Day 15 :: Denial
Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.¬
Mark 14:72(66-72)
When Bex was young I remember going into her room and she had drawn all over the wall with different coloured pens. I asked her, “who did that?” She responded, “I don’t know dad.” I asked her “was that you Bex?” She responded, “no dad.” I asked, “who do you think wrote on the wall then?” Bex responded, “I think it was the bogie man dad.” Such a comical moment; however, my precious daughter’s denial was very real. Probably due to her awareness of a potential consequence for her ‘Picasso-like’ endeavours.
In today’s passage we see someone else’s denial. Far less comical, with consequences piercing the heart.
While the Lord was being mocked and abused, Peter was lingering around the courtyard. He had been warned by the Lord only minutes earlier to, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Mark 14:28a). Yet he didn’t heed the warning and fell asleep. Now the heat is on for Peter. While he’s trying to look inconspicuous, a servant girl spots him and confronts him about his connection to the Lord. Peter falls into temptation and denies it. The rooster crowed. She quizzes him further, again he denies it.
The pressure is mounting. Not only is Peter being heated by the fire, the heat from this crowd is getting intense. Finally, for the third time, he is accused of being a disciple. Once more, Peter earnestly denies knowing Jesus. To the point that if he’s lying, he is under a curse.
Right on cue, the Lord’s prediction is played out as the rooster crows a second time. “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times” (Luke 22:61). As Peter looked his Lord and Saviour straight in the face and remembers his words. It cuts him straight to the heart and he broke down and wept.
Before we judge Peter too harshly, maybe we should examine our own lives. How often do we deny the Lord? How often do we moan and grumble about daily trials and deny the Lord ordaining every day of our lives? How often are we wayward in the heat of our battles? It might be bitterness instead of forgiveness. It might be anger instead of gentleness. It might be pride, instead of humility. It might be laziness instead of serving. It might be self-righteousness instead of meekness.
We all fall way short of the mark. Instead of judging Peter we should learn from Peter. He wept for his sin as the Lord’s words pierced his heart. When was the last time I wept for my sin? When was the last time you wept for your sin?
After the resurrection, Peter had a private encounter with Jesus (Luke 24:34). We don’t know what was said, however going by John 21, he was reinstated. The Lord had forgiven him.
Maybe today we need a private encounter with Jesus to grieve and repent of our sin. We could use Psalm 51 as a guide. We desperately need the Lord’s forgiveness just as much as Peter did.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
Passages to read: Mark 14:66-72, Psalm 51, Matthew 26:69-75, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:15-18,25-27
A thought to remember: Any sin we see in others, we’ve probably done ourselves
A question to ask: How might our lives look if we took sin as seriously as Peter?
A song to sing: Nothing but the Blood of Jesus