“Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?” “No,” he said, “I am not.” Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.”
John 18:15-18 NLT
A Christian university student, hearing about a terrible atrocity where a gunman had murdered students in an American university, asked her mum what she should do if a similar situation occurred when she was in a class and the gunman asked all the Christians to stand up before they were killed. Should she stay seated, effectively denying her faith, or should she stand up and be shot? A dilemma if ever there was one, I think we can all agree. But we read in today’s verses how Peter was asked if he was a disciple of Jesus and he denied it. It could be argued that by denial, Peter was making a decision that might have preserved his life, or at least help him avoid unnecessary hassle. We remember Peter’s statement of allegiance to Jesus, and the Master’s response, as recorded in Matthew 26:33-35, “Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same“. So why did Peter go back on his word?
I suppose we have to ask ourselves the question, what would we have done in similar circumstances? Jesus said, and as recorded in Matthew 10:32-33, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven”. We Western pilgrims are unlikely to face the same situation that Peter did, but in our daily lives we will face situations where a declaration of our faith in Jesus will be required. In the office or school, with our families or friends. What do we do when faced with hostility, real or imagined, because of our Christian faith, when it would cause us less pain to deny Jesus? I was often resented in the office because I refused to engage with the smutty and misogynistic conversations, or join my work colleagues in after work drinking sessions. But I was never going to deny Jesus. But that is not to say I have always been open and transparent with my faith; instead, in certain situations, having been “expedient” with the truth, particularly in my young Christian days. I think most believers will say the same. We read later how Jesus gently drew Peter back to his faith, and he never wavered again.
As the old song says, “there’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin”, and before the Cross, in repentance, our loving Saviour will forgive us, pick us up, dust us off, and send us on the way again. The way of truth, the Jesus way.
By the way, the mum’s answer to her daughter was that she should stay seated in such a situation, because such a terrifying moment would not have been in God’s plan for her and instead would have been the work of the devil. She said that her daughter was a child of God not of the devil and only her Father God’s voice should be obeyed. A good answer? But thankfully the young lady concerned never had to put her mum’s answer to the test, and has now graduated and moved on.
In nautical terminology there is an expression “to nail one’s colours to the mast”. This means that a ship’s crew, when faced with a dangerous situation, have resolved to fight on and they nail the ship’s flag to the mast to confirm their determination. We pilgrims have God’s colours at our disposal, and we nail them to every mast we come across to signify that we will never deny Jesus and will continue to follow Him all the days of our lives.
Father God. We sing together the old song, “We have decided to follow Jesus”. There is no other person to follow. There is none other who is the “Way, the Truth and the Life. We praise You today. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 