Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him,“Truly, I tell you, this very night,before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” (Matthew 26:33-34)
Has anyone warned you about something and you thought “I’d never do that—what are they thinking?” Peter thought it totally implausible that he would ever abandon Jesus. Others might, but not him.
Peter sounds rather arrogant here, thinking that he is stronger than his friends. With fervency and devotion he assures Jesus that he will remain faithful. Perhaps he even thought it impossible that Jesus would be arrested. Later it would become apparent that Peter had overestimated himself. Jesus knew.
Did Peter expect Jesus to compliment him for his passionate avowal? Peter genuinely meant what he promised. Doesn’t that happen to all of us? You promise to do something or alternatively, you promise not to do something. You forget your promise to Jesus. Maybe it is a situation in which you could have witnessed for Jesus, but you were silent. Not sure what to say, or afraid of rejection?
Jesus knew how His disciples would behave. Yet He did not deviate from what God had ordained.
Do you see yourself in this story?
Image by Lumo Project Films – www.lumoproject.com.