Thursday Thought -- August 18, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, ‘This man was with him.’ But he denied it. ‘Woman, I don't know him,’ he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, ‘You also are one of them.’ ‘Man, I am not!’ Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, ‘Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.’ Peter replied, ‘Man, I don't know what you're talking about!’ Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:54-62)

What in the world was Peter thinking when he denied Jesus three times? He could not have been doing what he was doing with a hardened heart toward Jesus. He was in the courtyard because he loved Jesus and wanted to be near Him in case there was some way to help or at least so he would see firsthand what happened to Jesus. And when Jesus looked straight at Peter, it was a reminder that Jesus had predicted these denials – that means Peter had forgotten what Jesus had predicted until that moment. No, Peter was intentionally and with a hardened heart abandoning Jesus.

I think Peter had good – although flawed – motivations in his denials. I think he believed that if he acknowledged he was a follower of Jesus they would either arrest him or throw him out of the courtyard of the high priest. He probably feared only the latter – because if they had wanted to arrest him they had already had that chance in Gethsemane. Peter wanted to stay right where he was, right close to the trials and did what he had to do in order to remain there.

I don’t see Peter’s denials much different from Judas’ betrayal. I think Judas had good – although flawed – motivation, too. I think Judas was trying to force Jesus to declare Himself King and take control. And Peter was trying to do something good, too – stay close to Jesus during His trial. Both chose ungodly means in their attempt to accomplish what they thought were godly aims.

Have you ever been guilty of the same – using ungodly means in an attempt to accomplish a godly aim? That’s never a right choice or a good choice. Peter’s denials broke Jesus’ heart and so did Judas’s betrayal. When we choose ungodly means to attempt to accomplish godly aims, we break God’s heart, too.

His, by Grace,

Steve