Good Morning Friends,
“Peter was sitting in the courtyard, and a
servant girl came to him. ‘You also were with Jesus of Galilee,’ she said. He
denied it before them all. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He went
out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there,
‘This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ He denied it again, with an oath: ‘I
don’t know the man!’ After a little while, those standing there went up to
Peter and said, ‘Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.’ He
began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know the
man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had
spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ He went
outside and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:69-75)
Peter was a brave man. He proved that in the
garden when he drew his sword and struck one of those who had come to arrest
Jesus. He was willing to fight and die to protect Jesus. He proved it again by
following Jesus to the house of the high priest and entering the courtyard to
be near Jesus and to see if there was some way he could help.
Why was Peter there? Was he there just to see
what would happen to Jesus? Was he there in case there was an opportunity to
free Jesus by force? I don’t know, but I do know that he was brave enough to be
there, when most of the other apostles were not.
So why did he deny Jesus? His courage failed
him when he was actually confronted. Or perhaps he was trying to hide his
identity in order to be able to stay near Jesus in case he could be of some
help.
Whatever the reasoning behind the denials, they
were wrong and when the rooster’s reminder came, Peter knew he had done wrong. It’s
never right to deny Jesus. Peter was wrong, even if he was trying to do
something right. God won’t have us accomplish something right by doing
something wrong!
His, by Grace, Steve
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