Jesus Denied By Peter

Jesus has had an intuition, yet, more than that, a prophetic insight from the Spirit that Peter would deny him. Given what has already played out in the Garden as we saw in the first Station, perhaps this burden is as weighty on Christs’ soul as the physical cross beam is on his back. With this in mind, let’s take our gaze off of Christ for a brief moment, and look at Peter.

“And he went outside and wept bitterly.” Luke 22:62

Peter is alone in shame and defeat. The obvious here is that Peter has denied Jesus. Betrayed his friend and mentor. But he has also betrayed himself and his courage. The hardest betrayal to recognize and to bear is our own. It is why we so often dodge it, bury it and try to ignore it. But sometimes it cannot be denied. The rooster crows. We are busted and the scales fall from our eyes. We are exposed by chance, or by circumstance, or by being called out and “caught”, but if we lean in we can see our humiliation. If we do not run our eyes are opened and we realize that we are not who we thought we are. This is a deep wound, piercing us as deep as our own soul. But the bitter sweet gift is that it cuts us lose from our self-deception and pride.

And we weep.

We weep bitterly.

But we must not yield to shame. For the same Saviour that bears the cross so to bears our shame and breaks it power. Even as we are stumbling in our own brokenness, He is stumbling under the weight of His cross on our behalf. Journeying with us. Inviting us forward to embrace our own place of dying that we might find eternal life. So, we do not need to hide in our shame. We do not need to cover our wound. We can step into the place of "Godly sorrow“ which “brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.”

2 Corinthians 7:10.

Take a deep breath. Perhaps there are some places in you and areas in your life that people have been observing - or that you “know in your knower” are tilted and vulnerable to fuelling unhealthy choices and decisions - that if you laid down your defences and denial, need adjustment, healing and true repentance. Step here before the rooster crows. Before it is only exposure and humiliation that will create the cross roads that we need to choose a better path.

If the damage of bad decisions has already been done, whether exposed or not, do not give into shame. Step into the light. Step into The Light. Jesus is there. He’s always been there to walk you forward to a place of healing and hope again.

And, KVine, as a community. Let us be there with and for one another. Always a safe enough and courageous enough space to bring forward our doubts. Our struggles. Our pain and disorientation so that we may walk together with Jesus on His eternal path of eternal life and living.

Step by step. Let the kingdom come.

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Art by Scott Erickson