Warm On the Inside
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
03/08/2022
“Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ And the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.” (John 18:17-18)
The story of Peter's three denials the night Christ was betrayed is well known. In a tragic moment of weakness, Peter, the most vocal of Jesus’ supporters during His earthly ministry and one of His three closest disciples, denied knowing Christ in His hour of greatest need. Reading the account, one can not help but feel angry. How could Peter do that to Jesus? Yet, we are also filled with anguish for Peter because somewhere in the recesses of our minds we all know we might have done the same thing. Faced with the same level of persecution and ridicule who can say if our flesh would not have gotten the best of us too?
What is interesting about the account of Peter's three denials is that twice the gospel writer points out that Peter was warming himself by a fire (John 18:18, 25). This is significant because later, after Christ’s resurrection, Peter would again be given the opportunity to embrace Christ in the context of a fire of coals. The first time we find Peter standing by a fire, he denies Christ three times. The next time we find Peter standing by a fire, he expresses his love for Christ three times. (John 21:9-19) On the first occasion, Peter was warm on the outside but bitterly cold on the inside. On the second occasion, he was both physically and spiritually warm.
Peter's relationship with Christ began with Christ calling on Peter to “follow Me.” (Matt. 4:19) Then after three and a half years of fellowship and ministry their relationship comes full circle with Jesus once again calling on Peter to “follow Me” (John 21:21). Did you catch that? The first and last things Jesus ever said to Peter were, “Follow Me.” Undoubtedly, when Peter responded to the call the first time, he had no idea how high the cost of discipleship would be. Only through the ups and downs, failures and victories, of ministry did Peter begin to understand what true discipleship really is.
By the time Peter responded to the call the second time, he knew what it meant to follow Christ to the extreme. And follow Him to the extreme is precisely what he did. For the next 35-40 years, Peter served Christ faithfully. There were many times throughout his ministry to the early church that Peter found himself cold on the outside: facing prison or fleeing from the enemies of Christianity, etc. Yet, in the midst of it all surely he was warm on the inside. Ultimately, he was martyred for his faith in Rome. Origen tells us that at Peter's own request, he was crucified upside down during the Neronian persecutions. One can only wonder if Peter was cold as he hung on the cross. Perhaps physically—but spiritually he was as warm as he had ever been.
Recently the temperature where I live dropped well below zero. Waiting for my car heater to warm up, I could not help but think of Peter's experience by the fire. The physical cold I was experiencing prompted me to examine my spiritual temperature. Clearly it was cold on the outside; but was I warm on the inside? I quickly said a prayer and asked the Lord for His grace as I seek to walk closely with Him throughout day. What about you? Are you warm on the inside? The first step in lighting a spiritual fire in your life is to place your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died and rose again for your sins. Have you done this? If so, continue to rest in the warmth and peace that comes from knowing Him. If not, why not do so right now?
03/08/2022
“Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, ‘You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ And the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.” (John 18:17-18)
The story of Peter's three denials the night Christ was betrayed is well known. In a tragic moment of weakness, Peter, the most vocal of Jesus’ supporters during His earthly ministry and one of His three closest disciples, denied knowing Christ in His hour of greatest need. Reading the account, one can not help but feel angry. How could Peter do that to Jesus? Yet, we are also filled with anguish for Peter because somewhere in the recesses of our minds we all know we might have done the same thing. Faced with the same level of persecution and ridicule who can say if our flesh would not have gotten the best of us too?
What is interesting about the account of Peter's three denials is that twice the gospel writer points out that Peter was warming himself by a fire (John 18:18, 25). This is significant because later, after Christ’s resurrection, Peter would again be given the opportunity to embrace Christ in the context of a fire of coals. The first time we find Peter standing by a fire, he denies Christ three times. The next time we find Peter standing by a fire, he expresses his love for Christ three times. (John 21:9-19) On the first occasion, Peter was warm on the outside but bitterly cold on the inside. On the second occasion, he was both physically and spiritually warm.
Peter's relationship with Christ began with Christ calling on Peter to “follow Me.” (Matt. 4:19) Then after three and a half years of fellowship and ministry their relationship comes full circle with Jesus once again calling on Peter to “follow Me” (John 21:21). Did you catch that? The first and last things Jesus ever said to Peter were, “Follow Me.” Undoubtedly, when Peter responded to the call the first time, he had no idea how high the cost of discipleship would be. Only through the ups and downs, failures and victories, of ministry did Peter begin to understand what true discipleship really is.
By the time Peter responded to the call the second time, he knew what it meant to follow Christ to the extreme. And follow Him to the extreme is precisely what he did. For the next 35-40 years, Peter served Christ faithfully. There were many times throughout his ministry to the early church that Peter found himself cold on the outside: facing prison or fleeing from the enemies of Christianity, etc. Yet, in the midst of it all surely he was warm on the inside. Ultimately, he was martyred for his faith in Rome. Origen tells us that at Peter's own request, he was crucified upside down during the Neronian persecutions. One can only wonder if Peter was cold as he hung on the cross. Perhaps physically—but spiritually he was as warm as he had ever been.
Recently the temperature where I live dropped well below zero. Waiting for my car heater to warm up, I could not help but think of Peter's experience by the fire. The physical cold I was experiencing prompted me to examine my spiritual temperature. Clearly it was cold on the outside; but was I warm on the inside? I quickly said a prayer and asked the Lord for His grace as I seek to walk closely with Him throughout day. What about you? Are you warm on the inside? The first step in lighting a spiritual fire in your life is to place your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died and rose again for your sins. Have you done this? If so, continue to rest in the warmth and peace that comes from knowing Him. If not, why not do so right now?
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