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This week we continue our discussion of chapter 22 of Luke’s Gospel. Please read verses 54-62 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 22:55-56 (NLT)
‘The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally, she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!”
There was one occasion when I went into a local fish and chip shop and as I was standing in the queue, I noticed someone who looked familiar. I was absolutely positive that I knew him from somewhere but I just couldn’t work out who he was or how I knew him. I’m sure that you’ll agree that it would have been impolite to just ask, so I stood there for some considerable time just staring at him.
He took a few glances at me, smiled, said something like ‘How are you?’ and I responded accordingly but still couldn’t place the guy. The fish shop in question was notorious for always making you wait for your chips, so I was there for a long while. With each minute that passed, I stared all the more and he would sense me staring and just smile in response. With each smile he gave, it seemed that he became more and more familiar and I’m sure that I knew him or at least I knew his teeth. Eventually, I gave up and had to ask him who he was. It turns out that he had been my dentist many years previously. His teeth were familiar because I’d been staring at his mouth every time I was in his chair! Take those teeth out of context and I was confused.
It’s amazing how much we stare at people when we think we recognise them. The servant girl in our verses today was no different. She had been sitting or standing there around this fire and was convinced that she knew the guy who was sat opposite her. She couldn’t immediately work out how, but there was definitely something about him that she recognised. Obviously, in the dark, it wasn’t easy to work out any distinguishing features but she was determined to work it out and continued to stare at him. Eventually, things clicked into place and the light of the fire finally revealed who the person was. She didn’t know his name but was absolutely sure that he was a follower of Jesus.
Even though Peter had followed at a distance, John had ushered him into the courtyard and now he was at risk of being found out. The fire had revealed who he was. If Peter had stayed away from the fire, he could have remained hidden, and his identity wouldn’t be known. Sometimes life is tough and we have to occasionally face the fire. Very often we choose not to be in that circumstance but we still find ourselves feeling the heat. There is a wonderful verse in Isaiah that says “When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” We can be confident in the knowledge that the fire won’t destroy us. We may have to feel the heat, but we won’t be burned. Fire will cleanse, purge and renew. Fire really does reveal who we are. I trust that we are born-again, Spirit-filled believers who love God. It could be that people around us can’t see it, but I know that when we face the fire, it will reveal exactly who we are. People around us will recognise us as Christians. Please don’t try to hide when faced with the fire of opposition. Face it and be strong in the knowledge that God will be there with us and that He will see us through.
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