Mt. 27:46-49 - "Will Elijah rescue Him?"

    "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means ''My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'"
     Matthew reports that "When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah. . .Let's see if Elijah comes to save Him."
      It is likely that Jesus’ suffering and fatigue, combined with his extremely dry mouth and larynx made his words hard to understand by the crowd. In the Jewish Passover Seder, Elijah comes before Messiah. Malachi also says that God will send Elijah before "that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes" (Mal. 4:5). Perhaps some thought Jesus was calling for Elijah's help in His dying hours.
     The truth is these prophecies had already been fulfilled in two distinct ways.
     First, during His ministry Jesus announced that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi's Elijah prophecy (Mt. 11:14). John the Baptism had come in the spirit and power of Elijah to call Israel back to God before the Messiah's appearance.
     Second, just a week before Jesus' crucifixion, Elijah had literally come to earth, along with Moses, to encourage Jesus as He faced His sacrifice (Mt. 17:1-17). "Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem" (Lk. 9:30-31).
     These two men had suffered so much for Jesus in their earthly life and ministries. Elijah served during a time of great national apostasy in Israel, and after confronting the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and calling Israel back to God, he momentarily lost his courage at Queen Jezebel's death threats.
     Fleeing to the desert, he complained he was no better than his "fathers" and asked God to take his life. But God had better plans for Elijah. He comforted, fed him, and revived his faith. Later God whisked him to heaven in a fiery chariot. And now He sends this hero of faith who had endured discouragement and victory to encourage His Son.
     Moses was God's chosen leader for an often stubborn and unbelieving people for forty years, temporarily losing his grip on God when Israel complained about their desert experience and blamed Moses (as they often did) for their troubles. Moses lost his temper and spoiled an important salvation lesson God wanted to teach. Because of his failure he was not allowed to lead Israel into the Promised Land (Num. 20:1-13; Deut. 1:37). He died and was buried by God but later resurrected and taken to heaven; (Deut 34:5-7; Jude 9).
     Who better could God send to hearten His Son than these two men who understood what it was like to depend on God in times of trial and rejection? They could support Jesus even better than God or angels could. Can you imagine what their conversation with Jesus must have been like? I would love to have heard their encouraging words.
     Plus, they were in heaven now only on the basis of Jesus' coming atonement. If Jesus failed, they had no right to be there.

Michael Brownfield

Mt. 27:45-56 - Final Hours

     This blog is late. I was hoping to write it Friday night, but after a meeting, I sprained my ankle badly. When it happened there was a loud "pop!" followed by blinding pain. Dear friends carried me to their car and drove to the ER where x-rays showed, thankfully, that nothing was broken (an MRI this week will reveal if there was soft tissue damage).
     In the bed next to me, shrouded in a curtain, was an elderly gentleman who was delirious and incontinent. He kept moaning loudly and calling for the doctor. A little further away was an elderly woman who often shrieked in pain. A nurse would rush in to help and comfort her.
     The whole experience made me think more vividly about Jesus' suffering on the cross, surrounded on each side by the moaning, cursing thieves and in intense agony Himself--not that my discomfort was anything close to his!
     Matthew tells us "From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land" (Mt. 27:45). As Jesus entered His final suffering, a supernatural darkness spread across the land. This was a symbol of divine judgment. God's judgment was falling on His Son, but it would also come eventually on those who rejected Him. Also the Father was shielding His Son's last sufferings.
     Amid the darkness, Jesus' perfect character shines out. He sees his mother Mary grieving next to John and provides for her by asking John to take her in. Himself dying, He ministers to the dying thief who asks for forgiveness and acceptance and is assured of eternal life.
     Many ancient prophecies were fulfilled in those last hours of Jesus' death to strengthen Jesus' faith and the faith of His followers. His clothes were divided by the soldiers who also cast lots for His undergarment, fulfilling Psalm 22:18. The exact words of His mockers were accurately predicted in Psalm 22:8. Verse 15 of the same chapter foretold he would become extremely thirsty and Psalm 69:21 that vinegar would be given him as a drink.
     His suffering by crucifixion was clearly described: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd (a piece of broken pottery), and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me; they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me" (Ps. 22:14-17).
     The prophets even predicted that not a bone of His body would be broken, but instead His side would be pierced (Ex. 12:46; Ps. 34:20; Zech. 12:10).
     We too are comforted as we see how accurately Jesus’ suffering was predicted. If there can be meaning in our suffering, it reassures and soothes us. And Jesus’ suffering was providing salvation for lost humanity. As we will see, Jesus was anchored by the Scriptures Himself.

