In our continued reading of the day to day activities of Jesus leading up to His death we come to Thursday and Jesus final day with His disciples. During the celebration of the Passover meal, Jesus announces to His disciples that one of them is going to betray Him. This causes the disciples to wonder who Jesus could be talking about, but later in the day as they are headed to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter announces to Jesus that although everyone else might crack under pressure, he would never deny Him. To this, Jesus responds, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But Peter doubles down, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.”
The Gospel of Mark makes a highlight of Peter’s bold and brash statements. Earlier, in chapter 8, Peter had rebuked Jesus for suggesting the notion that His kingdom would be marked by death and suffering. Yet, when it comes time to pray, Peter falls asleep.
It’s easy to say that we are faithful followers of Christ, and to suggest that we would even die for Jesus, as long as they are just words. In his book, A Hunger for God, John Piper says, “We easily deceive ourselves that we love God unless our love is frequently put to the test, and we must show our preferences not merely with words but with sacrifice.” When our devotion to Christ is only ever vocalized and never actualized, we lull ourselves into a false sense of security. We fall asleep in the middle of the most crucial times of spiritual battle because we are not always on guard. Peter wasn’t ready for what was about to happen. Jesus was captured and taken before the religious council and Peter lurked in the shadows and kept denying that He knew Jesus.
I’m sure we would have all agreed with Peter that we would never deny Jesus, but we would also likely agree with the disciples in their decision to run. This wasn’t a test of their faith, it is a picture of how weak we are without faith. It’s not enough to simply say that we love Jesus. Jesus didn’t just say that He loved us. He went to the cross and died on our behalf. That proved His love. What are we doing to prove our love for Christ? Are we obeying His command to be witnesses? Or are we denying Him by not sharing our faith?