t h e r e are several very significant “Follow Me’s” ■ in the life of Simon Peter. The first was spoken by the Sea of Galilee, the last by the Sea o f Tiberias. Geographically, the Sea o f Galilee and the Sea of Tiberias are the same. But it took Simon Peter three years to move from the first “ Follow Me” to the last. Some Christians never get to Tiberias at all. Matthew gives us the first picture: “ And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon Called Peter, and Andrew his brother, cast ing a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.” Notice that they “ straight way” left their nets and followed Him. It sounds too easy. Peter still had much to learn. He followed but in his own self-sufficiency with many a hard lesson ahead of him. Another “ Follow me” comes later, on the great day when Peter makes his well-known confession. Jesus speaks o f His approaching death and Peter stumbles over it. He always did. Within a few moments the man who had said “ Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” was saying of the coming crucifixion, “ Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.” Peter crashes from the heights to the depths within a few verses, from the mountain peaks o f confession in verse 16 to the swamps of contradiction in verse 22. In one verse, he is a spokesman for God, for our Lord said, “ Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven” ; and in the next few minutes, he is a spokesman for the devil for our Lord said, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God but those that be o f men.” It shows us that Peter is still far from coming to the end o f himself. He is still following from Gailiee in self-will and there must be a special hint for him in our Lord’s next words: “ If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and FOLLOW ME.” It is an other milepost on the way to Tiberias. The heart of the whole matter shows up at the Last Supper. Peter asks, “Lord, whither goest Thou?” Jesus answers, “Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; for thou shalt follow after ward.” Peter said, “Lord, WHY CANNOT I FOL LOW THEE NOW? I will lay down my life for thee.” But Jesus reminded him that soon he would deny his Lord. There is something deeper than first appears in this question, “Why cannot I follow thee now?” Peter was not ready to follow His Lord “even now,” right now, right away. He was not ready; there were lessons to be learned. So our Lord had said, “Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; BUT THOU SHALT FOLLOW AFTERWARDS.” Peter did follow afterwards even unto death but he was
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not ready yet. Some o f us wonder what hinders us from going all the way with Jesus. We think we are ready but He knows better. We have not come to “ the afterwards.” Jesus knew Peter, knew that soon he would go to sleep in the garden; then he would follow afar off; next he would warm him self at the enemy’s fire and finally swear and deny that he ever knew his Lord. He who thought he was ready for martyrdom would be finished oft by a servant girl! Our Lord knows us too and what pitfalls lie between Galilee and Tiberias. The key to Peter’s trouble is revealed in something else our Lord said on that solemn occasion. Only Luke tells us: Jesus said, “ Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31, 32). Here is something of tremendous significance. For a moment our Lord pulls aside the curtain between us and the unseen world and we get a glimpse of the tug-of-war that Satan wages with God for the souls of men. We are reminded at once o f the Book of Job and Satan’s securing per mission to try out Job in the fires o f adversity. Peter, usually the mouth o f the twelve, is here the ear, says Matthew Henry. The first two “ you’s” are plural: “ Satan asked to have you all (all you disciples) that he might sift (all you disciples) as wheat, but I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith, (Peter’s faith), fail not: and when you, Peter, have turned again, strengthen your breth ren.” What a drama is here set before us with three characters: “ SATAN hath desired to have YOU . . . but I . . . . ” Here are Satan, “ you,” which means any of us, and Christ. It is Christ or Antichrist and we are the prize Satan seeks with every snare. I do not pretend to understand all that is involved here in God’s permissive will but I rejoice in the blessed turn of the sentence: “ Satan hath desired to have you . . . BUT I have prayed for you.” “ If
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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