I imagine Jesus looking at Peter with one of those, “You have got to be kidding me, Peter. A sure-fire way to either die in place or at least go to jail with Jesus! When the soldiers came into the garden to arrest Jesus, Peter pulled out his ceremonial sword and cut off a soldier’s ear! That was a suicide mission if I ever read about one. These other weaklings might fold, but not me. “ Hold on there Jesus, that’s not going to happen. Peter, not God, would decide who would scatter and who wouldn’t. Peter, not God, would determine if Messiah should die. He would prove to Him that Peter, not God was in control of this night. Jesus even offered an assuring promise of His coming resurrection and their soon regathering after the crisis.īut Peter wasn’t okay with that. The One he properly identified as “ the Christ, the Son of the Living God” just told him that God’s Word would be fulfilled in their lives. You’d think that should settle it, especially for Peter. “ All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night,įor it is written, ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’īut after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” 3 rd Photo: Adapted from the cover of the Bible Verse Cover Notebook (2019).On the night He was betrayed, Jesus told Peter and the disciples that Zechariah 13:7 referred to them personally, and that it was going to happen shortly: 2 nd Photo: Jesus Abandoned, Church of Jesus Christ. 1 st Photo: Jesus and the Disciples at Gethsemane, Church of Jesus Christ. Pictures: Banner Photo: Gethsemane Mob by James Dalrymple. Learn more about Chuck and Ciloa at Footnotes: (1) Read Matthew 26:31. Chuck and his wife, Beverly, live in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA.
#Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter how to#
And may we never be scattered again!Ĭhuck Graham is Founder and Executive Director of Ciloa, an international ministry devoted to encouraging others and teaching them how to encourage one another. Has the same been true of us? I pray that we will remember Him and follow Him, not just for a day but always. For a time, they thought only of themselves and were not the people He had called them to be. Many believed nothing and trusted no one. Hopes and dreams were lost with the dead and dying. Sound familiar? Last year the coronavirus struck and the world turned upside down. They no longer knew what to believe or who to trust. What they hoped for had been taken from them. The world of the disciples had turned upside down. They left Him alone to do what only He alone could do. They left Him alone before an angry crowd demanding His death. They left Him alone to be falsely accused. 2 Jesus refers to this immediately after saying the disciples would desert Him.
This is a part of Zechariah’s prophecy, specifically, that when the Messiah dies, His followers will scatter. But being focused on Jesus’ charge and Peter’s boast that he would never leave Him, I had missed those last few words… the sheep of the flock will be scattered. For it is written : “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” 1
But what He says next catches me by surprise. I recline with them at the table for the last supper.Īs I follow them to the Mount of Olives I hear Jesus say the disciples will abandon Him. I hear Peter and John tell a man “the Teacher” and His disciples will celebrate the Passover at his house. I see Jesus riding a colt past cheering crowds. And each year I understand more of what it all means for me today. Each year I read about Jesus’ journey, from His entry into Jerusalem through the Resurrection.
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