Weekly Word 10/28/26

I do not know what kind of feelings I would have, knowing how I was going to die. That type of information can just hang over you like a cloud that follows you around. Every time you find yourself in a dangerous situation or among unfriendly people, you could begin to wonder if this is going to lead to your martyrdom.
I do think it would be a great honor to be martyred for the cause of Christ and His kingdom; but I am not sure if I would want to know that ahead of time. But it didn’t seem to bother Peter at all. In Acts chapter 5 Peter and the Apostles are put into prison by the same people who not long ago captured and crucified Jesus their Lord. So, the angel comes to them at night, opens the prison doors and then tells them to go right back into the fire. C’mon, you know that took courage to go back to preaching in the same place where they were arrested. Fearless would be the word that comes to my mind.
Then in Acts 12, James the Apostle gets killed by the sword and then they take Peter and throw him in prison again. Is Peter thinking ‘this is it’? He knows Jesus already told him he was going to be martyred. Would you be anxious? Afraid of the painful way in which you know you are going to die? Would you be worried about your family (Peter was at least married, that much we do know)? What about your friends, and the new believers that are under your care; would you be worried about them as well? Would your mind be filled with a swirl of anxious thoughts and emotions? I don’t think I could answer that for myself. I believe God will give us grace in the moment for whatever He calls us to go thru. But Peter? Nah, Peter is sleeping so soundly the angel has to hit him in the side to wake him up; that’s courage, that’s confidence, that’s the peace of God.
Well Peter makes it out of that jam and lives for many years after that. Look at the way he talks about his death later in life:

He’s an old man now, doesn’t have the strength of youth to go through the torturous death; but to Peter it doesn’t matter, he’s ready. His confidence is in the Lord. His concern at this time? The sheep, just like Jesus asked him to do. Not fear, not “please pray for me, this is going to be hard”. No, none of that. I personally think Peter, having walked with the Lord for all these many years, and experienced God’s faithfulness in the many trials; was looking forward to the ‘abundant entrance’ he described in verse 11 of the same chapter.
I tended to think that in John 21 when Jesus told Peter about his death, that it was heavy news to Peter. But a Bible teacher named Ed Miller, pointed out that to Peter this was actual good news, a relief of kinds. Well, because Peter was willing at one point to go down fighting for Jesus in the garden. He even drew the sword and cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear. He was ready to fight to the death at that moment. He had courage, but it wasn’t good courage.
Then after the adrenaline wore off and he was in the midst of the enemy camp (in the court yard of the high priest); that is where Peter’s courage failed him. He had fleshly courage, man made courage, but not God inspired courage. And the man who only hours before swore his loyalty to Jesus, by life or by death to follow him; denied him. Not once or twice, but three times. Luke tells us that Peter after denying Jesus, went out and wept bitterly (Luke 22:62).
I do not know what that first meeting after the resurrection was like between Peter and Jesus, scripture does not tell us. But knowing our Lord, it was a restoration of relationship, I am sure. So, this meeting in John 21 is building on that and establishing Peter for His calling and purpose moving forward. I think it would be a relief to Peter to know he was not going to fail again and deny Christ when the pressure was on. When it was a matter of life or death, that he was not going to crumble. I think there was a joy in the fact that Peter now knew he was going to finish well. He could with confidence look forward to hearing those blessed words, “Well done, Peter!” “Well done!”.
Peter knew how he would die and later in life even knew when, but it never gave him anxiety or stole his peace with God. We too know we will die; but for most of us, we do not know when or how. If we choose to place our faith in the One who conquered death and trust in His promise of eternal life thru Him, we too can be free from ‘death anxiety’. Peter’s confidence relied upon the fact he met the risen Savior. It is precisely to the degree we know our Savior and trust in His work for us and thru us, that we too can have peace and be released from the slavery of the fear of death. Without fear to live free in Christ.

Have a blessed week trusting the One who promised eternal life thru His name,

Living His Life,
Bruce