Luke 22:33-34 “Peter replied, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.’”
We can take somewhat perverse comfort from Peter’s fickle following of Jesus – the fact that he reneged on his bold commitment just hours later at the first opportunity to really test it – and yet Jesus chose him to lead despite knowing his weaknesses and failings to come, reinstating him graciously in John 21 to ‘feed my sheep’.
Suffering for our faith in the Western world will become more mainstream in the coming years if we refuse to bow to the dictates of a vehemently secularist agenda from on high. And that is not something to be feared. The wheat must be sorted from the chaff. A number of years ago in the former Soviet Union during a wave of concerted persecution of Christians, a clandestine prayer meeting among a number of professing Christians was taking place. Suddenly, the doors burst open, and two fully-armed Russian guards burst in. They shouted: “Get out of this place if you’re not willing to die for your faith.” Half of the professing Christians got up and left. They just ran. And then when the doors closed, the guards put down their guns, took off their hats, sat down and said: “Praise the Lord! We were just sorting out the sheep from the goats before we’d risk fellowship!”
15th century mystic Eckhart wrote: “There are plenty of Christians to follow the Lord halfway, but not the other half. They will give up possessions, friends, and honours, but it touches them too closely to disown themselves.” Peter started badly: according to the above, he just went half way, and it was all talk with him; but praise God that he, and we too, can make a fresh start and vow to go all the way with Jesus. Let’s do it!
Lord, I’m in, all the way with you today. Amen!
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