Three Strikes, You're Forgiven: A 5-Day Challenge by Micah E. DavisNäide

SCENE ONE: THE UPPER ROOM

VERSE: Mark 14:30

We have a secret obsession. It’s not something that shows up on the surface of our lives. You won’t find it in an Instagram bio. But it’s an obsession that permeates the very ethos of the human condition.

You know what it is? We love when people fail. That’s right, I said it. We love when people fail. Don’t believe me? Get on social media or the news site of your choice right now and start scrolling. It’s a continuum of one failure after another.

How this politician let us down . . . again.

How this pastor had an affair.

How this athlete missed the shot.

How this fundamentalist got it wrong.

How this business owner got caught stealing.

One of our great tragedies is how we equate “failure” with “finished.” Because we don’t want to be “finished,” we hide our own failures while condemning the failures of others.

Three failures seem to be the ­built-in breaking point for most of us. As the famous adage goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me . . .” Notice there’s not a “fool me three times . . .” Jewish rabbinical tradition in ancient Israel only required that forgiveness be extended three times. Were three failures the breaking point even for Jesus? He seems to answer this question in Mark 14.

Jesus and his disciples are sharing a meal together on the eve of his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Jesus clearly explains what is going to happen, but the disciples don’t seem to get it.

Finally, Jesus stops mincing words. “‘You will all fall away,’ Jesus [tells] them, ‘for it is written: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee’” (Mark 14:27-28, NIV).

This is an ominous line, isn’t it? A statement many of us would take offense to if we were the disciples, right?

Well, lo and behold, one disciple in particular takes great exception: “Peter declared, ‘Even if all fall away, I will not.’ ‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘­ today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.’ But Peter insisted emphatically, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And all the others said the same” (Mark 14:29-31, NIV).

It’s easy to make grand claims when there are low stakes. But when the lights turn on and the pressure rises, the false self is burned away and what is left is our true self, who we really are. Jesus was hinting at the fact that Peter was not as loyal, brave, or devoted as he thought he was.

This interaction has haunted me.

I’m tempted to—like our broader culture—point the finger at others. But we must begin with ourselves. When the stakes are raised, when things that I frivolously care ­about—my ego, reputation, persona, public approval, ­popularity—are on the line, will I capitulate to the crowd or to the cross?

Jesus goes one way, and he hints that Peter is going to go another . . .

For Reflection: How do I respond to my own failure when it exposes the limits of my self-perception—especially in areas where I thought I was strong? What is my threshold for forgiveness—of others and of myself? Spend some time reflecting on where you find yourself in your journey of forgiveness with others right now. Ask God to give you an open and humble heart, mind, and spirit. Pay attention to the degree of bitterness and resentment welling up within you as you think about whoever comes to mind. Ask God to soften your heart over the course of the next five days.