|
The Stations of the Cross; The Way of the Cross; Via Crucis; Devotional Guide for Lent and Holy Week; Biblical Stations of the Cross; Stations of the Cross in the Bible; Stations of the Cross in the Gospels; New Stations of the Cross; Revised Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross:
A Devotional Guide for Lent and Holy Week
by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
Copyright © 2007 by Mark D. Roberts
Note: You may download this resource at no cost, for personal use or for use in a Christian ministry, as long as you are not publishing it for sale. All I ask is that you give credit where credit is due. For all other uses, please contact me at mark@markdroberts.com . Thank you.
The Stations of the Cross: Introduction 
Introduction to the series:
The Stations of the Cross: A Devotional Guide for Lent and Holy Week 
Posted for Tuesday, March 20, 2007
As near as I can remember, I first became aware of The Stations of the Cross while on vacation in San Francisco, California. As I visited St. Mary's Cathedral, I noticed around the sanctuary of the church a series of visual reminders of Jesus's last hours. These seemed to encourage the Catholic faithful in their personal devotion. I did not at the time realize the irony of my discovering The Stations of the Cross in San Francisco, a city named after the Catholic saint whose order had much to do with the development of devotion associated with The Stations of the Cross. Nor did I realize back then that virtually every Catholic church uses some form of The Stations of the Cross.
I became more familiar with The Stations of the Cross, also known as The Way of the Cross, or Via Crucis (Latin, way of the cross) or Via Dolorosa (Latin, way of grief), when I began going on retreats at Catholic retreat centers. All of these places for prayer feature a series of scenes that depict the passion of Christ. Often, I saw people slowly walking along The Stations of the Cross, pausing at each station for quiet meditation and prayer.
 A few years ago I decided to follow The Way of the Cross at the Serra Retreat Center in Malibu, California (which, lies, ironically, within a stone's throw of Brittany Spears' house). Whereas almost all Catholic churches include the stations within the sanctuary (Note 1), the Serra stations were outside in an aromatic grove of Eucalyptus trees. As I walked The Way of the Cross that day, I found myself reflecting with more intensity and emotiona upon the events of Jesus's death. (Photo: Some of the stations at the Serra Retreat Center. The one to the right is #6, Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.)
In 2003, millions of people became familiar with the traditional Stations of the Cross without even knowing it. These stations provided the structure for Mel Gibson's blockbuster film, The Passion of the Christ. Little did many of us know that as Jesus fell three times while carrying His cross in the movie, or as He met His mother, that He was doing that which Roman Catholic tradition had popularized for centuries through The Stations of the Cross.
The origin of this tradition is not entirely clear, though it seems to be associated with Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem in the early Christian centuries. (For a detailed online history, see "The Way of the Cross" in The Catholic Encyclopedia.) Yet, since the vast majority of Christians were not able to go to Jerusalem to pray in the actual location where Jesus was crucified, The Way of the Cross enabled them to engage in a mini-pilgrimmage of sorts, whereby they could focus on the key events of Jesus's last day.
In the Middle Ages, this practice got wrapped up with the granting of indulgences (remissions of temporal punishments for sins for which we have been forgiven). The whole indulgence scene became quite messy, and was in fact one of the major reasons for the Protestant Reformation. Thus it's not surprising that Protestants didn't maintain the tradition of walking The Way of the Cross as an act of devotion.
When I first followed The Stations of the Cross, I related readily to about half of the scenes. But the other half seemed odd to me because the statues depicted unfamiliar events, including: three falls of Jesus, an encounter between Jesus and His Mother, and an encounter between Jesus and a woman named Veronica. These stations were not derived directly from Scripture, but rather from ancient church tradition. Though I wasn't offended by the traditional nature of the unfamiliar scenes, since they were in no way contrary to Scripture, I found myself more drawn to the seven stations that were clearly based on the biblical record. I am, after all, a Protestant at heart, one for whom tradition can be helpful, but Scripture is the main source of my spiritual devotion.