Michael Brownfield

Mt. 27:26-44 - "Pilate handed him over for crucifixion"

 
     The crucifixion story is so full of meaning and detail, I will comment today by the verse. I invite you to open your Bible and follow along. Jesus had said to the mob who arrested Him, "This is your hour--when darkness reigns" (Lk. 23:53).
     He had also prayed that God's glory would be revealed through His suffering. (“Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” (Jn. 12:27-28)
     As we study the crucifixion, we see both Satanic darkness and the glory of God. The latter encourages us that God's glory can somehow be known and experienced in our worst trials or the world’s greatest evils.
     Mt. 27:26 - Freeing Barabbas and condemning Jesus was a double injustice, but also a picture of the Gospel. Barabbas was a notorious criminal who had led rebellion and committed murder. Jesus, the sinless One, was repeatedly pronounced innocent by Pilate. The Righteous, Uncondemned One took the place of all the "Barabbas's" of the world and died in their place. "We are convinced that One died for all; therefore all died," wrote Paul (2 Cor. 5:14).
     "He had Jesus flogged." Flogging was torture in itself. It was done by the Romans to inflict maximum pain and suffering so as to hasten death at crucifixion. The flogging whip was designed with multiple leather thongs to which were tied jagged pieces of bone or metal. Flogging literally ripped the flesh and underlying muscles to shreds causing copious bleeding and bruising. When you compare the various gospel accounts, Jesus actually may have been flogged twice.
     Mt. 27:27-31 - "The governor's soldiers. . .gathered the whole company around Him." Is there any doubt that Satan orchestrated all the torture--emotional, psychological, and physical that Jesus went through? It was designed in the minds of demons to cause Jesus to doubt who He was, distrust His Father's heart, and take things into His own hands, which is the basis of all temptation.
     The soldiers were easy pawns in Satan's hand. They had often been attacked by Jewish radicals and assassins. They had lost friends to the zealot dagger or Jewish uprisings. Now these soldiers vent their resentment and rage on Jesus as an example to any "would-be messiah" who would try to throw off Roman occupation.
     In cynical mockery they dressed Jesus as a king (the scarlet robe), jammed a crown out of 2-3 inch thorns on his head, and handed Him a staff for a "royal scepter." Placing the staff in His right hand (the hand of kingly authority), the knelt before Him and mockingly jeered, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Then they rose to spit on Him. Repeatedly they snatched the staff, hitting him on the head and driving the long thorns into and under His scalp, along the skull.
     What made this so difficult was not the pain, but that Jesus was the King of Israel and King of creation. He could have vaporized His tormentors in a flash or felled them convulsing to the ground in exquisite pain. But He probably never even thought such a though. His great heart of love longed to save them all. It was part of God's plan to receive everything sinful man an demons could do to Him. Throughout His torture Jesus maintained His composure with God-like nobility, saying and doing only what would reveal His Father's character.
     Mt. 27:34 - "They offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it." Jesus did not want to drink anything that would decrease His ability to think and resist temptation. In this final showdown with the forces of darkness, He must have a clear mind. How many crimes are committed, how many temptations given into, even by Christians, because of alcohol or drugs. Jesus' example from the cross is a moral lesson for us today.
     Mt. 27:35 - "When they had crucified Him. . ." The statement is so brief; but nothing more needed to be added for Matthew's audience. His readers would all know about every bloody, excruciating detail of this form of capital punishment. In existence since ancient times, the Romans had perfect it as the worse form of torture and death known to man. Crucifixion was death by slow degrees. Nailed through the wrists where an movement would cause fiery pain to spike through the limbs, yet positioned in such a way that to breathe the victim must push up on nailed feet and rotate his wrists around the square nails, caused hours of excruciation (a word meaning "out of the cross"). Rome often crucified rebels or criminals on trees or crosses along well traveled roads as an example and deterrent to crime or uprising.
     Yet Jesus spoke no word and thought no thought but that glorified God.
     Mt. 27:39-44 - The mocking. Matthew says Jesus was mocked by three groups, three classes of people, representing the whole human race: those who passed by, the common people; the religious leaders; and the criminals.
     Those who passed by - "You who were going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, saved yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" The masses would rather have their rituals, traditions, and temples than Christ. Superficial, ritual religion quiets the conscience but doesn’t satisfy the heart. Jesus had been speaking of His death when He said this, but they didn't understand.
     Can you hear echoes of the devil's wilderness temptations in this jeer? "If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread." The "If" was a temptation for Jesus. Would God allow His Son to suffer this much?
     The chief priests, teachers of the law and elders - "He saved others: but He can't save Himself." Meant as a statement of scorn, it was nevertheless true. Jesus could not save Himself and at the same time save us. He was the divine-human Substitute for sin, paying the price broken Law and violated Justice, and receiving the wages sin pays, death. I'm so thankful He persevered, aren't you?
     "Let Him come down from the cross and we will believe in Him." It must have been so hard for Jesus to hear those words, no doubt born in the mind of Satan. He longed for them to believe in Him. That had been His prayer through sleepless nights and laboring days. These leaders who should have led the people in receiving and worshiping Jesus now mock Him in His pain.
     "He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him." These words attacked the very core and center of Jesus heart. The only way He could make it day to day was by trusting God. Now, as Substitute, dying under the sins of the world, feeling separated from God, He so much wanted to know His Father loved and accepted Him.
     "If He wants Him." Satan knew that Jesus was dying for humanity and He attacked his psyche and emotions at a very vulnerable point.
     Near the end of His agony, one ray of light pierced Jesus' heart. One of the crucified thieves trusted Him as Savior. At first both had joined in heaping insults on Jesus, but under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, one of them began to piece things together and saw in Jesus the Lamb of God dying for His sins. "Lord, remember me, He cried," and Jesus responded immediately, "You will be with me in paradise" (Lk. 23:43)
     Friend, Jesus knows your heart and mind. Do you believe in Him as your Savior, dying for your sin? Ask Him to forgive and accept you, and to remember you when He comes. He will, because He died to do so.   

