Peter's story in John 18 and Matthew 26 is very instructive. A mild drama where he inflicted injury on Malchus out of unguarded passion, anger and the need to defend Jesus.
Of course, Jesus rebuked Peter and remedied the situation, letting Peter know that having a 'sword' does not mean it should be used anyhow.
A 'sword' can be a special ability or influence. It can be a position, a platform or a skill, e.g., to write, talk etc.
If a 'sword' is misused, it may land the user in trouble. In fact, according to Jesus, whoever kills with a 'sword', will also die with a 'sword'.
Interestingly, Jesus further explained to Peter that His arrest was part of a divine plan.
Wow! By trying to 'defend' Jesus, Peter was obstructing a divine plan?
Well, if we fail to understand God's agenda for a season or His purpose for a situation, and we slash others with our 'sword', we should expect to bear the outcome of our action.
Our intention may be nice, but our timing and execution may be completely wrong. Unfortunately, we may have to suffer the consequences of our misjudgment even while claiming to be 'doing God's work'.
May we not be LIABLE for our misbehavior where we should have been REASONABLE and guided with our 'sword'.
photo credit: stephendelacruz
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