Well, as it turns out, Pope John Paul II seems to have shared my concern about the lack of biblical foundation for the traditional Stations of the Cross, though he often celebrated these without hesitation. He was, after all, a Roman Catholic at heart. Yet in 1991 the Pope himself instituted a new series of fourteen Stations of Cross, each of which was based on Scripture alone. The chart below shows both the traditional and the revised stations (with Scripture references; Note 2):
Traditional |
Biblical |
| |
1. Jesus on the Mount of Olives
(Luke 22:39-46) |
| |
2. Jesus, betrayed by Judas, is arrested (Luke 22:47-48) |
| |
3. Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin (Luke 22:66-71) |
| |
4. Peter denies Jesus (Luke 22:54-62) |
1. Jesus is condemned to death |
5. Jesus is judged by Pilate
(Luke 23:13-25) |
| |
6. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns (Luke 22:63-65; John 19:2-3) |
2. Jesus takes up his cross |
7. Jesus takes up the cross
(Mark 15:20) |
3. Jesus falls for the first time |
|
4. Jesus meets his mother |
|
5. Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrene to carry his cross |
8. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross (Luke 23:26) |
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus |
|
7. Jesus falls for the second time |
|
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem |
9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
(Luke 23:27-31) |
9. Jesus falls for the third time |
|
10. Jesus is stripped of his garments |
|
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross |
10. Jesus is crucified (Luke 23:33, 47) |
| |
11. Jesus promises his Kingdom to the good thief (Luke 23:33-34, 39-43) |
| |
12. Jesus on the cross, his mother and his disciple (John 19:25-27) |
12. Jesus dies on the cross |
13. Jesus dies on the cross
(Luke 23:44-46) |
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross and given to his mother |
|
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb |
14. Jesus is placed in the tomb
(Luke 23:50-54) |
 Last year some folks at my church decided to offer The Stations of the Cross as a devotional experience for Holy Week. For obvious reasons, we opted for the Pope's biblically-based version. My wife Linda offered to paint fourteen watercolor pictures that illustrated the passages upon which the revised stations are based. These were displayed in our church sanctuary during Holy Week, and people were invited to come, to read Scripture, to reflect, and to pray. For many members of my church and community it was a precious time of drawing near to the Lord in anticipation of Good Friday and Easter. We're going to do the same thing this year. (Photo: Four of the stations in the Irvine Presbyterian Church sanctuary a couple of years ago.)
All readers of my blog, whether you're a member of Irvine Presbyterian Church or not, are welcome to join us for this time of quiet, personal worship. (You can find the schedule here.) But I realize that the vast majority of my blog readers won't be able to make a pilgrimage to Irvine during Holy Week. (This includes some of my own church members, such as friend who is currently serving our country in Iraq.) So, for those who can't come to our church, I'm going to do an online Stations of the Cross. Beginning tomorrow, I'll "walk" through the stations with you, one station per day (not including the weekends, usually). At this pace we'll complete the fourteen stations on Holy Saturday (which will feature the last of the stations). I'll include the Scripture passages for each station, some personal reflections and prayers, and my wife's paintings. My hope is that this online version of The Way of the Cross will enable you to enter into a deeper understanding and experience of the passion of Jesus, so that you might be ready to celebrate Easter with new joy and freedom.
Notes
Note 1: I wrote: "all Catholic churches include the stations within the sanctuary." One of my blog readers, Mark Wauck, kindly took the time to let me know that this is not correct. The stations of the cross appear in the nave of a Catholic church, not the sanctuary. The distinction between nave and sanctuary is not familiar to most Protestants, who refer to the space in which the people worship as the sanctuary. In Catholic churches, this is the nave. The sanctuary is the space at the altar set apart for priests. Thanks, Mark, for the correction.
Note 2: These Scripture references come from the 2004 version of the Pope's Stations of the Cross. The 1991 version had the same basic headings, but some different biblical texts.
The First Station: Jesus on the Mount of Olives
Station 1 of the series:
The Stations of the Cross: A Devotional Guide for Lent and Holy Week
Posted for Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Luke 22:39-46
39 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40 When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” 41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” 43 [Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. 44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.] 45 When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
Reflection
 Growing up as a Christian, I always found the scene of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to be a comforting one (Note 1) My feelings were shaped less by the actual story in the Gospels and more by a popular representation of the scene, first painted by Heinrich Hofmann and often reproduced by other artists and in other genres. I once purchased a small wooden plaque with a reproduction of Hofmann's original. I was reassured by the serenity and strength of Jesus in the Garden, whose halo reflected the light of God shining down upon Him. My plaque sat alongside my bed for many of my young years, encouraging me to pray and to trust God more. (Photo:"Christ in Gethsemane" by Heinrich Hofmann. Now in the Riverside Church in New York City.)
