Acts 23:20 He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. (NIV)

I am preferring the NIV translation here today because it better serves my purpose. It is not more accurate than other translations, it does not make things any clearer, it serves my purpose.

This is the information age and there is much to be read about anything and everything these days. Almost all of it has conflicting information that can be found if you look hard enough. Some of it is so opposed in viewpoint one or another of the sources is lying.

My use of the NIV translation serves my point in this, “on the pretext”. I once was in charge of data collection and analysis. One could arguably look at the data and say my work was accurate and valid. The truth behind any of it lay in the data collection. The source of the data was just as important as the collection and analysis.

If I were to analyze shipping methods to reduce spoilage of food items and I looked at handling, temperature, duration, and packaging, one can determine the best methods to reduce spoilage. None of that data would tell me anything about the product as it left the processing plant. The quality of the data is useless if the product left the plant rotten to begin with.

Such is the influence of “pretext” information. It serves a purpose to which you have no information to subjectively analyze. None of us have the time and financial resources to do a thorough analysis of information. We rely on the work of others and as long as we trust the source we accept the information. So what is the truth?

Truth is not knowledge. Truth is not understanding. Truth is not a thing to be examined.

John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Truth is a man and that man is God.

Trust me, I am well informed.

Matthew 16:22-23 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Ever have one of those moments when you had an outburst that was based purely on emotion? In the moment you do not think about the words, they just come out. I am sure that Peter had every emotional wellbeing for his Lord in that moment, he just had a hard time accepting the truth of the moment.

At that very moment Peter hears his Lord call him Satan. Did Peter receive that as Christ meant it, or did Peter receive it with those same emotions that failed him just seconds earlier? How do we react in those moments right after we receive a sharp rebuke for one of our emotional outbursts? Do we take it emotionally or can we look past the words of rebuke and see the moment for what it is in truth?

Peter had a history of emotional outbursts. Later in the telling of Peter’s outbursts Jesus would once again have to correct Peter. “You shall deny me three times this night before the rooster crows.” (LT) Once again Peter reacted with emotions and denied Christ just as predicted.

Yet for all of Peter’s emotional outbursts Christ built His church in Jerusalem upon Peter, His Petros, His Little Rock. In truth I do not know how much Peter’s emotions played a role in serving Christ in that effort.

I do know that when Jesus the Risen Christ instructed Mary to tell the disciples He was risen, He called Peter out by name. “Be sure to tell Peter.” (LT) Perhaps because Peter had lost confidence in himself because of his emotional outbursts and the rebukes that followed. We can only say what that might mean to us if we were in that situation.

Can Christ use your failures to serve His purpose?

Yes.