Matthew 2:57-58 - Sit Back and Wait - March 15, 2023

When you’ve spent enough time in this world, you realize that life has certain “rules” that – even though unwritten – seem to be unbreakable. For example, we eventually learn that no matter which line you choose at the bank or the grocery store or gas station – every other one moves faster. Parents quickly learn that even if their children are happily playing in another room, the surest way to get their attention is to either sit down for a moment or take an important phone call. Or, if you happen to have scheduled a contractor or technician to come to your house within a four-hour window – it’s all but guaranteed that they will arrive the moment you try to use the restroom. These are all examples of what has been labeled “Murphy’s Law” – that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” [1] Well, if you’ve ever felt that Murphy’s Law is one of the controlling principles of your life – you’re not alone. As Peter sat with the guards in the courtyard of the high priest, he must have felt Murphy breathing down his neck – because, very early on Good Friday morning, it certainly seemed like everything that could have gone wrong for Peter did.

This must have been even more troubling for Peter because, for the most part, the preceding week had been great. On Palm Sunday, Peter was part of the procession into Jerusalem where Jesus was hailed as the Son of David (Matthew 21:9), where children had run through the temple shouting out his praises (Matthew 21:15), where crowds came out to hear Jesus speak (Luke 21:38). Oh sure, there were some killjoys there even on Palm Sunday. The chief priests and experts in the law behaved like grumpy old men, yelling at those children to get off their lawn – the temple (Matthew 21:15), and the Pharisees resented the fact that Jesus was getting the glory – instead of them (Luke 19:39), but all in all, things had gone pretty well. Peter and the other disciples had looked forward to eating the Passover meal with Jesus – at least partially because they thought that Jesus was about to establish his earthly kingdom and give them prominent places in it (Luke 22:24-30). But then things went sideways rather quickly.  

There was the whole foot washing debacle, which left the disciples – and especially Peter – red with shame (John 13:1-17). Then Jesus disrupted their Passover celebration by announcing that one of [the Twelve] would betray [him] (Matthew 26:21) – which ended with Judas stalking out into the darkness (John 13:30). Jesus then led them away from the upper room to the Garden of Gethsemane where he cried out to his Father in desperate prayer three times (Matthew 26:36-36). Then Judas showed up in the Garden – with an armed mob with him to arrest Jesus. Peter tried to salvage the evening by drawing his sword. He managed to hack the ear off one of the mob members. He thought he had done a good deed (John 18:10). But even here, things went wrong for Peter. Rather than congratulating him for his courage, Jesus rebuked him (John 18:11).

That was when Peter decided to cut his losses. He and the other disciples scattered like frightened sheep when their Shepherd was arrested and taken into custody (Matthew 26:31). But Peter had this sinking feeling that running away wasn’t the right move, either. His personality and curiosity wouldn’t allow him to just wait in hiding while Jesus was standing trial before the Sanhedrin. That’s when he and John followed to see what was happening. John knew people in high places and managed to get them both into the high priest’s courtyard (John 18:15-16). Now, surrounded by his Lord’s enemies, in the company of the high priest’s servants and the temple guards, Peter tried a new tactic. If big boasts and sword-play got him into trouble before, he would play it safe, try a different tactic – just stay quiet and try to blend in. “If I’m quiet enough,” he might have thought to himself, “I might be one of the first to hear the verdict.” “I’m not going to make the same mistake; I will sit back and do nothing” (John 18:18). You can’t get into trouble doing nothing, right? That’s what most people think. But not Murphy. And certainly not the devil, the Father of lies (John 8:44). As Christians, we should learn to see and understand how Satan uses the tactic of “sit still, blend in, do nothing” to destroy faith and attempt to separate people from their Savior.