I still love that classic image by Hoffman, perhaps because it reminds me of my early devotion to Jesus. But, as I have studied the Gospel texts that describe Jesus in the Garden, I've come to believe that Hofmann's image doesn't capture the full reality of the scene. To be sure, in the end, Jesus accepted the Father's will and faithfully chose the way of suffering. But His time of prayer was anything but serene.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke emphasize the agony of Jesus in the Garden. The Gospel of Luke specifically mentions Jesus's "anguish" or "agony" (using the Greek word agonia, which can also mean "struggle"). Moreover, Luke adds that Jesus was so intense in prayer that His sweat became like drops of blood (Note 2). In the other Gospels Jesus explains that He is "deeply grieved, even to death" (Mark 14:34; Matt 26:38). Those gospels also show Jesus as praying more than once before He was ready to accept the Father's will. He was indeed struggling in the Garden.
 As I reflect upon the Gospel texts, I wonder if a more accurate image of Jesus in the Garden is found in Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ. In the movie's opening scene, Jesus is clearly agonizing, wrestling with what lies before Him. His pain is obvious, as is His struggle with His divinely-appointed destiny. (Photo: Jim Caviezel as Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. From The Passion of the Christ.)
A struggling Jesus? A Jesus who at first wants something other than the Father's will? A Jesus who wishes to pass on the cup of suffering? If you're a Christian who believes that Jesus was not just a human being, but also the unique Son of God, the Word of God in flesh, then the scene in Gethsemane is shocking. It stretches our understanding and boggles our simplistic explanations of who Jesus really is. In Gethsemane, perhaps more than in any other scene of the Gospels, we see the fully human Jesus, the One who "in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
This means, among other things, that Jesus understands when we are tested, when we are weak, when we aren't sure we want God's will for our lives. In Jesus we have, not a god who is watching us from a distance, but One who knows our every weakness, and who is there to help us in our time of trial. Indeed, Scripture teaches that Christ Himself intercedes for us (Romans 8:34).
Whatever picture of Gethsemane you keep in your mind, may you let the text of Scripture fill out its meaning. May you be encouraged to come before God with complete honesty, holding nothing back. May you pour out your heart to the Lord. May you wrestle with God's will for you. As you do, know that Jesus understands, and is there to help you.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, as I reflect upon Your experience in Gethsemane, I am once again astounded by Your utter humanness. You are not God-in-flesh-well-sort-of, but truly God in human flesh. You are Emmanuel, God with us. Thus You are also God with me. You understand me. You stand with me in hard times. You encourage me as I wrestle with the Father's will. And You intercede for me. How I thank You, dear Lord, for who You are, for what You have done, and for what You are doing in my life today.
Amen.
Notes:
Note 1: This garden was at the foot of the Mt. of Olives just outside of ancient Jerusalem. For some recent pictures of the area, see this page from BiblePlaces.com.
Note 2: Verses 43-44 are in brackets in the NRSV to indicate that they don't appear in all ancient manuscripts. Some scholars believe that the verses were excised by certain scribes because of their shocking portrayal of Jesus. The majority of scholars hold that these verses were added later, and came from some tradition about Jesus that was not in the first edition of Luke.
The Second Station: Jesus, Betrayed by Judas, is Arrested
Station 2 of the series:
The Stations of the Cross: A Devotional Guide for Lent and Holy Week
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Luke 22:47-48
47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; 48 but Jesus said to him, "Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?"
Reflection
About a year ago there was much abuzz about Judas. With great fanfare, the National Geographic Society had just released the text and translation of the Lost Gospel of Judas. This second-century writing focused on Judas and his special relationship with Jesus. Not only was Judas able to receive esoteric knowledge of Jesus, but also he was going to be one to "sacrifice the man that clothes [Jesus]" (56). What we consider an act of treachery was, according to the Gospel of Judas, that which proved Judas's excellence. In typical Gnostic fashion, the human body is something to be escaped so that one, in this case, Jesus, could enter the world of pure spirit.
Though a few genuine scholars and lots of pseudo-scholars suggested that the Gospel of Judas revealed something of the true relationship between Jesus and Judas, the vast majority of scholars rejected this thesis (Note 1) The Gospel of Judas is a valuable source of information about second-century Gnostic belief, but has nothing to do with the actual lives of Jesus and Judas. What we read in the biblical Gospels is what really happened: Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.
In the culture of the time, a kiss was a sign of love and loyalty. A disciple might indeed kiss his master to signify the specialness of their relationship. There was nothing sexual about the kiss. It was the sort of kiss that a son might give a father.
