COURAGE REQUIRED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant 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; your accent gives you away.”

Then he began to call down curses, 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.”

And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Matthew 26:69-75

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.

“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.

But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.”

When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.”

Again he denied it.

After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”

He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”

Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown Me three times.”

And he broke down and wept.

Mark 14:66-72

Then seizing Him (Jesus), they led Him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there 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

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”

It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

John 18:15-18, 25-27

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Picture yourself in this scenario.

You are vacationing in a country in which Christianity is not the primary religion. In fact, you know that any practicing of Christian faith can put someone at the risk of dire persecution in the form of attack or even death.

While out doing some sightseeing, you are confronted by a citizen of that nation who asks you in less than polite fashion if you’re a follower of Jesus. He appears very agitated and has adopted what you view as being an almost threatening posture. You wonder how he knows your religious belief and then realize that your cross necklace is out and in full sight. The man is waiting for your response.

What would you do?

Would you deny your belief in Jesus?

Or would you trust that the Lord would protect you in the midst of potential trouble and boldly pledge your faith in your Savior?

This hypothetical situation is equivalent to the actual one that Peter found himself in after Jesus was arrested and hauled off to stand trial before the Sanhedrin.

The scriptures tell us that Peter didn’t abandon Jesus, at least physically anyway. Luke’s Gospel tells us that Peter followed the arresting crowd to the home of the high priest and once there, he remained in the courtyard where there were some guards warming themselves by a fire.

Into this scene comes a girl who was a servant of the high priest. She looks at Peter with great intent and thinks she recognizes him as being in company with Jesus and so she asks Peter:

“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?”

Peter faced a moment of truth. Profess himself as a follower of Jesus and risk being taken into custody and arrested, brought to trial along with his Master or protect himself by way of plausible deniability.

The former would require a great deal of courage and faith. The latter was the easier path, one that would more probably lead to self preservation.

Peter chose the path of least resistance, replying to the servant girl, “I am not”, before retreating to the entryway where he was confronted again about his relationship to Jesus. The different Gospel accounts aren’t in synchrony regarding who confronted Peter but who did it isn’t as important as how Peter responds to the confrontation.

Did he openly pledge allegiance to Jesus the second go around?

Not exactly.

For as we see in the scriptures, Peter once again denied having any association with Jesus saying, this time with an oath, “I don’t know the man!”

Luke’s Gospel shares that Peter was challenged a third time an hour later. John’s Gospel identifies the challenger as someone who was in the garden with Jesus, the relative of Malchus who had his ear cut off by none other than Peter himself. The man asked Peter, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” but for a third time Peter denied knowing Jesus. We read in the scriptures where immediately a rooster crowed before Jesus looked directly at Peter. The stare had to burn a hole through Peter’s heart as he remembered his Master predict that he would deny knowing Him three times before the rooster would crow. Jesus’ words at the time must have seemed cryptic but Peter now fully saw it as prophetic and immersed in his sorrow for lacking the courage to confess his relationship with Jesus, Peter wept bitterly.

He has abandoned Jesus when He needed Peter most because he lacked the general courage required to be a truly faithful disciple.  

Why is this account in the scriptures and covered by all four Gospel authors?

Because it’s of critical importance to every Christian believer.

You see, Peter shows us behavior that we need to avoid as Christ followers. For when the chips were down in the midst of adversity, he folded and lacked the faith to stand firm to his beliefs and convictions.

When we choose to follow Jesus, we need to remember that He told us to expect adversity. He let us know that because He was hated, so too would be His disciples. As we travel the path the Lord puts us on, we need not be surprised when it takes us into places of difficulty because of what we believe. Rather, we only need to keep our eyes on the cross where Jesus would remind us how He willingly drank from the cup of suffering given to Him by God because His devotion to His Father’s will was greater than any fear that might lead Him from it.

Through our Savior Jesus, we find the inspiration and strength to stay courageous for His name and His sake as we carry out His call to make disciples of all nations.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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