A hymn, and out to the Mount of Olives and, as they go, Jesus mentions that they will all desert him. It certainly seems likely that tension was mounting and they must have wondered just what might be round the corner, but this was surely an unexpected comment.
Peter, in particular, reacts strongly, though it is likely that he was voicing the sentiments that, for the moment, they all shared. He is adamant that he would not dream of abandoning Jesus, speaking up, as he does so often, but, again as elsewhere, making a comment that does not fit. Jesus tells Peter that, not only will he abandon him, but that he will deny him, an action that will take place three times before the cock crows. Peter simply cannot conceive of that happening, and he vigorously rebuts the comment that Jesus has made.
However, as all this moves towards being played out, it is worth remembering the challenges faced by the disciples, the mistakes they made, but that none of this eliminated their role in future participation in the mission initiated by Jesus.
As Donald English (The Message of Mark) comments – “The story of Peter’s protestation of loyalty to Jesus makes sad reading for us, knowing as we do what will eventually take place. That Peter and the others meant what they said is not in doubt. The mistake they made was to be too confident in their ability to stand faithfully on their own when the battle became fiercest. Yet, despite their coming failure, they will not be given up. The message from the risen Christ will be for ‘his disciples and Peter’ (16:7).”
I wonder if there are point at which we are too confident and, if so, what we need to learn.
No comments:
Post a Comment