Matthew 26:57-75
Be Still: Lord, quiet the noise within me that I may hear your voice. Amen
Read: Matthew 26:57
But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. (v58)
Encounter: In primary school I was a goody-two-shoes, a rule follower. At secondary school, I became a fan of loopholes and technicalities, enjoying the mental challenge of bending without breaking rules, to maximise my freedom. How close to the line can I get without crossing it?
We can carry this ‘how close to the line’ mentality into our walk of faith. Reading God's prescriptions in Scripture, we look for loopholes to avoid following them closely.
In the passage there is an example of what happens when we don't stay close to Jesus. Before the sad point where Peter denies Jesus, we are told that he followed him at a distance.
Peter exemplifies a truth I have seen played out in my own life: distance paves the way for denial. When I sin or try to walk 'too close to the line', compromising my faith, it is because I'm not walking close enough to Jesus. Importantly, the distance is not proximity to God but intimacy with him. Nothing can separate us from God's love, but there are practices that help us cultivate intimacy: time in his Word, regular rhythms of prayer and fasting, and being in community with God’s people.
When he walked closely with Jesus, Peter was bold and courageous: walking on water, preaching, seeing the sick healed and the possessed set free. Now, following at a distance, he cowers at the questions of a slave girl.
In our daily life, we shouldn't be asking: ‘How close to the line can I get?’ Rather, ‘How close to the Lord can I get?’ The closer I am to Jesus, the freer, the bolder, the more loving I become.
Apply: Take a moment to reflect honestly on your intimacy with Jesus. Have you been following at a distance, perhaps out of distraction, fear or compromise?
Devote: Jesus, draw me nearer. Guard me from the temptation to live 'close to the line' and teach me instead to walk closely and intimately with you.