John 18:25-27 (NIV)
As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, 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 olive grove?”
Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
While Jesus’ hearing was going on in the house of Annas, the former high priest, things were happening outside. As night faded into early morning, Peter was accosted twice more about his ties to Jesus.
The first questioner basically repeated the question of the woman at the gate: “You aren’t one of His disciples, are you?” Peter’s response as a gruff “I am not.”
The final questioner was a relative of Malchus, the man whose ear Peter had cut off in the garden with his wild swing of a sword. This questioner had been in the garden among the crowd. Although the light of the torches was dim and flickering, something about Peter struck him as familiar. So, the man asked, “Didn’t I see you in with Jesus in the olive grove?” Again, Peter denied it, a little more strongly, a little more harshly than was necessary.
Right then a rooster crowed nearby, and Peter almost quit breathing. Jesus’ words came slamming back into his head: “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” (John 13:38)
Annas’ house had a window that looked out onto the courtyard, and Peter, who had been listening to the conversations inside glanced over at it. Jesus had heard the rooster crow as well, and Peter saw Him turn right at that moment and look out the window straight into Peter’s eyes (Luke 22:61-62). Peter’s heart turned to water in his chest. He scrambled to his feet and, blinded by tears, stumbled out of the gate and down the narrow streets of the city.
Father, this is what will always happen to us if we fall into the trap of trying to stand in our own strength. Even though Jesus knew that this was all going to happen, I bet it broke His heart to watch Peter turn and run, confirming that it had all played out exactly the way He knew that it would. Later, after Pentecost, Peter would be stronger, and, ultimately, he would indeed lay down His life for Jesus. But for that night, he had failed, and he knew that Jesus knew it. Lord, help me to never lean on my own strength, but instead to wholly trust in You and your power to help me stand firm when the chips are down. Amen.
If you are enjoying my blog, I invite you to check out my book, When We Listen, A Devotional Commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Just follow this url: http://eagerpress.webstarts.com/ Thanks, and God bless you all!