Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth.” But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed. When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” But Peter denied it again. A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.” Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” And immediately the rooster crowed the second time.  Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he broke down and wept.  Mark 14:66-72

You didn’t have to grow up going to Sunday school to know that the apostle Peter has quite the reputation for being a coward (his name’s a verb). If you read the above passage you’ll see that Peter denies having any relationship with his friend on 3 separate occasions (once to a little girl).

Admittedly, I’ve always connected with Peter.  My life is marked by many moments of cowardice.  However, there are other moments in my life where I’ve had some courage . . . just like Peter.

Ironically, the coward Peter (referenced above) is the same Peter who jumped into rough waters in the middle of the night to encounter what appeared to be a ghost (Matthew 14:24-33).  He is also the same Peter who attacked a group of surrounding soldiers in defense of his best friend (John 18:3-11).

So what’s the disconnect? Why is Peter so brave at certain points and so cowardly at the most pivotal? More about that in a sec.  Let me tell you about my friend Corey.

I went to high school with a guy named Corey.  He was a man among boys.  In case you need some stats to help form an illustration: at the juvenile age of 17 he benched 365lbs, cleaned 305lbs, and squatted 425lbs.  To add further, he earned all-state honors in Florida at middle linebacker. Translation: he is fast, tough, hits hard, and fearless. Yet, coupled with the hard exterior is a man who has one of the most loving, giving, protective, and caring personalities of anyone I’ve ever met. He’d do anything for you.

Going to high school with a guy like Corey was a privilege . . . one that many took advantage of.   Here is why: when Corey was for you, nobody was against you.  If he was on your team, the other team wasn’t intimidating.  If there was a fight and Corey was on your side, you weren’t losing.

Do you see a similar connection with Peter?  Let’s go back to Peter’s bravery in the rough waters and with the surrounding soldiers.  Who was with Peter?  Jesus.   Who was not with Peter when he committed one of the most infamous acts of cowardice in the history of the world?  Jesus.

Having a savior at your back makes the obstacles of life a whole lot smaller.

When Corey was around, I was never too concerned with whatever was against me. I had a lot more courage. But good high school linebackers go away to play in college; they don’t stay around forever . . . and Corey was no exception.  He went away to play out of state.  Sadly, those of us accustomed to our friend’s protection and care had to make other arrangements for finding courage when he left. The linebacker that made so many of us bold and brave was gone.

Thankfully, the person of Jesus overcame the condition of death so that he could be around forever; so that nothing will be able to stand against us all the days of our lives.  He’s committed to us (Joshua 1:5). He’s at our back always, to the very end (Matthew 28:20). His victory over death ensures us of that.  He’s the savior we’ve all been looking for.

In the real world most of our fears can’t be extinguished by a high school linebacker.  However, whatever fears we have (cancer, failure, providing for your family, being a good father/mother, unemployment), Jesus can handle all of them.  His perfect love for us drives them all away (1 John 4:18). We need not fear (Isaiah 41:10). He has our back.

Not so long after cowering from the little girl, Saint Peter boldly declared to the Roman authorities his allegiance to Jesus (not a coward). As a result, he was sentenced to death by crucifixion.  So, why did Peter have such a drastic shift from fearfulness to bravery?  An empty tomb (reasons to believe in an empty tomb) plus an encounter with a risen savior (John 21); I think it’s safe to presume that this time around, Peter knew his Savior was with him.

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I’m thankful for that high school linebacker. We all knew he cared about us, that he had our back, and that he loved his friends. He taught me a lot about Jesus.

Like Peter at the end of his life, I pray that we can all learn to rest in the perfect love of Jesus – a love that is so deeply for us that it drives out all fear.

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FOR A SEARCHING SOUL

Based on a variety of historical testimony (not just the bible), the disciples were frightened and cowardly when Jesus was arrested and crucified. However, the disciples became bold and risked their own lives to proclaim His name shortly thereafter. For me, this is great evidence that Jesus is who He said He was.  Cowardly people aren’t just inspired to sacrifice their lives for a dead person that they previously abandoned.  I’m convinced that 3 days after the death of Jesus they witnessed something miraculous.

That high school linebacker is on the right