Mt. 27:11-26 - Jesus Before Pilate

     Jesus had told His disciples they would be brought be political authorities to give account of their faith. So will many of us in the future. In fact Christ followers in many countries not friendly to the gospel are experiencing this now.
     It is worth re-reading Jesus’ words before we see how He witnessed before a governor named Pilate.
     “On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" Mt. 10:17-20.
     As I read the story of Jesus' trial before Pilate, I am struck with several things. Jesus was courteous to this man who at best was a conniving, unjust politician. He answered politely when questioned, sometimes letting his silence testify to His pure character. Why protest against accusations that are obviously untrue. Even Pilate realized the Jewish leaders were merely envious (Mt. 27:18).
     But I am most impressed with how Jesus tries to win Pilate's heart. John says the most about their conversation (Jn. 18). Jesus tells Pilate "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me" (v.37).
     Pilate replies, "What is truth?" Almost Pilate! You are so close. Now just listen to Jesus give His answer, and your heart may be won. But Pilate is distracted by the shouts of the crowd and too concerned about his own political career, he misses his golden opportunity.
     God even sends Pilate's wife a vision about Jesus as a warning to do justice (Mt. 27:19). God is that interested in each person's salvation.
     Here Jesus is, on trial for His life, and He is more focused on winning Pilate's heart than His own safety. Amazing patience and love!  Clearly, the Holy Spirit was doing for Jesus what He has done for Christ followers down through history in similar circumstances, giving Him the right words to say. But the choice is every person's to make, and we must be satisfied to just be a witness and bring glory to God in what we say.
     Three times Pilate announces to the Jews that Jesus is innocent; he can find no fault in Him. He even tries through a Passover custom to substitute the murderer Barabbas (son of Abba) for the release of the true Son of Abba, but is refused.
     What a story it would have been had Pilate, like the Roman Centurion and the thief on the cross, confessed Christ. He had a wonderful opportunity. But someday he will be raised to see the King of Kings coming in the clouds of heaven (Rev. 1:7; 19:11-18). Then "the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty. . .hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne. . .'" (Rev. 6:15-16)
     For Pilate it is “What would have been.” Jesus, on the other hand was God’s faithful Witness. We also can be.    
    

