March 15
JOHN 13
36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times. – John 13:36-38
JOHN 13 CONFRONTING THE SIN OF DENIAL
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you have a role and responsibility and deny it
Are you not showing unfaithfulness and idolatry?
When you dismiss and deny giving love to others
Are you not depriving love to your sisters and brothers?
To dismiss someone’s value, abandon or neglect caring for others
Are clear manifestations that you live for yourself only.
Jesus knew each one of us, especially his disciple Peter. He cautioned Peter by foretelling him that he will deny him three times before the rooster crows. It was a response to Peter’s highly emotional reaction to what Jesus said about laying down his life.
Let us have a character sketch of Peter based on some bible verses such as Matthew `6:22-23. When Jesus predicted his suffering and death, Peter reacted that he won’t let it happen. This verse shows Peter’s impulsiveness and how quickly he reacted to his own idea instead of accepting what Jesus said. In John 13:6, we witness again another personality of Peter. He is assertive and quick to protest when Jesus begins to wash his feet. He has this grandiose act of making sure his intentions were loud and clear. In John 18:10-11, we witness again another impulse reaction to protect Jesus with violence when he drew his sword and struck a servant of the high priest. In these following verses in John 18:15-19, we see his weakness in faith when he denied Jesus for fear of being arrested. But there is a positive trait of Peter in John 21:7 when he jumped out of the water to meet Jesus. He exhibited much enthusiasm, courage, faith and eagerness to be with Jesus.
REFLECTION
• What do you think are some reasons why people deny someone or something?
