Mark 14:27-31 KJV
"And Jesus saith unto them, 'All ye shall
be offended because of me this night: for
it is written, I will smite the shepherd,
and the sheep shall be scattered. [28] But
after that I am risen, I will go before you
into Galilee.' [29] But Peter said unto him,
'Although all shall be offended, yet [will]
not I.' [30] And Jesus saith unto him,
'Verily I say unto thee, That this day,
[even] in this night, before the cock crow
twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.' [31] But
he spake the more vehemently, 'If I should
die with thee, I will not deny thee in any
wise.' Likewise also said they all."
My take on this is two-fold. First, the
declaration by Peter that he would be the
exception to the 'all' that Jesus spoke
about really revealed how he saw himself
as invulnerable and therefore completely
above the others. Wasn't he the one who
received a direct word while on the mountain
of transfiguration? Wasn't he the one who
received the keys of binding and loosening
based on his revealed answer to Jesus?
I view this as one very priviledged desciple
who knew what it took to stand with his
LORD as a loyal friend. Nevertheless,
such love would become tested to the
extreme later that night. It would take
Greater Love than this form of loyalty.
Second, Peter saw himself as a unifying
role model with strong leadership. He knew
he needed to step-up to this challenge and
he was willing to volunteer himself for taking
charge. This dedication to taking the lead
would also be tested beyond his wildest
imagination that night as well.
Jesus asked His disciples to believe, not lead.
The LORD would send His Spirit who would
lead us into all truth and rememberances.
He asked them to receive, not just be loyal.
Jesus would be risen as the Good Shepherd.
Let us not deny His Leadership, His Calling
based on His Love to sustain us when we
are tested to the point of breaking apart.
Let us patiently endure the contradiction against our
faith in the LORD Jesus as this finds favor with God.
