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.” “Truly I tell you,” 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.”
Oh, the cockiness of the flesh! So arrogant…and so weak!
In a matter-of-fact, almost “by-the-way” manner, Jesus foretold the disciples about their desertion and Peter about his denial. He spoke as though the cowardly abandonment of their Master was a foregone conclusion. For Him, it was done, so He brushed aside their failure with an instruction…
“But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Isn’t that strange? It’s almost as though Jesus were replaying everything that was yet to happen as if it had already happened…yet what they did to Him didn’t faze Him. It was part of a process, and He knew the conclusion.
For Peter, though, this prediction heralded an unforgettable moment…a terrible humiliation that would unlock his understanding to the real Peter, open his eyes to the real Jesus, and change his life forever.
Until the moment when the cock crowed, Peter was in charge of his own life. He was cocksure of his abilities, his strengths, his ways. He could cope with every eventuality on his own, thank you very much.
Peter brushed aside Jesus’ warning with a self-confident retort… “Me, Jesus! No, never me! All the others may fail you but not me!” …implying, of course, “I can do it, all by myself.”
Little did Peter know how far he would fall. He didn’t just run away like the others. He denied any knowledge of Jesus with oaths and curses…just as if he were a known criminal denying his guilt! From self-proclaimed head disciple to coward and liar, Peter crashed…and he only woke up to the truth when he heard the rooster crowing in the distance.
Imagine that! Peter was so self-assured that he thought the bystanders would believe him until…the truth hit him. He had done exactly what Jesus said he would do! How he hated the sound of the rooster at that moment. It was as if it were announcing his guilt to the world.
Peter was devastated, humiliated, destroyed. That look…that compassion so palpable he could feel it…those eyes boring into his soul, unpacking every thought, every motive, every intention…not anger, not judgment, not “I told you so”…just sorrow, grief, and pure love.
Peter couldn’t handle it. He turned and ran…away from the people who had witnessed his shame…away from the glowing fire where he had warmed his hands…into the cold, dark night where he could weep alone. He was broken, all his bluster and self-confidence gone. He could never look Jesus in the eyes again, the words of his denial replaying inside his brain like a stuck record.
We would be left hanging if it were not for John’s story of reconciliation and restoration, but that is for another time.
It had to be. For Peter, at that moment, it was death to his ego as real as the death of his Master. How often did the recollection of his failure return when his old natural self threatened to destroy him again?
Was it a lesson well learned or just another bump in the road? Only time and experience would tell.