“PASSION AND DISCERNMENT”

11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

John 18:11

Christian love should be passionate, that is, we have to love God and people with our whole self. But our intense fervor for God does not eliminate the need for discernment and self-restraint.

In our last blog, we learned that our commitment to Christ may sometimes involve taking real risks.

In verse 11, Jesus rebukes Peter and commands him to return the sword to its sheath. It is another way of protecting the disciples and those who came to arrest Jesus. If Jesus did not do this, the disciples would have gotten themselves into more serious trouble. More importantly, He did this to carry out the Father’s will.

Peter was sure a passionate disciple. But his passion was sometimes a bit careless, such as this one instance. His faith was real, no doubt, but He was trying to prove it in the wrong way. Violence is never the Christian way. I understand his desire to protect the Lord and prove his loyalty, but if he had been paying attention to Jesus’ teachings, then he should’ve known that Jesus would never resort to savagery, even when it came to a situation requiring self-defense.

The Bible tells us to love our God with all of our hearts, but let’s not forget that God also wants us to love Him with all of our minds. When we have the right blend of passion and knowledge, we become more effective followers of Christ.

9 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,”

Philippians 1:9

Passion without knowledge can lead to regrettable choices. Indeed, we must be passionate about serving God, but that doesn’t mean we can ignore discernment. Therefore, let’s allow passion to fuel our desire for knowledge, and our knowledge to inform our passion.

Pursue the Savior today!