Now, certainly there are times when God makes his people wait patiently for answers, for help, for deliverance – see Abraham and Sarah waiting for a son, for example (Genesis 15). But even then, that time is to be used productively – in prayer and meditation on God’s Word. It is not God but the devil who wants us to play it safe, and do nothing. Our mothers weren’t wrong when they told us that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” When people are doing nothing, the devil sees an opportunity to attack. Peter found that out in the high priest’s courtyard. The devil transformed his inactivity into a threefold denial, punctuated with oaths and ending in bitter sorrow (Matthew 26:75). What does this lie look like today? Well, if you are holding a grudge against someone else – or someone else is holding a grudge against you, the devil wants you to do nothing and see if the issue will just resolve itself – while Jesus says if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you…first be reconciled to your brother (Matthew 5:23-24). Parents and grandparents often fall for the lie that their children or grandchildren who have clearly fallen from the faith will magically return on their own as long as they don’t say anything – well, look at the empty seats around you. There are those who think that certain politically charged issues shouldn’t be addressed from the pulpit or in Bible class – that in certain cases we should just sit back and say nothing. They are wrong. And the current state of affairs in our country proves it. Murphy was right: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong – especially if you’re just sitting there doing nothing.

“Well, what should we be busy doing, then?” First, repenting for doing nothing; but then we should be busy focusing on how Jesus was never sitting around doing nothing. As a twelve-year-old Jesus was busy carrying out his Father’s business in his Father’s house (Luke 2:46-50). From the moment he was baptized by John in the Jordan, Jesus was busy. He was busy healing the sick and searching for the lost. He was busy calling sinners to repentance and forgiveness and new life (Matthew 4:17). Before his arrest, Jesus was busy teaching his disciples how to love by washing their feet. He repeatedly tried to call Judas back from his mission of betrayal (John 13:21ff). In the Garden of Gethsemane, he was so busy praying that his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44). Between prayers he was busy urging his disciples to watch and pray with him. He was busy as he negotiated for his disciples’ escape from the mob (John 18:8). Jesus was now on trial for his life, and even though he remained silent, don’t mistake his silence for inactivity; he was still busy. He could have freed himself, but he didn’t. He could have struck down his accusers, the false witnesses, and those corrupt judges, but he didn’t (Matthew 26:53). With a word or a thought, he could have wiped them off the face of the earth. But he didn’t. He was busy following his Father’s will that he be rejected by his own people, the very ones he had come to save. He was busy living and dying for you and for me. He was always busy doing the work of his Father (John 4:34).

And for Jesus’ busyness, we should be grateful. Because Jesus is the solution to the biggest problems that will never go away no matter how long we sit around and wait. Our sins will never erase themselves, but Jesus’ blood does (1 John 1:7). Nothing about the future will ever be certain, but you can find certainty in trusting Jesus’ promise do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself (Matthew 6:34). The world will never be a Christian utopia, but, don’t worry, because Jesus says I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Death is looming over all of our heads, but Jesus says I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish (John 11:25-26). By his innocent suffering and death, Jesus has made your problems his own and whether he takes them away, let’s them linger for a time, or lets them linger your entire life – he never lets you deal with them alone. As Peter eventually came to understand, no matter the problem, there is something we can do: cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

How can we thank Jesus for tirelessly working for our salvation? Easy. Do something. Paul gives some suggestions in Romans 12: We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully (Romans 12:6-8). On a more practical level, if you are a father – then take it seriously that it is your responsibility to raise your children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord – no matter how old they are! (Ephesians 6:1-4) The same goes for you mothers (Proverbs 1:8). Husbands and wives: marriages don’t sustain themselves. Husbands: love your wives as Christ loved the Church. Wives: submit to your husbands just as the church submits to Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33). Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 6:1). Be active and engaged in our society – for when you are, our city, state and nation will be blessed (Jeremiah 29:7). Call out sin when you see it and forgive it when it is repented of (Luke 17:3). And even if you’re not in a position to do any of those things, you can still do one thing, you can pray; and the prayer of a righteous person is able to do much because it is effective (James 5:16). But most importantly, be active in worship and in Bible study – for those are the places where your tireless Jesus meets you to recharge and energize you to live for him (Romans 10:17).

While it may seem like Murphy is often right; that no matter what we do, anything that can go wrong, will, one way to guarantee it is by doing nothing. That’s what the devil wants, he wants you to drop out of life, out of your family, out of church and out of personal Bible study. Don’t sit there like Peter and wait to see how things will turn out – because the devil will be hard at work to ensure that they turn out badly. Be busy focusing on Jesus, the one who worked tirelessly for your salvation and then be busy carrying out your vocation in his kingdom – confident that he will return one day to take you to a place where Murphy’s law doesn’t apply. Amen.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy%27s_law