the very precipice of completing his mission, yet a moment of carelessness caused him to lose it all! Had he simply required the old prophet to prove the legitimacy of his word as being divine, or had he taken just a moment to inquire of God, this whole tragedy could have been avoided.
New Testament reading: John 19-21
“Choose your words carefully; you may have to eat them later.” This truism may be nowhere better illustrated than in Jesus’ exchange with Peter following the resurrection. Not content to simply (mis)speak for himself and his dedication to the Lord Jesus, Peter had to separate himself above the other apostles as noted at the beginning of yesterday’s devotional reading. During an appearance to the eleven in John 21, Jesus turns his attention to Peter and reminds him of his earlier claims. Note how Jesus questions Peter in the presence of those from whom he sought to separate himself – “Do you love me more than these?”, with “these” used in reference to the other apostles. Second, Jesus simply asks him, “Do you love Me?” In other words, ‘Forgetting what you said earlier about your brothers, let’s focus on you.’ Much has been said of John 21:15-19 concerning the different words for love used by Jesus and Peter in this exchange, and rightfully so. Briefly, in His first two questions to Peter, Jesus used agape, generally considered as a stronger form of love, while Peter used the lesser phileo. In His third inquiry, Jesus uses the lesser form to press home His point. Note, Jesus should not be considered as rubbing salt in Peter’s still open wounds, but rather using this occasion as a teachable moment for the undoubted leader among the remaining apostles.
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