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Scripture - Matthew 26:58 - "But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the High Priest."

 

Observation - It is amazing what a difference time and circumstances can make. When Jesus first encountered Peter, His request of Peter was simple: "Follow Me!" And just like that Peter did. For three years the two of them had been almost inseparable. Peter wanted to be as close to Jesus as possible. He pledged his eternal devotion. But now, time and circumstances had changed things. Jesus, in the eyes of the ever fickle crowd had gone from hero to zero, and for Peter being up close and personal with Jesus had become a dangerous proposition. Peter still loved Jesus. He still had a desire to "follow" Him, but he was afraid. Thus, he chose to follow the Lord...at a distance! He sought to be close enough to see what was going on, but far enough from the center of things to avoid being swept up in the action. He could observe without participation or commitment. It would take some time to restore Peter after this decision.

 

Application - What motivates human beings to want to follow at a distance? It would be easy to say "fear" except that Peter wasn't an especially fearful man. He had put his life on the line for Jesus before, and would do so many times later. Peter had already proven that for the right cause he had the courage to step into his fears. Instead, we often distance ourselves from those things in which we have begun to lose confidence. It works that way with sports. A winning coach loses a few games and people bail like rats off a sinking ship! Let the star quarterback throw a couple of interceptions and people will turn on him. But Jesus isn't a quarterback or a coach. He is our sovereign Lord. Psalm 125 says, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion which cannot be shaken but endures forever." The kind of faith that endures forever is a faith in the essential character and dependability of the one in whom we place our trust. Peter wanted to follow Jesus at a distance because he hadn't yet fully given his heart and life to Jesus. He was still second guessing the Lord. It is interesting to compare Peter's response to Jesus, who, facing the cross, asked God for another way. Jesus did not desire to die and earnestly sought God's face for another option. But, having found no other option, Jesus, with an unshakable faith in the character of God, went forward to the Cross. So where is my faith? Am I still following Jesus at a distance...looking on from the safety of the sidelines, still trying to decide if I can trust Him enough to get in the game? Or have I realized that the character of Jesus is such that I can face any challenge, any fear, if only I can stay close to Him?

 

Prayer - Lord, help me to be like Mount Zion, with a faith that cannot be shaken but endures forever. I don't want to know you from a distance, but up close and personal, with all that closeness implies. Help me Lord. - Itncountered Peter, His request of Peter was simple: "Follow Me!" And just like that Peter did. For three years t

 

When Bristle-thighed Curlew chicks are just five weeks old their parents depart for their winter-feeding grounds.2 Left behind in the Alaska Peninsula marshes the chicks gorge themselves on berries and insects to accumulate the fat reserves necessary to fuel their migratory journey. Then one day, when strong enough, they take off. Once aloft they find the right winds to begin their long nonstop flight south. Like most migratory birds, the chicks, with no prior knowledge, unerringly navigate the vast Pacific Ocean, and descend with pinpoint accuracy onto the mudflats and sandy beaches of islands of Fiji, Tonga and French Polynesia.