“I Will Never Fall Away”

Monday, May 20, 2019

BIBLE READING: Matthew 26

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” (Matthew 26.69-70)

Peter was one of the most vocal followers of Jesus Christ. He worked with Jesus and he walked with Jesus; Peter swore up and down he would never forsake Jesus. "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away" (Matthew 26.33). But in this moment of weakness, he did that very thing.

What happened to Peter? Would this not have been the perfect moment to stand up for Christ and demonstrate his allegiance? But he faltered, and in his fear, he denied Jesus three times. To make things worse, Jesus turns and makes eye contact with him (Luke 22.61). In that moment Peter knew what he had done; he had denied Jesus, the very thing Jesus said he would do (Matthew 26.34).

This certainly was a crushing moment in Peter's life, but it was also a reality check. When Jesus looked at Peter, and the reality of what he did set in, Peter broke down in tears because he knew he was wrong (Matthew 26.75). He could have made any number of excuses for his actions, but he didn't, because not only did he know the Lord, but he loved him, and Peter was sorry for his sin.

We have these moments of weakness in our lives too, don't we? We know what Jesus says, we know what he stands for, and yet in moments of weakness and fear, we do the very thing we say we will never do. It happens… but the question is, when Jesus looks at us, how do we respond?

We need these moments of clarity to understand and appreciate the mercy and grace and love of Christ. Just prior to this episode Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, as a reminder of what he was willing to give for the sins of the world. As disciples of Christ , we partake in this same memorial every week to remember his commitment to our salvation and the hope that we have through the death of Jesus.

We may be fickle, and we may not always see clearly, but the point of this memorial is to offer clarity to the reality of our shortcomings. Whether we are in the best or the worst moments of our lives, it is the grace of God through Christ that even makes salvation possible (Ephesians 2.8-9). We cannot save ourselves by our own merit... but thank God we have a Savior!

Partaking the Lord’s Supper should be a time of great humbling because, as Christ looks at us, we know that we are not worthy of his love; and yet he still offers mercy and grace to all who hope in him. And so, with humility and grace “let us hold fast our confession of hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10.23).

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