Fools who change to Faith

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As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him.And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.” “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.” Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me. - John 13:31-38
In John 13, as Jesus is only days before His death, we see three kinds of people. Jesus is wise. Judas is evil. Peter is foolish. From Peter, we learn seven facts about foolish people that we can use to analyze our own lives:
  1. Foolish people don’t act upon what they learn. Jesus had taught Peter for three years, but there was a lot that Peter had not yet put into practice. In this way, we are all like Peter.
  2. Foolish people can be emotionally impetuous. Peter was passionate, and his life could look like a boat with a sail but no rudder. One minute he is devoting himself to Jesus, and the next minute he is disowning Jesus.
  3. Foolish people make promises but not plans. Peter promises to follow Jesus no matter what, but he has no plan to do so. When life gets complicated and difficult his lack of a plan causes him to fail at his promise.
  4. Foolish people cause pain unintentionally. Judas maliciously and intentionally brought harm to Jesus because he did not love Jesus. Peter, however, did love Jesus, and the harm and pain he brought to Jesus were not malicious as much as it was foolish.
  5. Foolish people fail when you need them most. Jesus knew that He was days from the cross and would need the emotional support of His friends more than at any point in His life. And, when Jesus needed Peter the most, Peter failed to be a dependable friend.
  6. Foolish people live by the power of the flesh. Wise people (like Jesus) live by the power of the Spirit, evil people (like Judas) live by the power of the demonic, and foolish people (like Peter) live by the power of the flesh.
  7. Foolish people can change. 
Author: Mark Driscoll

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