Luke 22:31-38
John 13:31-38
Jesus Predicts
That His Disciples Will Deny Him
Matthew 26:31–35; Mark 14:27–31; Luke
22:31–38; John 13:31–38
Mt 26:31–32Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of
you will fall because of Me, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32But after I have
been resurrected, I will go ahead of you to Galilee. Lk 22:31–32“Simon,
Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift
you like wheat. 32But I
have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have
turned back, strengthen your brothers†.”
Lk 22:33“Lord,” he told Him, “I’m ready to go
with You to prison and to death!”
Jn 13:36bJesus answered, “Where I am going you
cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”
Jn 13:37“Lord,” Peter asked, “why can’t I follow
You now? I will lay down my life for You!”
Jn 13:38aJesus replied, “Will you lay down your
life for Me?”
Mt 26:33Peter told Him, “Even if everyone falls
because of You, I will never fall!”
34“I assure you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight—[Mk 14:30btoday, this very night] before the
rooster crows [Mk 14:30bbefore
the rooster crows twice]—you will deny Me three times!”
Mk 14:31But he kept insisting, “If I have to die
with You, I will never deny You!” And they all said the same thing.
Lk 22:35aHe also said to them, “When I sent you
out without money-bag, backpack, or sandals, did you lack anything?”
35b“Not a thing,” they said.
36Then He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money-bag should take
it, and also a backpack. And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe
and buy one. 37For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in
Me: ‘And He was counted among the outlaws.’ Yes, what is written about Me is
coming to its fulfillment.”
38a“Lord,” they said, “look, here are two swords.”
38b“Enough of that!” He told them.[1]
Intro Questions
Video
Watch Jesus' Upper Room Teaching on @YouVersion.: The disciples argue about who is the greatest among them. Jesus says the greatest must be like the youngest and the leader like the servant. God allows Satan to test people, to separate the good from the bad. Jesus predicts Peter will deny him.
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
OPEN:
- What trait do you share with other family members?
- Why did Jesus wait until Judas had gone to share the message in John 13:31-35?
- What does he call the disciples to do (John 13:34)?
- What type of person is Peter (John 13:6-9, 36-37)? How do you think he felt after John 13:38?
- How do your good intentions compare to Peter's?
- On a scale from 1 to 10, how does your church rank against the standard of love? How could you increase its score?
"Dying
to Live"
“Then
Jesus answered, ‘Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the
truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!’” (John 13:38)
The
question Jesus posed to Peter is a question for every Christian to ponder. It
is posed throughout the Bible in many ways, but it takes you to the baseline of
being a follower of Christ: Are you willing to put Jesus ahead of everything in
your life – including your life?
Peter
flippantly answered Jesus in the affirmative only to prove himself wrong
multiple times thereafter. The value of this question is that it takes you to the core of discipleship – making Jesus
Lord of your life.
Making
Jesus Lord is the gateway for experiencing all that Christ has for you. John
12:24-25 figuratively describes what happens: “I tell you the truth, unless a
kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose
it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal
life.”
Three
things result from dying to self: 1) You produce fruit (many seeds) 2) You
experience abundant life now; and 3) You will
experience eternal life when you physically die. As you look at your life, do
you see God’s multiplying life in and through you or is your life in the
world’s straight-jacket?
What
does an inventory of your life look like? On one side of the ledger are items
you are willing to totally surrender to Jesus, while on the other side are
items you are not willing to surrender. This process can quickly become very
legalistic and exhausting.
The
point is not if the ledger favors Christ or you, but where is your heart? Is your heart captured by Jesus or the world?
Is your heart captivated and exhilarated by Christ or by your desires? Does the
ledger reveal a heart controlled by you or Christ?
No
one except Jesus has achieved a clean ledger. Jesus knew the condition of man’s
heart before He came, lived, and died for you. Your ability to live totally for
Jesus is dependent upon you learning to be reliant on Him. It is through dying
to self that the Holy Spirit can thrive in your life. Be willing to step off
the throne of your life and into the power and work of the Holy Spirit. It is
out of death that your life will flourish!
John
14:12-14 “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have
been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to
the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may
bring glory to the Father.”
"The Debt of Love"
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing
debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
(Romans 13:8)
This verse
is so radical that it demands you to rethink your relationships and your
approach to people.
Do you
interact with others to receive love or to give
love? Do you carry anger or love towards people with whom you work or people in
your home? Do the offenses of others control your relationships or does your
love for them control those relationships? Does your hectic schedule blind you
to the needs of those around you?
Are the
people you interact with daily merely inconsequential acquaintances or do they
represent continuous opportunities to show Christ’s love?
Do those
with whom you have a relationship experience love and concern from you or are
they merely people to be used?
What if you
are taken advantage of or treated unfairly? Do you feel justified in seeking
revenge or at least in turning away from them? Or do you choose to let love
make a difference?
No matter
what the relationship or circumstances, God says your number one priority is to
love Him and love others. Your job is not to carry a debt of anger, revenge,
hard feelings, inflicting pain on others, misunderstanding, insensitivity, and unfairness,
but a “debt of love.”
Your actions and responses should allow Christ’s
love to shine through
you. This type of lifestyle requires you to let go and just let God be God. The
needs of others in the divine realm are more important than the needs you have.
Your natural response might scream for justice, but God says, “Justice
is mine.”
Do not allow the world’s ways to replace God’s way. Don’t exchange the love of God for the
love of self. Have only “a debt of love,” and let it compel you through life.
Romans
14:13, “Therefore
let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to
put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.”
John 13:34-35,
“A new
command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another.”
Consider:
•
With
whom do you feel like you have a debt of anger, revenge, or hard feelings? How
can you allow God to reclaim that debt and restore love?
•
What
are some tangible ways you can be more loving to those around you?
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