Mt. 27:1-10 - Peter and Judas

     As I write, our sixth grade granddaughter is visiting us for her spring break. It is fun to see her young intellect developing. Currently she likes to play a game of mental contrasts; the choices are always impossibly bad: "Would you rather eat an elephant or a snail?" Some choice. She smiles as we protest the challenge of choosing between such terrible options.
     So I'll ask you today, in our journey toward the cross and beyond, would you rather be Peter or Judas? Would you rather deny Jesus or betray Him?
     I can hear you protesting, "That's a terrible choice, Pastor!" I agree. As I realized last night that our journey to the cross had arrived at the story of Judas' final hours, I recoiled from even thinking, let along writing about it. It is a dark tale, and we instinctively recoil at it.
     Truth is, we have probably all denied or betrayed Jesus at one time or another, at least in small ways. Judas' and Peter's falls didn't happen over night. They were the result of small daily betrayals and denials, leading ultimately to their larger failures.
     So what can we learn?
     Matthew places the stories of Peter's denial and Judas' last moments side by side so we'll compare and contrast their lives and actions--and learn from them.
     What is the difference between Peter's denial and Judas' betrayal? There sins were not all that different. betraying Jesus or denying (disowning) Him are closely related in purpose and effect. Another similarity: both Judas and Peter seemed to feel great sorrow for their sins. Peter went out and wept bitterly. Judas threw his thirty pieces of silver into the temple and remorsefully shouted, "I have sinned, for I have betrayed innocent blood" (Mt. 27:4).
     But here the similarities fade. Peter's remorse was born out of a sincere, though flawed and somewhat superficial relationship with Jesus. Judas' sorrow was because he had given up whatever relationship he had. He may have allowed Jesus some space in his heart at the beginning, but his thirst for recognition and his desire for success and money finally eclipsed all love for Jesus. (As group treasurer, he stole regularly from the money bag - John 12:6.)
     Both men were heading down hill toward the end, but Peter truly loved his Lord, and turned around.
     Peter's and Judas' remorseful feelings illustrate the two kinds of repentance. "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Cor. 7:10).
     Genuine repentance is sorrow that I have broken the heart of my best Friend. Because Peter had remained open to the love, truth, and grace of Jesus and had allowed the Holy Spirit to keep working on his heart, his remorse came from genuine repentance. Judas had long ago turned from his heart relationship with Christ, and so there was nothing to return to, only a fearful expectation of judgment (Heb. 10:27).
     Could Judas have repented, and would Jesus have accepted him if he had? I think Yes to both questions. Is it not true there is no sin for which Jesus' atonement and grace is not adequate? Absolutely. Ah, but there is one sin which is more a process--the persistent rejection of the Holy Spirit, the One Who draws us to God. Jesus had said, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against (resists) the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come" (Mt. 12:32).
     When we repeatedly reject the Spirit's nudging, we eventually lose the ability to heart His voice and turn around. Judas had done this.
     At the Lord's Supper, Jesus had washed Judas' feet, then Peter's (Jn. 13). Peter resisted. His proud heart resented that Jesus would lower Himself to a servant's role. But when Jesus declared to him, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me," Peter could not imagine being separated from His Savior and Friend. "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
     As Judas saw Jesus stooping to a servant's job, it was the last straw. Jesus could not be the messiah of his dreams. There was no hope of future glory with this Man. He went out to betray him. And night descended on his soul (Jn. 13:30).
     A few hours later in hopeless despair, Judas hanged himself. A few weeks later, Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 came to the grace and forgiveness of Christ.
     I'd rather be Peter, wouldn't you?

