Uncomfortable closeness

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

UNCOMFORTABLE CLOSENESS

Luke 22:54-62

54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him." 57 But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. 58 A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. 59 About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." 60 Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."  62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

NIV

A narrative we have heard many a sermon preached about, the three denials of Peter and the rooster crowing. But there is other events that Luke does not record but the other gospel writers do. Yet they only serve to make this lesson clearer. When the crowd came to the garden to seize Jesus, we are told in another gospel his disciples scattered. They ran for their lives. Doesn’t that seem odd? These men spent all that time with him, and were dedicated to him, yet at the hour of his seizure, they ran away. But our lesson is not about them, but about Peter who followed at a distance. When they arrived at the house of the high priest, a campfire was built in the open garden area of the house. We are told again by another gospel it was the guards who had accompanied the Jews who wanted Jesus seized for their purpose of having him killed. There must have been other bystanders who followed the precession into the house of the high priest because we have these three people who confronted Peter about being a disciple of Jesus. So the scene is about Peter sitting around the fire with others, not being too close to Jesus, and not fulfilling his promise that he would follow him even onto death, but still close enough to watch, yet at a comfortable distance. How many of us follow Jesus at a comfortable distance? Do we follow Jesus, but really do not want anyone to know about it, keeping ourselves a safe distance. It’s alright for us to attend a church, a lot of people do that. We might even act like we love the Lord with all are heart within the walls of Church, but do we act like, do we live like we love the Lord when we are in the world? Are there other forms of denial instead of how Peter did it? Surely if we were asked if we are disciples of Jesus we would say yes. Certainly if we were asked if we are born again, Spirit filled believers in Jesus, we would admit it openly. But do we boldly follow Jesus, saying we are one of his, as we enter into a conversation with people. Do we, when with non-believers stay silent about the issues they speak about, as to not draw attention to ourselves being followers of Jesus? Are we following at a comfortable distance, so as  not to be persecuted in some way? When Peter realized what he had done, he wept bitterly. We know he became a very strong follower of Jesus, and yes even onto death. We might have those times like Peter, but we also know that we will follow Jesus. We might get caught up in a moment of not admitting we know Christ, yet if we do, do we weep bitterly? We should learn this lesson well. Unless we want that kind of inner guilt and shame, we need to always be forthcoming about who we are, and who we follow, even if it means we have to follow at an uncomfortable closeness.