I wonder why Judas chose to identify Jesus, indeed, to betray him, with a kiss. After all, he could have simply pointed to Jesus, or called out His name, or said to the soldiers: "He's the one over there." Yet Judas chose a kiss. Why?
Of course we don't know for sure, and can only speculate. I wonder if Judas was saying to Jesus: "I'm doing this because I committed to the coming of the kingdom. I'm forcing your hand, Jesus, so that you'll reveal your true messianic ministry and call up legions of angels to defeat the Romans." Or perhaps Judas's kiss meant: "I once believed in you, Jesus. I loved you. But you betrayed me. You held out the promise of the coming kingdom and I bought it completely. But then you started talking about your death, just like a defeated man. And everything started to unravel, including my hopes for you. So I still love you, Jesus, but I can no longer support you because you betrayed me and our cause."
From our perspective, it's easy to condemn Judas. Few people in history have been more despised, and for good reason. Yet by heaping still more disdain on Judas, we miss the chance to confront the Judas in ourselves. What about our own mixed responses to Jesus?
How many times have we betrayed Jesus, not in the obvious and literal way of Judas, but in our hearts and actions?
How many times have we confessed Jesus as Lord, only to turn enthrone ourselves as the true lord of our lives?
How many times have we worshiped Jesus with our lips, not with a kiss but with words, songs, and prayers, only to reject Him in our hearts and in our actions?
When I stand back from myself and reflect, I want to be completely devoted to Jesus. But in the day-to-day challenges of faith, the Judas lurking within me reveals himself. I too can betray my Lord.
Prayer
O Lord, as much as I hate to admit it, to myself and to You, there is a bit of Judas in me. Forgive for the times I have pledge my love for You, only to reject You in the way I live. Help me to see where my commitment to You is mixed, where my heart is divided against itself. Set me free to be wholly devoted to You, even when I don't understand You, even when I'm afraid that following You is too risky. Amen.
Notes:
Note 1: For my evaluation of the Gospel of Judas and its significance, see my blog post: The Gospel of Judas -- A Special Report.
The Third Station: Jesus is Condemned by the Sanhedrin
Station 3 of the series:
The Stations of the Cross: A Devotional Guide for Lent and Holy Week
Friday, March 23, 2007
Luke 22:66-71
66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. 67 They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe; 68 and if I question you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 All of them asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!”
Reflection
According to Jewish law, it was wrong to try a criminal in the night. So, properly, those who accused Jesus waited until dawn, when the "assembly" or "council" could legally gather (the "council" is, more literally, the "Sanhedrin," see Note 1). The leaders of the council, which was moderated by the high priest, wanted to know if Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. For them, this would be tantamount to a revolutionary claim, exactly the sort of thing that got the Jews into major trouble with Rome. False messiahs led to nothing but heartache and suffering for the Jewish people. Given Jesus's failure to raise up an army suitable to rid Judea of the Romans, there would have been little reason for the members of the Sanhedrin to believe that He was the true messiah. He didn't fit the bill, as far as they were concerned.
This may help to explain Jesus's strange reticence with respect to His messiahship. Nowhere in the Gospels does he ever say, outright, "I am the Messiah." Only in the Gospel of Mark does Jesus admit plainly to being the Messiah (Mark 1:62), but even there He quickly changes the subject to focus on the Son of Man seated at the right hand of God.
Of course Jesus didn't deny that He was the Messiah either, something that might have allowed Him to be released by the Sanhedrin with only a severe beating. His failure to say that He was not the Messiah, combined with His cryptic, "You say that I am," was enough to convince the Sanhedrin of Jesus's guilt.
And what was His crime? What had he done that was worthy of death?
Well, for one thing, only days earlier Jesus had made a mess of the temple, interrupting its sacrifices and labeling it as a "den of robbers," a phrase Jesus borrowed from Jeremiah in one of the ancient prophet's predictions of the temple's demise. By speaking so negatively of the temple, Jesus was seen by the Jewish officials to be speaking negatively of God Himself. The temple was, after all, the house of God, the place where God had chosen to dwell. Thus by speaking poorly of the temple, Jesus was believed to have been blaspheming God.
