Thursday Thought – January 7, 2016

Good Morning Friends,

“They led him away to the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 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.’ 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. 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. Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ He went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:54-62)

What was Peter thinking when he denied Jesus three times? He could not have had 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. When Jesus looked straight at Peter, it was a reminder that Jesus had predicted the denials. Peter had forgotten what Jesus had predicted until that moment.

Peter had good – though flawed – motivations in his denials. He believed that if he said he was a follower of Jesus they would arrest him or throw him out of the courtyard. Peter wanted to stay right where he was, close to the trials and did what he had to do to remain there.

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

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

His, by Grace, Steve