It’s that one Thursday again. The day with too much to remember. Feet get washed, a supper is eaten that somehow becomes timeless, a trip to Gethsemane, a lonely broken-hearted prayer; Judas returns, 30 pieces of silver weighing him down, and with the muscle from the Temple Guard. A kiss of betrayal, a rigged trial, and a fire blazing in the courtyard.
Jesus is on trial and the bulk of Jesus’ followers have run away in fear.
Peter, scared to death yet determined to be part of the horror show, lingers near the fire outside. His Galilean accent sticks out as much as his rustic clothes. Then his fears are realised as the questioning starts… “Aren’t you one of his men?”
Jesus had warned Peter- but Peter still failed the test. He runs… with the second cock crowing battering his ears. “I have betrayed Jesus, denied Him three times…”
I defy any Christian to honestly say they would have done better!
Over the years, I have stood at night fires when the Gospel has been read out loud; listening to those tragic words has staked my heart, staggered by Peter’s denial. It is a lonely memory set in deep emotional foundations. The flickering of fires, candles, and small lamps has cast lasting shadows: yet I have been 2,000 years away from that Thursday, and safe from the soldiers and corrupt justice. Why does this touch me so deeply?
The morning brings nothing better, just the mournful sorrows of Good Friday. Trial blustered through, a Roman Governor coerced, whips and thorns and bloody nails… But that’s in the morning.
For now, think of desperate Judas who takes his own life; and think of Peter, the boldest disciple, now folded into a dark hole in his own mind. Tried by the fire, and scorched by the flame.
Our tale is unfinished for now. Friday is upon us, and the emptiest Saturday will come. But until Dawn on Sunday, we remain in sad shadows of betrayal and failure, facing the fear of injustice. A haunting Voice whispers “On the Third Day…” in memories being hunted for hope.
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 15:72 NLT
The Reflectionary 