And Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.”
This story is possibly just about as essential to the passion story as the crucifixion itself. We must remember that those who vowed wholeheartedly to follow Jesus all the way to his death, no matter what, come hell or high water.... didn't. Peter (and actually all the others except the women) do not follow Jesus to his cross.
Peter's story begins earlier in Luke 22 when Jesus hears Peter declare his loyalty and then he tells Peter, "umm, no actually you're gonna deny me all the way through this ordeal, buddy." That is the first part of this week's reading.
The next thing that happens is the prayer in the garden that we read about last week, with the disciples sleeping because of grief. After that, we have Judas coming forward and identifying Jesus to the soldiers who arrest him. And then, after these events, Peter actually begins the process of denying Jesus three times.
Now, of course, I get that tensions are very high and the consequences could not be more dire... It is this time of intense self-preservation and fight or flight that Peter denies Jesus. I'm not entirely sure I would have done things differently. How could any of us for sure say we would stand with Jesus the whole way? So I don't feel like I could in good conscience say, "Really, Peter? I mean, how could you do this to Jesus?" without at least wondering if I might not do the same thing.
How do we deny Jesus day after day, week after week, all the time? We don't always knock ourselves out to proclaim our loyalty to Jesus Christ in every part of our lives.
But here's the great part of the whole thing. Peter, that same Peter who denies Jesus three times... He is declared by Jesus to be the rock upon whom the whole church is built. Our entire faith comes from the church established by Peter in the days following the resurrection.
We are a church of people who are filled with human frailty who believe in a God who is filled with nothing but overwhelming grace for us, despite who we aren't when the going gets tough. I love that God's grace is most evident in the figure of Peter. That God is an amazing, grace-filled God that I will always claim... In my weakest hours and in my strongest moments.
What do you think of Peter? Is his denial any more than or less than any other disciple who fled? And what are your thoughts on the church being founded by just such a flawed and ordinary human?
Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.
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