Would You Deny Him?

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.

But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.

And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. 

                                                                                (Mark 14:26-31 KJV)

"I will not deny thee" is one of the saddest statements that we hear from the scriptures. In fact we know that Peter did deny him as he was being interrogated and persecuted for our sakes. Peter had been a faithful follower of Jesus; yet, he denied that he even knew him.

It causes us to wonder what we would have done if we had been there. Would we have denied him to save our own skins? What about today? How often do we actually deny that we know Jesus? How often do we miss opportunities to testify to his great love for us? How often do we neglect to tell others what he has done for us.

"I will not deny thee" is such a sad statement to hear because we know that we are not so different from Peter. Although many have stood firm and died declaring that Jesus is our Savior; the question haunts us. Would we?

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Denying Jesus

Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.

Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

                                                                                  (John 13:33-38 KJV)

Peter loved Jesus. He wanted to be with him wherever he was. But, when the possibility of being arrested with him came up, he did indeed deny him as Jesus said he would.

Sometimes fear; sometimes self-preservation, will cause even those who love someone to desert them. But, Jesus does not and will not desert us. He did not run from the cross. He did not run from death. He went willingly to his execution because of his great love for us.

May God grant us the courage and strength to always stand on the truth and to not deny the truth; to not deny Jesus, in any attempts to save our own skins in this world. 

He, who is the truth, died for us. Let us live in the truth. Let us live in him.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

And... The Cock Crowed

Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

                                                (Matt 26:74-75 KJV)

For years my congregations have observed Good Friday with a Tenebrae Service. There is a monologue given as if it were the eye witness account of St. Peter. It is a moving account of how much our Lord was willing to suffer for us. He was willing to endure torture and death for we who would continue to betray him even as Peter betrayed him. 

When I hear the account of St. Peter's betrayal, I am shaken to the core for I know that St. Peter is not the only betrayer. Here is our Lord giving his life that we might live and here we are living our own lives to fulfill our own selfish purposes; to protect ourselves. We can tell ourselves the Lord expects us to have everything we want to enjoy our lives, and I do believe he wants us to enjoy life; but, at what cost? Is the cost putting the love of self; the love of the world above the love of God? Do we realize that in turning to our desires that we are turning away from the one who loves us so much that he would die for us? Do we truly love the one who loved us enough to die for us above our own selfish desires? 

When Jesus rose from the grave he told Peter that if he loved him then he should feed his sheep. (John 21:15-17) If we truly love him, we would be caring for others even as Jesus cares for us. We would not be the first priority.

Tomorrow is the day that we celebrate his resurrection. But; remember, there would have been no rising from the dead if there had been no death in the first place. You cannot have Easter morning without Good Friday. We too, must die to ourselves in order to live in Christ.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

                                                                                     (Luke 9:23-26)

God's Peace - Pr. J