Day 12: Denial

Read Matthew 26

Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”  But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same. -Matthew 26:31-35

In Matthew Chapter 26 we read about the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. All of us are very familiar with many of the events that occur in this passage, but let us spend some time focusing on Peter’s denial of Jesus. Jesus said “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” A flock of sheep will wander off without a shepherd; similarly, Jesus foresees the disciples running away after his crucifixion. Then Peter responds, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” Peter’s faith can be seen as strong and unwavering at this instance, he is even willing to “…die with [Jesus]” for his faith in the Lord. Similar to Peter, many of the other disciples also claimed that they would die before disowning Jesus. It was only a matter of days before each of them went back on their word. By reading Matthew 26:69-75 we see Peter does in fact disown Jesus three times and he is immediately filled with remorse. I think we are all very similar to Peter in this occasion; many of us are willing to show our strong faith and love for Jesus Christ during retreats, at church, or even with other believers. But when someone questions us or when the opportunity comes for us to share our faith, we quickly shy away. Similar to the disciples and how they were over-confident and believed they were safe from sin, if we think of ourselves to be beyond the reach of some sins, even if it is small, then we are ready for a fall. Nowadays we are always worried about others think about us; like Peter, we are willing to go against our faith to fit in with the crowd. As it says is James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” In this country we are given freedom to spread the love and life of Jesus Christ without any consequences. So this Lenten season let us not only build on our faith but also take action and spread Gospel to those all around us. God Bless.

- Jobby Varghese