Moreover, in His trial, Jesus not only wouldn't reject His Messiahship, but He claimed that He would be "seated at the right hand of the power of God" as the promised Son of Man (Luke 22:69). This was perceived by the council, beginning with the high priest, as blasphemy and clear evidence of Jesus's guilt. But making this claim wouldn't have been a crime if Jesus was telling the truth. In the minds of the members of the Sanhedrin, however, there was no possibility of Jesus actually being the Son of Man who would share in God's own power and glory. Sure, He could do a few miracles. But usher in the divine kingdom? Hardly. So the rabble-rouser, temple-destroyed, and all-around troublemaker was now, as far as the Sanhedrin was concerned, an obvious blasphemer (Note 2).
Have you ever wondered why Jesus wasn't clearer about who He was and what He had come to do? I certainly have. It seems like it would have been so much easier for all, including those of us who seek to follow Jesus today, if He had only said, "Yes, I am the Messiah, but not in the sense you expect. I have been anointed by God to bring the kingdom, but not in a military-political way. The kingdom is coming through transformed hearts, communities, and cultures. Most of all, the kingdom is coming through my death, as I bear the sin of Israel, and, indeed, the sin of the world. As Messiah, I must also suffer in the role of Isaiah's Servant."
Yet Jesus didn't say this. It's something we have to piece together from His words and deeds. And we, like the people of His day, even His disciples, often get things confused. We rightly reject the notion of Jesus as a military-political Messiah. But then we tend to limit His saving work to post-mortem heaven for individual believers, rather than transformation of the whole cosmos, beginning with our world today. We don't make the connection between Jesus as the Messiah and the prayer He taught us: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
When we confess Jesus as Christ or Messiah (Note 3), we're acknowledging Him as our personal Savior. But we're saying more than this. We're also recognizing that He came to inaugurate the kingdom of God. Though this kingdom won't fully come until Jesus Himself brings it, we get to share in the blessings and responsibilities of the kingdom even now. Our calling as followers of Jesus is to do the works of the kingdom, so that the reign of God might invade this world. At the same time, we look forward to the day when all will be fulfilled. Then, in the classic words of Revelation 11:15, put to such wonderful music in Handel's Messiah, we'll celebrate the fact that:
The kingdom of this world is become,
The kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ,
And He shall reign forever and ever.
Hallelujah!
Prayer
O Lord, the Jewish official didn't understand what it meant for You to be Messiah, and they condemned You as a criminal worthy of death. Your own followers didn't understand what it meant for You to be Messiah, so they scattered and hid in Your hour of crisis. Help me not to be like these! Help me to understand what it means when I confess You to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed of God. And may this confession lead me to a life of true discipleship.
Let Your kingdom come, Lord, and Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. And let this happen in my life, even today!
Amen.
Notes
Note 1: The Greek word for "assembly" in Luke 22:66 is presbyterion (which we'd translated literally as "presbytery," not good news for us Presbyterians; the word for "council" is synedrion, which is often translated into English as "Sanhedrin.")
Note 2: Not all members of the Sanhedrin agreed that Jesus was guilty and worthy of death. Joseph of Arimathea, for example, "had not agreed to their plan and action" (Luke 23:51). For more on why Jesus had to die, see my blog series: Why Did Jesus Have to Die? The Death of Jesus in Different Perspectives: Roman, Jewish, Jesus, Christian.
Note 3: "Christ" is an English variation of the Greek word christos, which is equivalent to the Hebrew mashiach, or "messiah." They all mean "anointed one."
The Fourth Station: Peter Denies Jesus
Station 4 of the series:
The Stations of the Cross: A Devotional Guide for Lent and Holy Week
Monday, March 26, 2007
Luke 22:54-62
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. 55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Reflection
Why did Peter deny Jesus? He was one of the first to follow Jesus, leaving so much behind to walk the uncertain road of discipleship. He had seen mighty wonders as his Master healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead. Peter had witnessed the miracle of the transfiguration. And he had even walked on water for a few brief moments. So why did Peter, of all people, deny Jesus?
Because he was afraid.
Fear. Fear can startle us in the middle of the night and keep us awake for hours. It prevents us from reaching for our dreams or from reaching out to others in love. Fear cripples our souls and binds our hearts. It locks us in prison and throws away the key.
Fear. What power it can have over us! Fear leads us to do what we would otherwise never do, and it keeps us from doing that which we know to be right. When we're afraid, we can forget our commitments, our values, our loves. In fearful moments all we think of is how to protect ourselves, perhaps at any cost. In fear we can strike out thoughtlessly against a perceived enemy. In fear we run away rather than standing for what we believe. Fear causes our adrenaline to race and compromises our judgment.
