Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. --Psalm 1:1-2
American stand-up comedian Ralphie Gray (1972-2017) was credited with saying, "I've got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel." He may have been referencing his morbid obesity that ultimately caused his untimely death at age 45. However, I think the phrase perfectly sums up the human condition, especially if we are prone to being as inoffensive as possible. We don't want to rock the boat, so we spend our lives on a tightrope, not moving to the right or to the left for fear of offending one group or another. Our perpetual fence-straddling results in us becoming bland and ineffectual. Not only does it impede our influence in the world, but it makes us susceptible to error. "He who stands for nothing," the saying goes, "will fall for anything."
This is the situation we find the Apostle Peter in when we read today's passage from Mark 14
And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus." But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you mean." And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them." But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know this man of whom you speak." And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and wept. --Mark 14:66-72
We all remember the scene leading up to this point. Jesus had taken His disciples to the garden at Gethsemane to pray. Instead of praying with Him, the disciples (including Peter) slept. Then Judas led a group of men with authority to arrest Jesus, and Judas kissed Him. Peter tried to stand up to the men, drawing a sword and raising it above his head, striking with a downward blow to anyone who stood near. This resulted in his cutting off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest. Jesus rebuked Peter, healed the man's ear, then voluntarily left with the soldiers. Frightened and confused, Peter and the other disciples all ran away.
In our passage today, we see Peter now followed Jesus from a distance. Staying on the fringes and in the shadows, he wanted to remain incognito while still being close enough to see what would happen. We know he was in sight of Jesus, because in Luke's account, after the third denial, Jesus turned and looked at Peter (Luke 22:61). Peter was close enough to see what was happening, but trying to maintain a safe distance. Safe from what, you may ask? He was still close enough to be tested and found wanting. There were still consequences; maybe not harm to his physical body, but close enough to feel guilt and shame.
I want us to notice the progression of sin here. There was a slippery slope, and although Peter may not have begun with the idea of denying Jesus outright, at each opportunity there was a greater distance between him and the Savior, and the wedge that separated the two was sin.
The first accusation came from a girl, a servant of the high priest who may herself have been on the fringes of the arresting party as they came toward Gethsemane. She may have seen Peter in the garden with Jesus, may have witnessed him attacking Malchus. In any case she accused Peter of being a follower of Jesus. Peter brushed her off, saying he couldn't understand what she was saying.
My wife and I enjoy watching British television programs, especially ones with a historical story line. In America we may poke fun at regional accents--the Southern drawl, the Midwestern twang, the clipped cadence of the Northeast--but at least we can understand one another. Accents are more marked in Great Britain, as the Irish brogue or the Scottish allusion to Gaelic roots might make it difficult for a typical Londoner to understand. In these TV dramas, you may often hear the phrase, "Can't you speak the King's English?"
In this way, the servant girl may have had a pronounced regional accent, and Peter, whose speech was apparently recognizable as a regional Galilean accent (as we see in verse 70) could reasonably say that he didn't understand a word she was saying. In this way, he sidestepped her accusation and didn't give himself away.
The second accusation came from some bystanders, because the servant girl went and told them. Peter's initial response to them may have been accusatory, like "Where did you hear that? From the servant girl over there? She doesn't know what she's talking about." Again, a more forceful denial but still not stating his position clearly. If it had ended here, some might still be able to come to Peter's defense.
How often do we identify with the World rather than admit our wholehearted devotion to the Son of God? When we hear a non-Christian mocking a televangelist, do we join in and attack the straw man, or do we take the opportunity to point them to Christ? How often do we adopt New Age phrases like Mother Nature or Mother Earth to avoid conflict with worldly people, rather than introducing them to God the Father, maker of Heaven and Earth? Surely these practices do not equate with denying Christ outright, at least in our own minds. Sometimes, though, self justification is a slippery slope; see Psalm 1:1.
At the final opportunity, the bystanders have been talking amongst themselves, putting two and two together. The servant girl, who may or may not have been an eye-witness of Peter following Jesus, confronted Peter. Peter's accent showed him to be from Galilee, and wasn't that where Jesus was from as well? If so, what was Peter doing in Jerusalem, in the courtyard of the High Priest on the very night that Jesus had been arrested? The evidence was growing. When they put it to him plainly, however, Peter swore he had never met Jesus.
Unfortunately, this was Peter's MO. We know he repented of this particular sin, but years later there was an incident at Antioch described by the Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter 2. Peter had been preaching to and fellowshipping with the Gentiles, but when the Jews of the circumcision party came, Peter withdrew from the Gentiles and sat with the Jews, following their rituals and kosher diets. Galatians 2:11 says that Paul "opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong." Hypocrisy can be seen at either end of the spectrum, as Peter clearly demonstrates. Sometimes, we do too.
The only other time Peter is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark is at the resurrection, when the Angel appeared to Mary Magdalene. The Angel proclaimed that Mary was looking for Jesus in the wrong place, that he was not here (in the tomb) but had risen from the dead. Then the Angel gave Mary specific instructions: "But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you." (Mark 16:7). Imagine Peter's reaction to being singled out in this way. Was he not one of the disciples? Was he excluded because he had denied Jesus? The story is not complete without the extension of grace shown to Peter by Jesus as seen in John chapter 21.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" and he said to Him, "Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." (This He said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this He said to him, "Follow Me." --John 21: 15-19
Peter had denied Jesus three times. Three times Jesus asked him, "Peter, do you love me?" and Peter was given three opportunities to profess his love for the Savior. Jesus gave him his purpose and his vocation when He said, "Feed My sheep." Jesus showed him grace by saying that when he was younger, Peter was in charge of his life; now, he was to follow Jesus even unto death. His life was not his own. 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us the same thing: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God with your body."
Jesus gave Peter another chance, then encouraged him to glorify God the rest of his life. He bids us do the same, for His glory.
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