Courage to Trust

Research:

Peter. Here is the aftermath of Peter Betraying Jesus. The broken trust here is between Me and Others. Peter is the offender, and Jesus is the Offended. Peter Broke Jesus’ Trust.

John 21:1–22 NIV

1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

How was trust broken?

Peter Denying Jesus. Peter was one of Jesus’ best friends, and at the moment it counted, when Jesus needed people to stand with him, Peter not only deserted him, but cursed his name, claiming not to know him at all. This was complete and utter desertion.

Trust is broken between Jesus and Peter, so much so that when the angels appear to the women at the empty tomb, they tell her, “go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ()” Peter is not even included with the disciples at this point.

How was trust restored?

21:4-6- Jesus (the Offended) genuinely helps Peter (the Offender). Peter went right back to where he was after he started following Jesus. Jesus has risen from the dead at this point, and Peter and the other disciples have seen him. After his resurrection Jesus, rather than shaming Peter for his denial, genuinely helps him, and blesses him.

go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ () does not include Jesus in the other disciples. After his resurrection Jesus, rather than shaming Peter for this regression, genuinely helps him, and blesses him.

21:15-19- Peter denies Jesus three times, and so Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to re-affirm his love for him three times. Jesus (the offended) allows a chance for full repentance. He does not wait for Peter to come to him. He does not sit in his pain in pride and self-righteousness. Going, “You know what you did. YOU should be the one coming to me.” He doesn’t do that. He find Peter, and gives Peter the chance for full repentance.

I wonder if it was awkward while they were preparing the fish. They hadn’t spoken of what happened between them since that night. Peter, filled with this mix of joy and shame, questions hanging in his mind, whose answers he’s afraid to know.

In John chapter ??, Peter experienced Jesus’ resurrection, but I don’t think that it was until now that Peter had experienced the gospel. The Gospel that Jesus had entrusted himself to us, the human race, even though we betrayed him through sin, and though our betrayal led to his death, he rose from the dead to give us new life, instead of giving us what we deserved. Peter experienced that grace he didn’t deserve in this moment as Jesus invited him back into relationship, even though Jesus had every right to be right, and forsake Peter.

The New International Version. (2011). () does not include Jesus in the other disciples. After his resurrection Jesus, rather than shaming Peter for this regression, genuinely helps him, and blesses him.

21:20-22- Repentance is humbling, and often makes us insecure. We feel shame, and in that place, it is easy to expand the issue, or to distract from the problem so that taking the blame isn’t so painful. That’s what we see Peter doing here as he pulls John into things.

Thomas. Here is the aftermath of Thomas feeling betrayed by Jesus. The broken trust here is between Me and God. Jesus is the offender, and Thomas is the Offended. God Broke Thomas’ Trust.

:

John 20:24–31 NIV

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

How was the board (trust) broken?

Thomas bet it all on Jesus. He had given up everything to follow Jesus as messiah. Everything he knew about God, His plans, and his purposes for the Jews were seeming to happen through Jesus, and Thomas bought it, hook, line, and sinker. Now, if you are a thinker, and a skeptic, you know how dangerous and vulnerable it is to put your trust in ideals. Especially ideals you can’t control. Thomas had not just thought through the fact of Jesus as Messiah, he had allowed those facts to cause him to hope and to dream. And then Jesus died. And the hope, the dreams, the sweet moments of trust that Thomas had planned his future around suddenly became like knives to his spirit. The sweetness of his fantasies of reigning with the messiah became bitter and shameful. He knew he shouldn’t have trusted. He knew he shouldn’t have dreamed. He knew that his dreams could never have been real, and now he felt like a fool for ever dreaming them in the first place. The death of those ideas was so deep, so hard for Thomas, that he didn’t just lose his trust in God, he lost trust in his closest friends. When the other disciples tell him Jesus is alive, his anger flares. How dare they mock him. How many times did they think he would be played for a fool?! He’s not as stupid as them! He cries back, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

This pain is why we call him doubting Thomas. Doesn’t seem entirely fair, does it. Doubt in God is often born of this great dissonance between our understanding of God, and his reality. We don’t undersnd why it has to be like this God.

How was trust repaired?

A lack of trust is at the heart of doubt.

Jesus doesn’t give Thomas answers to his questions. He doesn’t give him a new understanding. He doesn’t give him freedom from all his doubts. What he gives Thomas is His presence. He shows up in the inner room just to be with Thomas. It was Jesus’ presence that had first inspired Thomas to leave his old life behind, and it was Jesus’ presence again that allowed Thomas to leave his old understanding behind. as well. If Jesus had given Thomas a trust that was based on Thomas’ understanding, they would have had another broken board moment because God is too mysterious, too big, to gracious to be truly understood by us. Jesus had deviated from who Thomas thought he was and how Thomas thought he should act, and it breaks Thomas’ trust. God doesn’t give him explanations, he simply gives him his presence.

Judas. Here is the aftermath of Judas Betraying Jesus. The broken trust here is between Me and Myself. Judas is the offender, and the Offended. Judas Broke Trust in himself.

We know Judas betrayed Jesus, he’s infamous for it. However, we also see Judas in a moment of panic as Jesus is going toward the cross, realizing that he was wrong. In that moment, trust in his own self was broken.

Matthew 27:

Matthew 27:1–10 NIV

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

New Testament Ib: Matthew 14–28 I Have Sinned in Betraying Innocent Blood

I HAVE SINNED IN BETRAYING INNOCENT BLOOD. CHRYSOSTOM: This was a charge both against him and against these others. Against Judas, not because he repented but because he did so late and slowly and became self-condemned. For that he gave himself up, he himself confessed. And it was a charge against the others, in that having the power to reverse the verdict, they did not repent. But observe when it is that Judas feels remorse. When his sin was completed and had been fully accomplished. The devil is like this. He does not permit those that are inattentive to see the evil in due time, lest they might repent. At least when Jesus was saying so many things, Judas was not influenced. But when his offense was completed, then repentance came upon him. And then it was too late to be profitable. For to condemn it and to throw down the pieces of silver and not to regard the Jewish people were all acceptable things. But to hang himself, this again was unpardonable and a work of an evil spirit. For the devil led him out of his repentance too soon, so that he should reap no fruit from it, and carried him off by a most disgraceful death, and one manifest to all, having persuaded him to destroy himself.