Denying Jesus is so easy to do.
Peter thought this would never happen: no Lord, He said to Jesus earlier, I will never deny you. He assumed that the depth of His passionate love for Jesus, as well as the three years He had left everything to follow Him, not to mention His status as the clear leader among the 12, would mean that He would never pull a Judas, denying His Lord.
And yet there He was, out in the courtyard waiting for Jesus, denying, even with an oath, that He even knew Jesus. No wonder Peter wept bitterly, and would carry this guilt and shame until restored by Jesus in a private conversation on a beach after the resurrection (John 21).
And here I am, having known Jesus for 35 years, having left my family pattern of irreligion, being a leader in the church, recalling the many times that I have denied Him, particularly in my family. During my Sabbatical, when my collar was off, so to speak, I saw more clearly how I rely on my calling to say “yes” to Jesus, whereas most of the people I know don’t have such an automatic ticket to being “out” for Jesus.
Lord, forgive me for denying You, and give me grace to say and live the “yes, I know Him, yes I follow Him faithfully”, today.