Peter was afraid, understandably so. All that he had hoped seemed to be crumbling before Him. The One he believed to be the Messiah, the Savior of Israel, was now arrested. Jesus's death seemed certain, and with His death the end of Peter's reason for living.
Moreover, seeing his powerful Master so helpless must have confused Peter. Why didn't Jesus call down a legion of angels? Why did the One with the power to still the storm not use that power now? And if Jesus was helpless to defend Himself, what did that mean for Peter? How could he escape a fate like that of Jesus . . . arrest, abuse, and finally execution?
In confused fear, Peter did what only hours before he swore he would never do, denying his Master. The one who promised to go to prison and even to die with Jesus was now scurrying to protect himself. So he denied his Lord, not once, but three times, just as Jesus had promised. Fear had overtaken Peter's consciousness and conscience.
I can understand what this might have been like for Peter, because I have experienced the blinding blast of fear. It happened about ten years ago at Disneyland, of all places. I was there with my wife and two small children. My son was about four at the time and my daughter only two. While we were finishing up lunch, Kara was playing in the area right around our table on an outdoor patio. All of sudden she was gone. My wife and I hopped up and looked all around. The patio was crowded with people, but not Kara. I told Linda to look nearby while I would fan out to see if she had wandered farther away. After about five minutes, we still couldn't find her. (Photo: The "river" near where we were having lunch at Disneyland.)
 At that point Nathan thought he would be helpful. "Kara went back to the river to see the ducks," he suggested. I had just checked the lake, with no sign of Kara. Without knowing it, Nathan had expressed one of my fears precisely. Kara had gone to the lake to see the ducks, and had wandered in over her head.
Linda and I told the Disneyland officials that Kara was lost, and they sprang into immediate action. Soon dozens of employees had joined us in the search for our daughter. I remember running, literally, in larger and larger circles away from our lunch spot, all along calling for Kara. I didn't care what anyone thought of me. All that mattered was finding my daughter . . . alive. Terrible thoughts entered my head, pictures of drowning, kidnapping, and so forth. I tried to blot them out of my mind, but couldn't keep them from spilling back in. Of course I was praying, consistently, with ever increasing desperation. In my panic, I found it hard to think straight or to pray reasonably. It was as if my logical faculties had been strangled by the crushing grip of fear.
After about fifteen minutes, which felt like fifteen hours, I saw a Disneyland official carrying Kara back to our lunch spot. It turned out that a man near our table had been watching Kara play. He mistakenly thought she was part of another family. When that family left without her, he feared they had forgotten her. So he picked up Kara and went running off to find the other family. When he finally caught up with them, about ten minutes later, he was horrified to learn that she was not their child. So he immediately ran to bring Kara back, overflowing with apologies. Those moments holding Kara still are some of the most precious of my life. (At that point my adrenaline stopped pumping, and I was utterly exhausted. Kara, utterly unconcerned, just wanted to go on the Dumbo ride.)
If Peter felt anything like what I felt that fateful day, then I can understand why he denied Jesus. In saying this I'm not excusing His behavior. Not by a long shot. What Peter did was wrong. But I am saying that I can understand what he might have been feeling, and why he did something that he later found so horrifying and inexcusable. Fear has to power to make all of us do or say that which we later regret.
Though you and I might never deny Jesus in such a blatant way as Peter did, I would suggest that we might indeed deny Him is less obvious ways, also because of fear. Have you ever sensed that the Lord was urging you to do something for His sake, but then you chickened out because you were afraid? Have you known what it's like to downplay the significance of your faith in some conversation because your were afraid of what people might think of you? Have you ever let fear keep you from experiencing the fullness of life in Christ? I know I have, too many times to count.
What is the antidote to such fear? It's trusting God. It's believing the Word of Christ. It's experiencing the perfect love of God that casts out fear (1 John 4:18). We don't conquer fear through rationalization and mind-control. Rather, we overcome fear by leaning more fully into the strong arms of God, and knowing that He will never let us go.
Prayer
Forgive me, dear Lord, when I let fear get in the way of my relationship with You. Forgive me for all the times I've fallen short in my discipleship because I've been afraid. Forgive me for failing to trust You when You've proven Yourself to be so utterly worthy of trust.
Help me, Lord, not to be like Peter in this story. When hard times come, help me to trust You more. When my adrenaline starts to pound, clouding my mind and suffocating my heart, help me to receive Your peace. When I'm tempted to deny You, either in words or deeds, or by failing to speak or act, help me to trust and obey. May I live my whole life in honor o |
