The Most Important Lesson I Could Ever Teach

And so Peter says in this passage, he starts in 2 Peter Chapter 1, verse 12, he says, “Therefore,” he says, “I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it’s right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made it clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.” [2 Peter 1:12-15 ESV]

Now I don’t know what jumps out to you in that passage, but one of the things when I was reading it for the first time, I was looking at this thinking, ‘Well, that’s really weird.’ Peter says, “I know that the putting off of my body will be soon as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.” Isn’t that strange to you that Peter knew that he was going to die soon, and I love the phrasing even, “the putting off of this body” because it’s not really death. I don’t really die. It’s just a- I’m putting off this body. And Peter says I know that’s going to be soon. How did Peter know? It doesn’t really say. It doesn’t say in Scripture. Now it does say in Scripture- this is interesting, and I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this- but in John Chapter 21, this is after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remember when Jesus has that encounter with Peter and tells him to feed my sheep, and in John Chapter 21 in verse 18, He says to Peter, Jesus says, the resurrected Christ says to Peter, “Truly I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. (This He said to show by what kind of death he was going to glorify God.) And after saying this He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’” [John 21:18-19 ESV] So Jesus told Peter. He said remember when you were young. He said when you were young, you just kind of did whatever you wanted. You wore what you wanted. You went where you wanted. He said let Me tell you what’s going to happen when you get older. You’re not going to be free. Someone’s actually going to take you and lead you where you don’t want to go. It says that Jesus told him this to tell him the type of death he was going to die. He said someone else is going to stretch out your hands. See it was an explanation. Peter you’re going to be crucified, and tradition tells us that Peter was crucified. In fact, tradition tells us that Peter, from what we understand, didn’t feel worthy to die in the same way that Jesus died so he asked his executioners to crucify him upside down.

Jesus told. Think about this. Think about the ramifications of this. Jesus told Peter here’s how you’re going to die, and then right after He says this, He says, “Follow Me.” It goes completely against this nonsense that so many churches teach that if you follow Jesus that everything’s going to go so well in your life. You’re going to be so healthy, so wealthy because that’s His plan for you here on this Earth. It certainly wasn’t His plan for Peter. He says, ‘Peter, it was better for you when you were young. You know you had your freedom to go wherever you wanted to go. Guess what? For following Me, people are actually going to stretch out your hands. They’re going to crucify you. Let me tell you how you’re going to die. You’re not going to have your freedoms when you’re older, but follow Me.’ Understand the message Jesus taught was: look, it’s not going to be easy to follow Me. In fact, here Peter, here is how it’s going to end for you, but let Me tell you I’m worth it. I’m worth it. Hold on until the end. And so Jesus told Peter you’re going to die. And here in 2 Peter, he’s explaining somehow God communicated to Peter that the time is going to be soon. Imagine what you would feel if you knew the time was running out, your life is about to be over, and not only that, but God told you the way you’re going to be dying, killed a torturous death. Peter doesn’t complain about it. He doesn’t say, ‘Why me?’ He just knows, ‘Hey, this is just the way it is.’