Peter’s Denials
Matthew 26:69-75, The Message - All this time,
Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and
said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean.”
In front of everybody there, he denied it. “I don’t know
what you’re talking about.”
As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to
the people there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”
Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: “I
swear, I never laid eyes on the man.”
Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter.
“You’ve got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away.”
Then he got really nervous and swore. “I don’t know the
man!”
Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus
had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out
and cried and cried and cried.
Fear does terrible things to
people. It makes men do the opposite of
what they want to do in their heart of hearts.
It drives wedges between people who would normally be kind to one
another. Fear makes people susceptible to
believe things that actually increase their fear. Fear feeds on fear and multiplies itself.
Only hours earlier, Peter was
speaking boldly about never denying or forsaking his Master Jesus. Then his Master is arrested and has been
brought before the Religious leaders who Peter knows intend to have Jesus
killed. Fear grows as Peter surmises
that maybe, he will be next. And before
he realizes it, his fear has formed the denials on his lips. Peter does what he could have never seen himself
doing. Fear is a terrible thing.
I know how he feels. I remember one
time before I was a pastor when I had been asked to speak briefly at a groundbreaking
ceremony at our church. I had notecards
with my little speech all written out.
When the time came and I walked up on the platform, I looked down out my
cards. I was so petrified that I could
not read. I felt like my brain was
paralyzed. It was. Fear had taken over and I was nearly powerless. I don’t even remember what happened after
that. It just wasn’t good.
That experience was an obstacle for
me for next six years as I struggled with a call to pastoral ministry. I had begun to believe that such a calling
was impossible for me. After all, how could I take up a profession that centers
around public speaking when I was unable to read in public? There have been many other moments when fear
has gotten such a hold on me that I have said things contrary to what I
believe. I have acted in ways that
betray my true character. So, I feel a
connection to poor Peter. I’m not sure I
would have performed better than him given the same circumstances.
I take comfort that Peter was also
the one Jesus called “the Rock,” the one Jesus said He would build His church
upon. And Peter was that rock, he would
become one of the central leaders in the early Christian church, an author of Christian
scripture, and the one that the Catholic church would refer to as the first
Pope. He was delivered from fear by the
Risen Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Fear did not have the last word with Peter and it did not have the last
word with me either. Though I still
sometimes get nervous in certain situations, I have been able to do things I
never would have imagined that day standing on the platform at the
groundbreaking. To God be the glory.
Question: Is there
something you feel a leading to do, but so far fear has stopped you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
deliver us from paralyzing fear. Help us
move forward in the power that comes from your Spirit and our trust in
you. May we be bold for you O God. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for people you know who are living in fear right now (war-torn countries,
domestic violence, resource scarcity, etc)
Song: Fear is a Liar –
Zach Williams
