The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
When Jesus was arrested in the garden his disciples didn’t all abandon him, at least not immediately. John 18:15-18 tells of Peter and John, who followed along in the dark. We find that John, “the other disciple,” was known to the high priest’s household. He was able to go into the courtyard where he may have been able to hear or even see some of the events. He would certainly be able to find out news from the various servants.
Peter comes along, apparently not known to the household. The young lady who took care of the door recognized him as a disciple of Jesus, or at least she thought she did. Peter denied this relationship.
This is, incidentally, the only place in the New Testament where we particularly find out the temperature of a night. It was cold, so people lit a coal fire to warm themselves. In the area around the fire, those in the courtyard gathered to keep warm while they waited to hear what was happening inside. Peter was there. We don’t know about John, but John’s account indicates some knowledge of both what happened with Jesus and what happened with Peter.
The disciples must have wondered what was to come. They didn’t seem to understand that Jesus actually intended to die and rise from the dead. They were waiting. I wonder how many times we watch and wait, not sure what God’s will is, uncertain about how the future will work out. The fact is, the future will work out. God will take care of his will. As we pray that the Lord’s will should be done on earth as it is in heaven, we know he hears us and will take care of things. Eventually, as we are trying to get warm by the fire, Jesus will accomplish his purpose. And that purpose is reliable, for our good. Thanks be to God.
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