John 18:17 - The servant girl at the door said to Peter, "You also are not one of this Man's disciples, are you?"
She was a servant girl minding the front door. It was a busy night—the whole Sanhedrin assembled, and the preacher Jesus of Nazareth on trial before them! She did her job, letting everybody in and shutting the door—and then one of the men came back to ask a favor. "Would you let my friend in, too?" he must have said. "This man, here"—and John would have pointed out Peter.
It was no skin off her nose. John was known to the high priest's household, and she didn't mind letting his friend Peter in, too. But she was curious. Apparently, she knew that John was a follower of Jesus. So as Peter entered, she asked him, "You aren't one of this Man's disciples too, are you?"
That question gets asked more often than we think. At work, at school, in the neighborhood—people look at us, just as the girl looked at Peter, and wonder: "You aren't one of these Christians, are you?" They may ask us to our faces, or they may ask other people behind our backs. But they are curious.
It's a good curiosity to have. It can give Christians the opportunity to tell our friends about Jesus their Savior. True, Peter blew his chance when he denied Jesus. And sometimes we blow our chances, too, when we talk or behave in ways that bring shame to the Name of Christ.
But that isn't usually what happens. If non-Christians are asking, it's usually because they see something in our lives that is good—something they want for themselves. They may not know exactly what it is, but they want to. They are curious. And that's our chance to tell them about Jesus—who loves them, and us, enough to lay down His own life to rescue us.
Pray for your friends. Ask God to make them curious about Jesus—and to give you the right words to say at the right time.
THE PRAYER: Father, use me to draw others to Your Son Jesus. Amen.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
What kinds of topics make you curious, and why?
Has anyone ever asked you if you were a Christian? What happened?
Think of the Christians you know. What in their lives would make a non-Christian curious to know more about Jesus?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 5-7 Luke 3
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