Thursday, April 14, 2022: Maundy Thursday - The Peter Principle

Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” (Luke 22: 33 -34, New Living Translation)

                 If you were to look up the word “bravado” in the dictionary, I can easily imagine that you might find a caricature of some sort of Peter. The Oxford dictionary defines bravado as “a confident way of behaving that is intended to impress people, sometimes as a way of hiding a lack of confidence.” We could argue that Peter never seemed to be short of self-confidence. He was always the first out of the boat both literally and figuratively. 

Peter never lacked for boldness to the point of brashness. I am not accusing him of being a phoney or insincere, but he often spoke without really thinking, made statements that he couldn’t back up with his actions and stumbled over his words and declarations. But bravado? Peter had that in spades!

At the Last Supper, Peter pledges to stick by Jesus no matter what. He’s got Jesus’ back.  They want to get to Jesus, they will have to get by him first. He is Jesus’ BFF and God help the person that tries to get between him and Jesus, even if it means prison and death – Luke’s version being the strongest of Peter’s words.

And we know how that turned out. Somewhere in a courtyard, just a few hours later, being accused of being a follower of Jesus, Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” (Matthew 26: 74)

                And immediately the rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered what he had promised and what Jesus predicted would happen. “And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.” (Luke 22:62)

                There is a poignant moment in Luke’s account of Peter’s denial. “At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” (22:61) I am not sure that I can even imagine what that look conveyed and I am not sure I want to. I do know that I would never want to be the recipient or cause for that look. Was it one of disappointment? Sadness? Accusatory?  Anger even? Regret? Judgement?  Pity?  An I-told-you-so sort of look?

                But it is more likely, so I hope, a look of compassion and grace. I can believe it was a look of forgiveness. I can have faith in that it was a look of Love, longing and needing Peter’s love for sure, but the familiar face of Jesus catching Peter’s eyes and, even then, holding Peters’ gaze in Love.

                It was a look that caused Peter to weep bitterly. Not just for what he done and denying Christ but perhaps also because it was a look that gave Peter far more than he deserved -  grace, forgiveness, mercy, redemption.

                That look spoke volumes! That eye-to-eye connection tore at Peter’s soul. That momentary bonding called into question all that Peter thought he stood for. Who wouldn’t weep bitterly?

                There are probably many ways we deny Christ in our day-to-day walk with him. They may not be as dramatic as Peter’s three denials and it may be a myriad of little things that betray and subvert our connection to Jesus.  Wrong words. Wrong actions. Wrong attitudes.  Lack of love and forgiveness. Hypocrisy. Forgetting our baptismal vows. These wear away at our pledges and promises to follow Jesus to the end until we are so far out on the limb which is breaking under the  sinful weight that it seems too late to eat our words and forestall our actions and we are falling like a stone, like a Rock.

                The let Jesus catch our eyes. Let us dare fall under his gaze. Let us receive the look that will pierce the soul but also mend the wound and the broken spirit.

                “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.” (Hebrews 12:2, NLT)

Dale