Mark 14:27-31 (NIV): “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today–yes, tonight–before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
Jesus knew very clearly exactly what would happen, because it was all prophesied very clearly. He had already been betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, just as it had been foretold (Zechariah 11:12). And now, as His time grew short, He knew from Zechariah 13:7 that when He was arrested, all of the disciples would flee, leaving Him alone to face all of the suffering and anguish that was in store for Him.
Obviously the twelve protested this. They had faced hard times and conflicts before, and had remained at Jesus’ side. They would stand with Him no matter what happened. Peter was especially vocal in His support – even if everybody else fell away, he would stand firm. But Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. He knew that behind that mask of bravado still lay an unsanctified heart, a fleshly heart that, when push came to shove, would seek survival above all else.
But even though Jesus knew that ALL of the disciples would flee at the critical moment (Peter’s denial was simply the most tragic of the desertions), He was already looking beyond their failure, beyond their betrayal to His victory and resurrection, and to the time when they would all find restoration, when He would go ahead of them to Galilee (verse 28). There would be failure on a massive scale, but there was restoration just over the horizon.
Father, it is comforting to our souls to know that our failures do not have to be the end, as long as we seek restoration. That was the main difference between Peter and Judas. Both betrayed Jesus. But Peter’s heart was bound to Jesus, and desired above all else to be loyal and faithful, even when his flesh failed him. Judas, on the other hand, had already turned his heart away from Jesus, even before his betrayal. And when he was later stricken with pangs of guilt, he did not seek restoration. Instead, he merely sought relief from his guilt, and tried to find it in suicide (cf. Matthew 27:3-5). Father, help me to always have a heart like Peter’s; a heart that, in any failure or fault, seeks restoration above all else; a heart that repents powerfully; a heart that can be restored completely. Amen.