Who Are You When You Are By Yourself?

Who Are You, When You’re By Yourself

Mark 14:22-49 Luke 22:54-62 BPC 3/17/2022

I was a senior in high school 17 years old at the time, and I wanted to play Ivy League Football. I had given my life to Christ about 8 months earlier. I was invited to come to the campus of Brown University and was assigned a football player to make sure I had a good experience that weekend so that I would attend the college that fall.

The player knew nothing about me, so he took me to a party that he thought I would enjoy. To my surprise they were passing around marijuana joints at the party . I was petrified and just wanted to get out of there. When someone tried to pass me a joint, I didn’t have the courage to say, “I’m a follower of Christ and I don’t do that.”

Instead I wanted to blend in with the crowd, so I said, “no thanks, I’ve already had enough for one night.” I was praying, “Lord if you get me out of here, I will never set foot on this campus again.” God did and I never did. The football coach never understood why I was no longer interested in Brown University.

Sometimes we think we would like to know the future. But knowing the future can cause as much anxiety and nervousness as not knowing. Especially when it’s something that is negative. The disciples of Jesus would often ask him, when certain things were going to happen. Quite often he avoided answering questions about timing of events. But on one occasion Jesus made an exception.

The Scriptures provide us with quite a background on the disciple called Simon Peter. He was one of the first disciples Jesus called. Peter had witnessed Jesus fill his boat with fish at a time he needed a catch. He saw Jesus heal his mother-in-law. He walked on water when Jesus said for him to come to Him.

He was on the mountain of transfiguration and saw Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah. He was there in the room when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead. He had seen people healed whom he prayed over. He helped to pass out the bread to feed the five-thousand and again with the four thousand.

Peter was about as solid a believer as you could be. Can you imagine what it must have felt like when Jesus gave him a glimpse into the future? Suppose Jesus told you, “you are going to fail me miserably, but I’m praying that you will overcome it and encourage those around you.” How would you feel about receiving that notice of the future.

That’s about what Jesus told Peter and the disciples when he said to them, all of you will fall away on account of me. Peter responded; Lord I will do anything to keep from failing you. I am ready to go to prison, and I’m ready to die for you if need be. Peter meant every word of it.

Yet Jesus was not impressed. Jesus said to Peter, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me. Not only is Jesus telling the future, he’s saying this is going to happen today.

Peter was determined he was going to prove that Jesus was wrong about him. His confidence however is rooted in his faith in his own power and accomplishments. After all he had seen and experienced with Jesus, there was no way he could deny Jesus. He was basically the leader in the group.

Whenever we ignore the warnings in the word of God, we’re trusting in our own strength and setting ourselves up for failure. Jesus had told Peter, you need prayer from me on your behalf. Peter had basically said, “I got this.”

Well later that night the soldiers and the mob came into the garden to arrest Jesus. When Peter recognized what was going to happen, he saw it as an opportunity to prove to Jesus, just how strong his loyalty was. The other disciples would see him willing to do whatever it takes to protect Jesus.

He would go down as a martyr if necessary. The disciples had two swords with them and Peter grabbed one of them. He charged toward the mob and cut off one of the ear of the servant of the high priest. Peter was going for the head. He was all in.

Peter thought this would inspire the other disciples into action and that Jesus would be pleased with his devotion. Instead Jesus yells out, “No More of This!” The man who has been screaming over his ear, is shocked when Jesus takes the ear and heals the man on the spot.”

The shocker is that Jesus refused to fight or defend himself and allows himself to be carried away by the mob to be tried by the authorities. This was not what Peter had expected.