Final Confrontation (25 page)

“Why, you are the Christ. You are the Son of the Living God!”

It was Peter.

Jesus smiled at Peter proudly. He took him aside and held him up as an example to the others.

“Hear Me now! Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, Peter. You did not figure this out on your own. This was given to you by the Father. But hear Me—I say no longer shall this man be called Simon by you, the unsteady one. Instead he shall be called Peter—the rock. Just as I called him the first day I met him! For upon this declaration—this rock—I shall build My church—and the very gates of hell itself shall not prevail against it!”

“And I tell you this, Peter,” Jesus continued, “I am giving you the keys to the Kingdom so that whatever you bind on this planet shall be bound in Heaven; and whatever you turn loose on this planet shall also be turned loose in heaven.”

Peter could hardly believe what he was hearing. All of his life he had lived with a reputation for being blunt, impetuous, headstrong, and simple. He was always the stumbler—the reckless one. And now he was declared by the Son of God Himself to be a rock—Peter!

It was something for which he had longed all his life but never realized it until now, listening to Jesus. His brothers understood this—particularly Andrew, who was now smiling at Peter and giving him a “well done” look.

“Where to, Lord?” asked Peter. “Where are we headed?” “To glory, Peter,” said Jesus, throwing an arm around him. “To glory.”

“Well, Crispin,” said Lucifer. “How very nice to see you again.”

Kara laughed at the appearance of Crispin, who along with Alamar had accompanied Michael and several other angels to travel with Jesus. This was to be their last journey with Jesus before the next Passover, and they were all very alert that something dramatic was shifting in the life and ministry of their Lord. They had also come in response to the growing number of Lucifer’s angels who had begun clamoring around Jesus and his disciples.

“Dear Crispin, when will you ever learn that Jesus does not need your most capable assistance?” Kara mocked.

“Dear Kara, when will you ever learn He does not fear any of your nonsense?” Crispin retorted.

“It seems your Man is destined not for greatness but for death,” said Lucifer. “What does one do with a dead Lord?”

Michael looked over the group of angels, both holy and unholy, who now were with Jesus and His disciples on the road to Mount Tabor. As they walked, Jesus began speaking to them about what must shortly happen to Him

“Our Lord will not die,” said Michael sternly. “He is speaking to them in parables again. It is you who has a grim destiny, Lucifer.”

“Perhaps,” said Lucifer. “But the way the Most High seems to operate, He always allows us room to contest Him. I’m sure He won’t disappoint Him this time either.”

Michael was about to answer when a commotion among the disciples broke out. Peter stormed away from the group. His brother Andrew followed along, trying to reason with him. But Peter would have none of it. After a moment or two he walked back over to the men.

“This should prove interesting,” said Lucifer, who moved down among the group. Michael saw alarm beginning to grow among his angels but he held them back. He knew that Lucifer would never try something with the Most High outright.

“What is your dark master doing?” asked Crispin. “Fooling himself?”

“I rather suspect he is fooling Peter,” said Kara.

“The ‘rock’,” added Berenius with contempt.

The men stepped aside and allowed Peter back in their midst. He moved up close to Jesus, shaking his head in disbelief over what he had just heard.

“It’s true Peter,” said Jesus. “You must understand this. All of you must.”

The angels had moved in by now, wanting to make certain they too had correctly understood what Jesus had said. Lucifer remained behind Peter.

“We must begin a slow but certain trek to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of the chief priest and the elders. I shall die there.”

The holy angels shuddered at the statement. Crispin was perplexed. Even Michael was unnerved by such a declaration. As for Lucifer, he quickly hushed his howling angels so he could understand more of this mystery.

“But,” continued Jesus, “on the third day the Son of Man shall be raised again.”

He looked deeply into Peter’s eyes. “Do you understand, Peter?”

