People like Peter need direction, not ridicule.

Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"
John 18:10-11 (ESV)
 
Peter was a young man with energy that needed direction. I have heard speakers (and have been a speaker who) focus on his impulsiveness, confusion, weakness, and more, yet Jesus saw something that made him the best leader of the early church.
 
People like Peter need direction, not ridicule. He has some qualities you cannot teach, and a heart in the right place. He is much ahead of those who are self-absorbed and will need a fire lit under them.
 
This scene is one I repeatedly play in my mind as it seems crazy that after Peter does such a thing and Jesus heals the ear, they arrest Jesus anyway. The setup is incredible as the disciples watching learn a lesson, Peter learns a lesson, the arresting soldiers learn a lesson, and I learn a lesson thousands of years later.


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