John 18:17
The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
I wonder if Peter realized it was the first of the three denials Jesus told him he would commit. Perhaps he thought, “I can’t believe I did that! I won’t do it again. I am going to be strong!” Have you ever reacted that way after committing a sin? I certainly have. “That’s it, LORD! I am done! This time is the last time!” I often wonder what Jesus thinks of my back and forth…my words of promise…followed by my words of confession…again.
His grace, as John Newton wrote, is truly amazing.
Peter was not the only disciple who had followed after the garrison that arrested Jesus. There was another disciple—most likely John—who knew the high priest and was able to enter the courtyard of his house while Peter had to remain outside. Here is where it gets really interesting. This known disciple (John) went back out to talk to the servant girl so that Peter would be allowed inside. This same girl is the one who asked Peter if he was also one of Jesus’ disciples…and Peter denied it. It appears that she understood John to be a disciple of Jesus, so it would logically follow that she would think the same of Peter. Instead of answering truthfully, Peter chose to hide is affiliation.
Have you ever walked in Peter’s footsteps?
Perhaps you have been asked if you are a Christian…or maybe they said, “…one of those kinds of Christians.” You know, the kind that believes the bible and thinks that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. The kind of Christian that takes a public stand against immorality and refuses to go along with the ebbs and flows of cultural norms. For many of us, it’s probably a more subtle denial. We don’t speak up in a group when issues are discussed that would clearly identify you as a Christian if you were to chime in. There is an opportunity to turn a personal conversation in a Gospel direction…but we choose not to. Or perhaps we just keep a safe buffer between our church life and our public life. Whatever the case, it doesn’t take a servant girl asking you a point-blank question to fumble the ball.
Jesus said quite frankly that, “…whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 10:33). Pastor David Guzik remarks that, “Everyone Jesus called He called publicly. There is really no such thing as a ‘secret’ Christian, at least not in a permanent sense. This is a contradiction in terms – an oxymoron.” If you were to be put on trial, like Jesus was, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being one of his disciples? How many witnesses would take the stand in your defense? How many people could The Accuser (Job 2:4) put on the stand to say that you never said anything to them about being one of Jesus’ followers?
I hope you and I would both be found…Guilty as Charged.
