November 21

The Great Denial

But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.” — Matt 26:70 BSB

One of the things that made Peter’s denial so particularly tragic was that he had been shown so much special favor by Christ. Peter was one of the three disciples who had been brought into Jesus’ inner circle. The more Jesus has done for us, the greater our sin when we prove unfaithful to Him.

Another factor was Peter’s bold confession of Christ. It was Peter who had declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” when Jesus asked who His disciples believed Him to be. And just a few hours before his denial, Peter had passionately vowed his loyalty and readiness to die with Christ. These repeated promises of faithfulness made the act of denial even more grievous. For someone who has openly declared their love for Christ to then deny Him is far worse than for someone who has never made such a confession.

What made the sin worse still was the fact that Jesus had specifically warned Peter. We often say, “Forewarned is forearmed,” but in this case, it didn’t hold true because Peter disregarded the warning. We are all given warnings of danger in life; do we take heed?

Perhaps the most painful aspect of Peter’s denial was that it came during Jesus’ darkest hour. It was when Jesus was abandoned and in the hands of His enemies that Peter, His closest and most trusted disciple, turned his back on Him. Had it been during a time of popularity and favor, the denial would not have been as severe; but to desert Jesus when He needed Peter the most made the betrayal all the more tragic.

When the shadow falls on your friend, when the tide turns against them, and when others walk away, is that the time for you, their closest companion, to desert and deny them?