Lucifer sized up the situation as a critical point in Jesus’ ministry. If he could cast doubt on Him now—during this supreme declaration—then perhaps the whole rotten plan would come crashing down. He moved behind Peter and began to speak into his mind:

“Let these others watch him die. But you must not permit it. Perhaps the Man is over wrought…”

“Lord, this cannot be!” declared Peter. “How can You die when You have brought us so far? How can this possibly be part of the plan?”

Jesus looked through Peter directly into the face of Lucifer. The authority the angel felt being exerted over him was not unlike that which he had experienced when he was in Heaven serving at the Most High’s throne. Only this time it was directed at him more pointedly.

“Get behind me Satan!” Jesus said.

Lucifer fell to the ground, cowering in a mass of light. Kara and Berenius buckled and fell where they stood, as well. The other devils scattered and disappeared. Only the holy angels remained standing at their posts.

“Satan, you are an offense to me! You are not mindful of the things of God, but would see My Father’s plan undone by men.”

Peter fell to the ground and asked Jesus forgiveness for having become an obstacle to Him. Lucifer managed to stand and, with a scowl at Michael, quickly vanished. Kara and Berenius followed him.

Jesus continued talking to all of them.

“Hear me now! If any of you would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.”

He picked up some loose dirt and let it sift through His fingers.

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? I tell you I am not jealous for My own life. If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, then I will be ashamed of him when I come in My glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

He looked the men over and felt a great sense of compassion. The twelve were silent as He said to them encouragingly, “I’m telling you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God.”

“And so Lucifer is bested once more,” said Alamar. “I have learned a great deal about the Lord’s authority in this world.”

Crispin, still shocked by what Jesus had said to His disciples, could only mutter to himself something about the Lord having to die. Michael walked over to him. The other angels closed ranks as well. The disciples had fallen silent.

“Why must He die?” asked Michael. “How can that possibly serve the interests of the Lord? Why must He die for the Lord?”

Crispin looked up at the angelic faces. He thought for a minute of everything leading up to this moment. He recounted to them how God had created A’dam and Eve to live in Eden; how they both fell and allowed the image of God inside them to become marred; how God sought through Abraham to create a new covenant that would one day see the world blessed; how God led this great nation through Egypt and into the land of promise; how Israel established itself and built the great temple to house God’s very Presence; how the nation corrupted itself and God sent the prophets to warn of impending judgment; how the prophets spoke of One to come who would one day set them all free and establish a Kingdom which would last forever; how Jesus was born to a virgin as the prophet had said; and now how this same Jesus, the Son of the Living God, must die and be raised again. He finally summed it all up in answer to Michael.

“Michael, I would say in answer to your question that Jesus is not dying for the Lord as much as He is dying for men.”

Mount Tabor jutted out of the Plain of Esdraelon, giving a marvelous view of Mount Carmel in the west and Mount Hermon to its north. The men who camped at its base were happy not to be doing any climbing, however. The disciples were weary of ministry and still alarmed at all the talk of death that had taken over their Master recently.

As they sat near a fire, some of them were chatting about the discussion. Thomas leaned in and whispered to Thaddeus and Bartholomew.

“I wonder if perhaps He has been traveling too hard,” he said. “Judas thinks that maybe He is ill.”

“Nonsense,” said Thaddeus. “But I don’t pretend to understand any of this.”

“Here comes Peter,” said Bartholomew. “Hush for now.”

Peter moved over to the fire and warmed his hands. He looked at the men with whom he had shared his life for the last couple of years. He loved them all. As he contemplated what had befallen him since he and his brother had met Jesus, he watched Judas move in from the darkness and sit near the fire. Judas rarely spoke these days. He always seemed to be brooding about something.

“Peter.”

Peter turned to see Jesus standing with James and John. He motioned for him to follow along with them. The others stayed in the camp and watched as Jesus and these three disappeared onto the mountain.

“There they go,” said Judas. “Jesus and His favorites.”

Andrew heard the comment and rebuked Judas.

“How dare you shame our Master like that!”.

Judas merely shrugged and curled up in his blanket.