Daily Verse: Mark 14:30-31

“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.

 

Being disowned is not something easily swallowed. We can probably recall moments in our lives when we have been disowned or rejected by someone. And it’s possible that we have yet to truly let go of pain that was left…we have yet to genuinely forgive the person. In the text above, Jesus is telling Peter that Peter is going to disown him. Even though Peter emphatically denies the very thought of denying the Jesus, it eventually comes true. Imagine sitting in Peters shoes…here God is standing before you in the flesh and tells you that you are going to deny him. The very Lord that you have professed unwavering faith in, has just told you that you are going to reject him. And not just once, but THREE times…three times rejected, three times denied, three times disowned. It must have felt like getting a giant sucker punch to the bread basket. How could he, Peter, a disciple of Christ, actually deny the Lord? It likely seemed completely ridiculous and unfathomable to Peter. Yet, later that night, the words spoken by Christ came true…Peter denied Christ three times while amongst a crowd bent on crucifying the Lord. I imagine once Peter realized what had happened, he probably felt like digging a deep hole and completely disappearing into it. If we were Jesus…if we were the one that was being hung out to dry and had just been denied by a dear friend…we would probably harbor a good amount of malice and disgust for Peter. And we would probably feel justified in our behavior. Through our sinful thoughts, words, and actions, we too deny the Lord. We put our plans above his…we put our ideas of right and wrong above his…and we put our selfish desire to be “happy” above his. We stand in the shoes of Peter each day, claiming to not know this man they call Jesus. Thankfully, the Savior does not have a heart like ours…thankfully the Lord does not hold anger and disgust towards our denial…thankfully the Lord forgives. Even as we step back into sin each day, Jesus still welcomes our repentance and embraces us as his own. As long as we genuinely profess Jesus as our one true Savior, we are welcomed as one of his own. That is true love. May we mirror this same love and forgiveness in our own lives, casting aside the transgressions of others and embracing as Christ embraces us each day. To God be the glory!