“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual
things with spiritual.” I Corinthians 2:13
One of the great rules of understanding God’s word is that Scripture
is best explained by comparing it to other Scriptures. God’s word harmonizes (is not in conflict) with itself so one passage can
explain or illustrate another passage. Thus we are kept from being deceived by one man’s “private” interpretation of what a passage means. We look to God’s word to explain itself to us. That’s a great
reason to study it carefully. It also explains why the Bereans always checked what they were taught against God’s word to determine if it was true (as we should also do).
When we come to Peter’s worst week we are struck by the many parallels between Peter’s fall from grace and what is described in the parable of the prodigal son. These two examples show us what we
as believers go through when we leave the love of the Lord and are controlled by own pride and desires of the flesh. So using the parable of the prodigal son let’s review the steps of his fall from grace
and return to fellowship and discern how Peter (and we) often follow that same path into sin.
Step 1: Forgetting and Growing Cold For believers all movement into sin and being controlled by the flesh begins the same way. We begin to take the Lord for granted. We forget who He is and what He has done for us. We have our goals and we are confident we can achieve those ends ourselves. We do not see a need to call on the Lord for guidance or strength. For the prodigal son, he looked at the
things of the world and became enticed with them. Experiencing and enjoying them became his goal. For Peter, his goals were good. He wanted to serve the Lord but he thought he could do it without the Lord’s strength. The prodigal son’s self-centeredness is seen by his demand that his father give him the desire of his heart. Peter thought he knew how to serve the Lord. Neither felt they needed (or wanted) any counsel. Thus in both cases Peter and the prodigal son forgot the master (father). The words and instruction they had been given grew faint in their memory as they spent increasingly more time doing what they desired. With time the counsel they received was neglected and dryness filled their souls – a dryness they thought could be filled in ways other than the Lord’s.
Step 2: Damage Unseen by the prodigal son or Peter is the damage their self-centeredness created. (They will realize its destructive agony much later.) The prodigal son’s father had to break up his ownings and sell his property to give his son the money he demands. Great damage is done to the father’s estate. He likely has to sell many of his belongings at reduced prices and it gives his neighbors access to much of the land and valuable possessions he owned (and that his son would lose also). Peter damage was seen in his relationship with the other disciples (arguing over who would be the greatest), criticizing other believers (the women praising the Lord with fragrances), and with the Lord (telling Jesus he was wrong). Relationships were strained and became damaged.
What can we learn? We look at these first two steps and the Holy Spirit shows us sin as it begins. To Peter and the prodigal son the sin and the damage is invisible. In fact they probably feel justified in what they are doing. It is very easy to slip away from the Lord. Drifting is a slow process which is seldom noticed in the moment. When that happens dryness occurs and living for the Lord becomes a burden. This is why we are reminded to remember the Lord. Drifting sway from Him never ends well.