He Entered And Sat Down

Matthew 26:57-58 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.  But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

            I never gave it much thought, but in the scale of spirituality, that extends all the way from Atheist to Zealot (zero to 100 on a numerical scale) there must be a measure for “Spectator”.  By spectator I mean, just as in the case of Peter at the trial of Jesus, someone who will sit down and just watch to see the outcome.  In the case of Peter he was sitting amongst the temple guards.  I guess you could call that an unfriendly crowd.  It was the first step in the steep slide for Peter to go from boasting of being willing to die with Christ to denial of knowing Christ.  The point I am trying to make is how many of us act as spectators at times in our lives?  Are we out there in the ministry field sharing the love of Jesus?  Or are we sitting down and waiting to see the outcome?  To be a spectator goes so far against the grain of what we are taught in scripture.  When we look into part of what Jesus shared in the Sermon on the Mount, as captured in Matthew 5:14-16 we know that being a spectator is not fulfilling the desire Christ has for us in our lives. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

            There are many opportunities to be the light of the world.  We all can be that light to our immediate family, to our friends, our distant relatives, our community, our place of work, and even to the world.  The opportunities are plentiful. Yet if we just stay in our seats we do not have an opportunity to share the love of Christ with anyone.  If we stay in our seats, how will those who are burdened with illness, disease, or injury know that there is a God who loves them, and cares for them?  If we stay in our seats how will those who have suffered the loss of loved ones to a random act of senseless violence know that there is a God who loves them, cares for them?  How will they learn of the God who wants to comfort them in their loss with a peace that surpasses all understanding?  We all are the city on a hill that cannot and should not be hidden.  We do not light a lamp that is the love of Christ and then immediately cover it with a basket.  The city on the hill, the light of Christ needs to be seen by a world that desperately needs to find Jesus.  When we share the love and light of Christ, the gift is shared over and over. But when we are spectators, the light remains covered; the city is hidden from view.  You are saved by the sacrifice of Christ whether you get out of the spectator mode or not.  But how many more need to hear that good news?  And if you remain a spectator, how many will not hear the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord, there are times when we are timid in how and who we share our faith with.  We are hesitant to take the first big step and share with others what has been shared with us by those who cared deeply for us. We are weak and You are strong. In Jesus’ name we ask for the faith to overcome our weakness.  We ask for the strength to stand up and step out boldly in sharing the love of God with others that need to know of Your love for all mankind.  These things we ask for in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.