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On the night that Jesus was arrested, He was in the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples, praying. Peter was among those disciples. Judas, whom was one of Jesus’ other disciples, betrayed Him into the hands of the Jewish leaders for 30 pieces of silver. He knew where they were praying, so Judas brought the high priests guards and servants to the garden to arrest Him. When they took Jesus into custody, Peter felt compelled to defend Jesus, so he took out a sword and struck a servant, cutting off his ear. Jesus rebuked Peter for this act. While Peter’s heart was in the right place in defending Jesus, his actions weren’t the best. 
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Scripture from Matthew 26:47-52 (NIV)
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. |
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Take a moment to focus on the image of the sword. Think about times when you’ve stood up for Jesus in conversations with others. Maybe you’ve stood up for Jesus, but it wasn’t in the best way. Regardless, think about why defending Jesus was important to you.
Maybe you’ve never spoken up for Jesus before. Take a moment and think about places where you might have the opportunity to do that, and ask God for the courage to speak. |
Reflection for Kids
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