MARK 14:53-72
‘I don’t know this man you’re talking about’ (v. 71)
When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane ‘everyone deserted him and fled’ (Mark 14:50), but rather than running away and hide, Peter followed Jesus, which is why he found himself in the court yard of the high priest. Mark tells us that he did so ‘at a distance’ (v. 54). The impression one gets is that Peter followed far enough behind Jesus not to get noticed or dragged into anything.
Following at a distance can sometimes be tempting, but it is also very risky. It is when we stay far enough away not to be noticed, not to get involved, not to be identified. It is when we have heard the call of Jesus to leave everything and follow him, but choose not to quite give everything up, when we want to stay in control of our life and circumstances, and not give it all over to him. It is, when we find ourselves in circumstances where our surroundings are not overtly Christian, and we decide to compromise and mix in with the crowd rather than be seen as being different and maybe even strange.
It has nothing to do with our faith or belief. Peter did not deny that Jesus was the Messiah or the Son of God, what he denied was that he knew him; he did not want to be recognised as a follower of Jesus. While Peter maybe should be commended for at least following at a distance then his story reminds us that following at a distance always, sooner or later, leads to denial, to disowning Jesus.
Later Peter wrote this encouragement in his first letter: ‘If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name’ (1. Peter 4:16). He had realised that while following Jesus and being recognised as his follower might involve suffering, it was far to be preferred from the consequence of following at a distance.
To ponder: Let us consider whether there are areas where we might be at risk of ‘following at a distance’ and ask God for strength and boldness to ‘bear his name’ and be known as his disciples.