t's in Mark 14:26-31 that we read the familiar account of Peter's denial of Jesus. this is a most grievous, yet thought provoking passage.
First, Jesus says, "Every one of you disciples will desert me this very night. Then, Peters says, "Even if everyone else deserts you I never will." Then, Jesus says, "you will not only desert me once but three times. You will deny you even know me." Finally, Peters says, "Even if it kills me, I will never desert you." Yet he did...not once but three more times: in verse 68, again in 70, and a third time in verse 71.
The interpretation of this passage is straight forward. It is part of the narrative of the Passion of Christ. However, there are many applications to glean. The account might be seen to demonstrate that we should evaluate carefully before making a commitment. Perhaps, we should spend more time praying and less time sleeping. When God gives us a warning it should be taken seriously. There are many other applications in this passage. I think one of the most valuable applications is to alert us to the deceitfulness of the human heart.
Peter was not being flippant in declaring his unwavering commitment to his Lord. He was absolutely convinced he would not relent no matter what, even if it cost him his life. Yet when the pressure was on, he did what he swore he would never do--he denied Christ. I suspect no one was more surprised than Peter himself. Now you say, how could this possibly have any application to me? I would like to suggest at least for a consideration that we, too, can be deceived by our own heart, just as Peter was.
Consider the Lord's Prayer specifically the third petition which says, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I dare say every evangelical Christian would say that he or she is absolutely sincere when asking the Lord to grant that petition. But what are we asking? We could very well be asking God to send us to a place we have never been, to do something we have never done, or use skills we have never developed. If He should ask you, would you be willing to abandon your own plans and go? If He should ask me, will I walk away from my own goals and go? Knowing myself as I do, my honest response would have to be, "I surely hope so."
The fact is, I don't think any of us are sure what we will do in the moment of crisis. That is nothing new. Jeremiah declared in 17:9 "...the heart is deceitful above all things...who can know...understand his own heart." It is true we may not know now, but eventually we will know, one way or another. We can wait for the moment of truth to come...and then examine the evidence of our heart as with Peter; or we can pray as David did, "Search me Oh God and know my heart...see if there is any hurtful way in me and lead me in the way of learning." My challenge is to let God mold our heart; change our heart to help us "Go" when He says "Go."
First, Jesus says, "Every one of you disciples will desert me this very night. Then, Peters says, "Even if everyone else deserts you I never will." Then, Jesus says, "you will not only desert me once but three times. You will deny you even know me." Finally, Peters says, "Even if it kills me, I will never desert you." Yet he did...not once but three more times: in verse 68, again in 70, and a third time in verse 71.
The interpretation of this passage is straight forward. It is part of the narrative of the Passion of Christ. However, there are many applications to glean. The account might be seen to demonstrate that we should evaluate carefully before making a commitment. Perhaps, we should spend more time praying and less time sleeping. When God gives us a warning it should be taken seriously. There are many other applications in this passage. I think one of the most valuable applications is to alert us to the deceitfulness of the human heart.
Peter was not being flippant in declaring his unwavering commitment to his Lord. He was absolutely convinced he would not relent no matter what, even if it cost him his life. Yet when the pressure was on, he did what he swore he would never do--he denied Christ. I suspect no one was more surprised than Peter himself. Now you say, how could this possibly have any application to me? I would like to suggest at least for a consideration that we, too, can be deceived by our own heart, just as Peter was.
Consider the Lord's Prayer specifically the third petition which says, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I dare say every evangelical Christian would say that he or she is absolutely sincere when asking the Lord to grant that petition. But what are we asking? We could very well be asking God to send us to a place we have never been, to do something we have never done, or use skills we have never developed. If He should ask you, would you be willing to abandon your own plans and go? If He should ask me, will I walk away from my own goals and go? Knowing myself as I do, my honest response would have to be, "I surely hope so."
The fact is, I don't think any of us are sure what we will do in the moment of crisis. That is nothing new. Jeremiah declared in 17:9 "...the heart is deceitful above all things...who can know...understand his own heart." It is true we may not know now, but eventually we will know, one way or another. We can wait for the moment of truth to come...and then examine the evidence of our heart as with Peter; or we can pray as David did, "Search me Oh God and know my heart...see if there is any hurtful way in me and lead me in the way of learning." My challenge is to let God mold our heart; change our heart to help us "Go" when He says "Go."