Mt. 26:74 - "Immediately a rooster crowed."

     What led to Peter's tragic fall? What lessons can we learn to prevent our own? Down deep, we know we are weak and could do the same. Lastly, is there saving grace in this story--and grace for us too?
     Peter fell because he didn't know himself.  "When Peter said he would follow his Lord to prison and to death, he meant it, every word of it; but he did not know himself. Hidden in his heart were elements of evil that circumstances would fan into life. Unless he was made conscious of his danger, these would prove his eternal ruin. The Saviour saw in him a self-love and assurance that would overbear even his love for Christ." The Desire of Ages, p. 673
     That's why Jesus tried to warn him ahead of time--to help Peter wake up and finally give his heart fully to Christ. What "elements of evil" were lurking beneath the surface in Peter's heart, even though he thought he was committed to Jesus?
     "Much spiritual sickness, shameless sin, carelessness of spirit, unsanctified temper, and a tendency to rush heedlessly into temptation, had been revealed in his experience." Ibid. (paraphrasing mine).
     On one level, you have to love Peter (and Jesus did). He was loving, loyal, enthusiastic, raring to go. But Peter had many spiritual weaknesses he didn't let himself see. He was in denial about his deeper needs.
     So Jesus had mercifully given Peter an alert like the ones we set on our smart phone or computer calendar. When the reminder beeps, or rings, we are prompted to remember our appointment. But in Peter's case, the reminder would come too late and have a different purpose.
     Earlier, Jesus had told Peter, "When you hear the rooster crow, you will have already denied (disowned) me three times. This warning, given to Peter a few hours before his fall, was the important alert. But Peter ignored it. In that warning Jesus was saying to Peter, "Friend, I know you so well. I am your God, your Savior. I know you better than you know yourself. Don't you remember how many times I have been there for you? That's why you love me and keep following me."
     "Christ's solemn warning was a call to heart searching. Peter needed to distrust himself, and to have a deeper faith in Christ. If he had received the warning with humility, he would have appealed to the Shepherd of the flock to keep him as one of His sheep. That night on the Sea of Galilee when he was about to sink, he cried, 'Lord, save me.' Matt. 14:30. Jesus had grabbed his desperately outstretched hand and pulled him to safety. So now if he had cried to Jesus, "Save me from myself," he would have been preserved. But Peter felt that he was distrusted, and he thought Jesus was criticizing him. He was already offended, and so he became more persistent in his self-confidence. Ibid, (paraphrasing mine). But of course, he failed.
     When the rooster crowed, Peter realized several things all at once: Jesus knew him better than he knew himself. Jesus had been a faithful Friend by trying to save him ahead of time. He realized he had added a deeper wound to Jesus' pain and suffering. Did Peter instinctively look at Jesus when he heard the rooster? And did Jesus lock eyes with Peter in that moment, looking into his very soul with a look of sadness and hurt, but also with compassion?
     "And he went ouside and wept bitterly" Matt. 26:75. Peter's weeping was the evidence of true repentance. Finally he saw himself as he was, but His sorrow was a Godly kind, promted by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 7:9, 10) that now led him to full surrender and conversion. It is the undeserved kindess of God that leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4; Tit. 3:3-7). Even while Peter was seeing his dark heart and failings, He saw the love of Jesus for him even more.
     In the days ahead, Peter would receive even more grace from Christ, and an even greater revelation of His love for him. He would see a love that would forever fortify his commitment. But from Crucifixion to Resurrection, Peter lived with great sadness and regret.
     Jesus knows us intimately too. He knows the weaknesses that lie beneath the surface of our awareness and often trouble our religious experience. He knows the character flaws that unless addressed will cause spiritual disaster for us too. Through the teachings of His word, the whispers of His Spirit, and the experiences of life, He tries to warn us and lead us to that full surrender of every part of us.
     Amazingly, if we fail catastrophically he does not reject us, unless we go on to fully turn from Him. While He cannot always spare us the results of our own choices, His amazing heart of love and grace will offer forgiveness and restoration if we let Him.
     "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but know I'm found; was blind, now I see."
     And we who live so close to Jesus' return need this lesson even more than Peter.
        

