The second lesson to be learned from this passage is the importance of prayer. Prayer is important at all times. Paul instructed the Thessalonians to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). He told the Ephesians to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18). But especially we must pray in times of great sorrow. Jesus did! He prayed at length and fervently, J. C. Ryle said that “prayer is the best practical remedy that we can use in time of trouble.”1 Should we suppose that we have a better cure for it than Jesus?
The Bible contains passages that we often handle lightly, thinking either rightly or wrongly that they are not of first importance. But there are other passages that draw us up short, that seem to cry out sharply, “Take off your shoes, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
This brings us to Peter’s denial (vv. 31-35). We do not have to look into Peter’s failure in detail here, because we will come to it again at the end of this chapter where Peter actually does deny Jesus. But we can say this. There is no doubt that Peter loved Jesus and that he was fiercely loyal. Peter was in dead earnest when he answered the Lord’s predictions by protesting, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (v. 33) and “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (v. 35). But Peter did not know his own weakness, and when the crisis arrived he fled into the darkness with the others and later denied Jesus before servants as he stood in the courtyard of the priests.
Yesterday we looked at the first of five teachings that have come from Jesus’ words at the first Lord’s Supper. Today we will look at the other four.
Nothing anyone says today is likely to budge any one of these communions from positions they have held for centuries. But it is worth saying that there is no reason to take the words “This is my body” as a literal statement. The plain meaning of the words “This is my body” is: “This bread represents my body,” as also “This wine represents my shed blood.”
