The Spirit of Correction

“And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.”

John 18:18

John Stayed.

John and Peter together followed the mob to the trial of Jesus Christ in the high priests’ palace. Peter had resisted the arrest of the Lord Jesus, so he remained outside to avoid being recognized. John, on the other hand, did not hesitate to enter himself, for the Bible says, “That disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.” (John 18:15) In John’s naive bravado, he presumed that Peter surely wanted to come in also. “But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.” (John 18:16)

But Peter was unstable. After his rebuke in the Garden of Gethsemane, his courage was gone. Once inside, Peter feared to venture into the house where Jesus was; he stood by the fire with the servants and officers who had just arrested Jesus. Peter would rather let John go on alone. This was as far as he could come.

But bad company brings out the worst in you. Before the rooster crowed that second time, Peter was cussing just like the rest of them. He ran out of that courtyard like a dirty dog with his tail on fire. John followed Jesus all the way to Calvary.

John stayed. Peter strayed.

John Strayed.

But Jesus had promised Peter, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32)

John and Peter partook in a bittersweet competition after the Lord’s resurrection. They raced to the tomb (John 20:4). John won. They competed to land by the campfire from their fishing trip (John 21:7). Peter won. When Jesus charged Simon Peter to “Feed my lambs,” and “Feed my sheep,” John smugly smirked Peter’s direction to hear, “If he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” (John 21:15,22)

But the Holy Spirit would draw them closer than they ever had been before. In Acts 3, Peter and John together went up to the temple to pray. When they are hailed by a life-long invalid, Peter boldly took him by the hand, and made a miracle out of him. The reprocussions of that trio walking, leaping, and praising God sounded throughout the next 3 chapters of the book of Acts.

Not all the attention was good, however. Peter and John were dragged into a terrifyingly familiar court scene. It was evening. The Sadducees threw them in the hold until the morning. They were brought before the high priests, into their very palace. You could still imagine the bloodied scuffs on the stone pavement where Jesus of Nazareth was dragged less than two months before. This is where the Son of God met His merciless end. Would Peter and John finish their course here, also?

Peter winced, and looked to the door… but stood. He would not deny his Lord again. He would not run this time. But when he looked to see where John was, he was shocked to find him standing across the courtroom!

“And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.”

Acts 4:5-6

That night in prison shook John the Beloved. He wasn’t mentally conditioned for enduring that kind of persecution. They got to him.

Peter stayed. John strayed.

I wonder if Peter remembered that Passover evening some days before? How alone he made John feel when he cursed and ran out!

And did John remember? How could he forget? The miserable cry he heard when the Lord looked on Peter. John now felt the eyes of his brother in Christ staring a hole straight through him.

Peter’s faith had failed before; he knew how it felt. John had been strong before, now he weakly stared at the ground.

Then Peter rose up and began to do what his Lord prophesied that he would do. “Strengthen thy brethren:”

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them,

Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Acts 4:8-12

John Straightened

Peter stayed. John strayed. And without the Saviour to cajole the wayward disciple back to the right path. But there was Someone living within John and Peter now. The same “Someone.” The words of Peter bore witness to the truth in John. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” said Paul in Romans 8:16.

It is nothing short of a miracle then, that we read in Acts 4:13:

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John…”

While “their rulers, and elders, and scribes” were transfixed on Peter’s sermon, John stole away out from his “seat of the scornful.” When Peter finished, the loudest “Amen!” reported came over Peter’s shoulder, where John had regained his strength to stand once again.

Friend, the Holy Spirit is still in the business of correction. For the times when we forsake human counsel- there is still the Holy Council Who lives within us. John described the work of that Comforter later in his life: “And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” (1 John 5:6) He corrected Peter, He corrected John, and He can correct you, too.

John stayed. Then John strayed. But thanks to the Spirit of Correction, John straightened out again.

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