Mt. 26:69-75 - "I don't know the man!"

     Peter's denial of Jesus occupies a major portion in the Passion Story--as a warning to all future disciples about how easy it is to fall the way Peter did, and the reasons for it. Far too many Christians have turned from Jesus under persecution or temptation and then lived with terrible guilt and regret afterward.
     The good news is that Peter's experience shows how to find the way back through the mercy of Jesus and how to avoid his moral collapse in the first place.
     Let's remember what happened by visiting the courtroom scene.
     While Jesus is being questioned by Caiaphas, two of His disciples were present. At first they fled (Mt. 26:56), but feeling remorse, and perhaps hoping to do something--maybe just wanting to be near the Savior they had learned to love, John and Peter made their way to the Sanhedrin's hall.
     John was known to the high priest, Caiaphas, and secured access for Peter too. When they were let in, Peter seated himself in the courtyeard far enough away from the interrogation so as not to be noticed, yet where he could see what was happening.
     At that moment, a servant girl approached Peter and asked him pointedly if he was also a disciple of Jesus. "He denied it before them all" (Mt. 26:70). Can you see and hear him? Then he moved out to the gateway, to avoid detection and to be able to escape easier if they tried to arrest him. Peter was clearly feeling fear, and his fear was growing. Fear, rather than faith was starting to control him.
     As Peter watched Jesus' interrogation and sensed the spirit of the people and leaders, he realized that Jesus was not going to do anything to escape. Now disappointment and confusion are added to his fear. Why is Jesus allowing this? Is it possible he is not the Messiah? Had Peter been wrong all along?  
     Was Peter actually feeling betrayed by Jesus? Certainly Jesus had predicted these sufferings (Mt. 26:31-32), but it didn't jive with Peter's hopes, so he denied them. How often does our denial about wrong attitudes, beliefs, or character traits in ourselves lead ultimately to our denial of Jesus? Now, the kingdom dreams Peter had treasured were falling like a house of cards. 
     Is it not true that we turn from Jesus when we feel disappointed in Him? He does not answer our prayers the way we had hoped; He allowed trouble we thought we would be spared from, even though He clearly said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (Jn. 17:33).
     After Caiaphas' verdict, when Jesus was brutally and unjustly attacked right in the courtroom of the Sanhedrin, Peter's fear spiraled out of control. It is unnerving to watch unjust abuse. It sets off alarms of fight or flight in our heads.
     It was at that point Peter was questioned again, but this time by a group of people which included a relative of the high priest's servant whose ear Peter had cut off with his swashbuckling swing in the Garden (John 18:26). His cover gone, Peter was now in full panic mode.
     "He began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, 'I don't know the man?'"
     "Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: 'Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly" (Mt. 26:74-75).
     What led to Peter's tragic fall? More important, how did Jesus relate to it and what led to his restoration? Both questions are extremely important. In the answer to the first, we will learn how to strengthen our faith to avoid Peter's personal disaster. In the second we see a demonstration of God's grace that amazes and wins our hearts forever.