Devotional by Pastor Joe Aguilar:
Peter Denies Jesus
66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Mark 14:66-72 ESV
For the Adults
We have all been there; we’ve all been in a state of denial. We try doing things we did 10 or 20 years ago because we’re in denial about our aging bodies. A meme floating around the internet says it best, “the #1 cause of injury to older men is behaving like younger men.” We, here at FBC Weslaco participate, or used to, in morning basketball games and have seen two of our pastors go on the injured reserve list for this reason.
We live in denial about our age, our weight, our health, a virus, along with a host of other things. Denial is often driven by fear. Fear of missing out, fear of getting older, fear of receiving bad news, and fear of what other people might think.
Even with these days of stay at home mandates, physical distancing initiatives, mask wearing requirements, we are still seeing the numbers of those infected climb daily. We now hear the names of people we know contracting the virus, and we even have our first death in the RGV from complications due to COVID-19. As we watch the news and see all of this unfold, we worry about contracting the virus and wonder if this ordeal will ever end! We begin to wonder where God is in all of this. We begin to deny God is doing anything about it. We begin to deny ourselves going to Him for any help. We begin to just flat out deny He exists in our lives.
Jesus knew that Peter would deny knowing him and the number of times it would occur and told Peter straight up that he was going to deny him.
Even though Peter claimed he would rather die than ever deny Jesus, Peter feared the ridicule and suffering that might endure in that courtyard. If we are completely honest with ourselves, we too do the same thing. We become afraid of what others may think or say about us; therefore, we keep quiet when friends ridicule Christians. We fear our association with Jesus might cost us a promotion at work, a spot on the team, or an invite to a social gathering, so we stay quiet about our faith in public.
When Peter heard the rooster’s crow, he quickly realized that Jesus knew. At that time he realized that Jesus was the real deal.
This story ends well. Even though Peter denied Him, and this haunted Peter the rest of his life, Jesus restored him, and he can restore us.
Are you allowing your fear to feed your denial? How are you using this time of sheltering at home and physical distancing to draw yourself and your family nearer to God?
As we approach Resurrection Sunday, let’s turn our days of denial into days of rejoicing by focusing on God’s great story of love, resurrection, and redemption. Like the old hymn says, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!”
For the Kids:
I want to encourage you to lead your families in prayer throughout the day. Pray first thing in the morning as you prepare to start your day. Pray before every meal. Pray before everyone goes to bed at night.
Allow your faith to feed the soul of your family. Let everyone know that your focus is on Jesus, the one who can make all things better.
Enter:
What is your favorite part of being home each day?
What is your least favorite part of being home each day?
Hear:
Reread the passage. Mark 14:66-72
Pause:
Sit with this passage for a few minutes.
Wonder?
Have we ever been like Peter?
How might we deny Jesus?
How can our friends help or hurt us as we live for God?
Pray:
Father, we thank you for being with us during this time of difficulties and unknowns. We know that you will continue to walk with us during these times and forevermore. Thank you, Jesus, for your work on the cross, and may Your Spirit continue to guide us, and please fill us with Your wisdom and your peace. Amen.
May the LORD bless you and keep you and make HIS face shine upon you and your families during these trying times.
About the author:
Jose Aguilar Jr. is an Associate Pastor at FBC Weslaco and has served in this capacity for the last 11 years. He and his wife Blanca have served faithfully at FBC Weslaco since 2001. They are the proud grandparents of Lilyana Faythe and Trinidad Esperanza Aguilar.