JULY 24, 2015
Speak Up
Read:
Luke
22:54-65
Having
arrested [Jesus], they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But
Peter followed at a distance. — Luke 22:54
When I hear stories about young people who have been bullied, I
notice there are always at least two levels of hurt. The first and most obvious
comes from the mean-spirited nature of those actually doing the bullying.
That’s terrible on its own. But there’s another, deeper hurt that may end up
being even more damaging than the first: The silence of everyone else.
It hurts the one being bullied because they’re stunned that no
one will help. That often makes bullies more brazen, leading them to intensify
their meanness. Worse, it heightens the embarrassment, false shame, and
loneliness of the victim. So it is imperative to speak up for others and speak
out against the behavior (see Prov. 31:8a).
Jesus knows precisely what it feels like to be bullied and to be
left to suffer completely alone. Without cause, He was arrested, beaten, and
mocked (Luke 22:63-65). Matthew 26:56 says that “all the disciples forsook Him
and fled.” Peter, one of His closest friends, even denied three times that he
knew Him (Luke 22:61). While others may not understand fully, Jesus does.
When we see others being hurt, we can ask Him for the courage to
speak up.
Make us brave, Lord, for those who need our courage. Help us to
speak for others and show them that You know their hurt and loneliness.
The voice of a courageous Christian is an echo of the voice of
God.
INSIGHT:
Luke’s inspired account of the life of Jesus
reflects Luke’s profession as a physician. He alone is the only gospel writer
who records that while Jesus was praying on the night before He was arrested
“his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (v. 44 niv). This
unusual detail underscores the amazing demonstration of love seen in Christ’s
suffering for us. Additionally, only Luke records that Jesus healed the ear of
Malchus, the servant of the high priest who had been attacked by Peter (vv. 50-51).
Both of these details reflect the knowledge of a medical person.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015