Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” John 18:11   Jesus is being arrested. It’s finally happening. After countless ruffling of the religious elite, calling Pharisees a “brood of vipers”, and constantly disrupting societal norms... They’ve had enough. They’re going to put an end to it.    In the middle of the night. With lots of manpower.    John 18:3 says that Judas guided a “detachment of soldiers” into the garden. Scholars estimate that a “detachment” was somewhere between 200–600 men. They’re coming to arrest a teacher and his eleven friends. And they're carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.    Jesus confronts them immediately. “Who is it you want?”    “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.   “I am he,” Jesus said.   When the soldiers step forward to arrest Jesus, Peter draws his sword and in a moment of equal parts “lightning-fast speed” and “complete unfamiliarity with how to use a sword” he cuts off one of the accuser’s ears. It’s violent and emotional, but also hilarious. This scene in the garden would’ve had a very different flavor if Peter was a skilled swordsman and swiftly decapitated a few of the soldiers. (Thank God that Peter wasn’t a skilled swordsman.)   Jesus is quick to correct him. “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”    Jesus doesn’t want Peter to get sucked into violence, and he also doesn’t want him getting in the way of what God is up to.    I can’t tell you how many times I find myself caught off-guard and reaching for my sword.    Peter was unprepared for this moment. Jesus had invited him to be in prayer; to be aware; to be prepared… But Peter and the others had fallen asleep. (Matthew 26:40-46)    Had they been praying with Jesus when the soldiers arrived, would Peter have acted differently? Would he have seen more accurately what God was up to? Would his perspective have been broader? Would he have trusted God’s sovereignty in the midst of the chaos?    I think yes.    But instead, he went from a deep sleep to having soldiers in his face. Of course he reached for his sword.    How often do we try to obstruct God’s plan simply because we’re caught off-guard? How many times is God up to something magnificent and painful but glorious and Kingdom-advancing… but because we were sleeping as it was coming together, we’re playing catch up, acting defensively and trying to protect what has always been?   I think I’m more like Peter than I’d ever want to admit.    By all accounts, Peter was doing the “right” thing—defending his leader. If someone comes to attack your guy, you fight back. And over the years a lot of religious people have used that same mentality to commit atrocious acts of violence in the name of God. “We’re under attack! Stand your ground! Defend the motherland!” And there have been countless times in my life that doing the “right” thing is a mile off-target from the wisdom of God.    Jesus sternly says, “Put away your swords. You’re getting in the way.”    Does this mean we never defend our faith? Does it mean we never fight to preserve what God has entrusted to us? No. But it does mean that we need to be more prayerful and watchful than ever. We need to be constantly asking God to give us His perspective. We need to be asking for wisdom and Kingdom-mindedness beyond our years.    Otherwise, we’ll simply be reacting (usually foolishly) to what He’s unfolding around us.    Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2   Lord, may our lives be marked by gratitude and expectancy. May we not miss what You’re up to, and may we never get in the way of the magnificent things You’re doing in our midst.