Mark Chapter 14- Verses 28-31 (NLT Translation)
“But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter – this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
“No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.
It’s too easy for us to get caught up in the emotion of a situation, and not listen properly to what we are being told, or to say things in the heat of the moment that we might regret later. Jesus had just told His disciples that He would be betrayed and would be put to death. He’d also explained the significance of the last supper that they had just shared. He’d also told them that He was going to rise again.
However, Peter was adamant, not once but twice, that he was prepared to die with Jesus. He knew from experience that Jesus always told the truth, but on this occasion, he was so caught up in the emotion of the evening that he didn’t listen properly to everything that Jesus said. And when what Jesus told him about his denial came to pass, he was heartbroken.
We need to pay attention to everything that God is saying to us because if we allow ourselves to get caught up in the emotion of a situation, we might miss something important. The disciples missed the fact that Jesus was going to rise from the dead and was going to meet them again. If they had really listened, they would have had something to hope for and hold on to during their darkest time.
I wonder what I have missed sometimes by not listening properly to what God is telling me?
Dear Lord,
I can sometimes get easily caught up in my emotions. Help me to really listen, and to take in and act on what You are saying. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.