Stumbling Off the Path

“It won’t be me.” That is what Peter vowed on the night he made the biggest mistake of his life.

Jesus was insisting that he would be betrayed by one of the Twelve. By now, they were a tight-knit group. They had gone through so much together in such a brief time. It must have been jarring to hear Christ’s words. After making it this far, how could they fall? After all they had been through together, who could do something so personal and cruel?

Even the thought of it was too much for the disciples to bear. It gave them angst to think they were capable of failing. They asked Jesus, one after another, “Is it I?” (Mark 14:19). Peter couldn’t live in the tension of not knowing. He doubled down on his faith in his own faithfulness. He told Jesus, “Even though they all fall away, I will not” (Mark 14:29). Even after Jesus told Peter exactly when and how he would fail, Peter couldn’t imagine that he actually would. He said he would rather die.

Then things began to unravel. Just before this, Jesus told a parable in Mark 13 about a man who goes on a journey and leaves his servants in charge of things. They have to remain ready because they don’t know when the master will return. Jesus ends by saying, “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:37). But as Jesus was entering His greatest agony in the Garden, right when He needed Peter the most, Peter fell asleep (Mark 14:37). Well, to be more accurate, he fell asleep three times. His spirit was willing, but his flesh was too weak (Mark 14:38).

That wasn’t the worst of it. As Jesus was taken away, things went from bad to worse for Peter. His world was crashing down. Instead of following right behind Christ, he “followed him at a distance” (Mark 14:54). He swore three times that he didn’t even know Jesus. When he realized what he had done, he broke down into bitter sobbing (Mark 14:72).

Disciples have moments on the journey like this. The way to the summit is not a simple upward path. There are times of stumbling and detours in following Christ. Though our spirit may be willing and eager to do God’s will, we’re still in the flesh. The power of sin has been put to death, but the presence of sin remains. The surprising and remarkable thing is not that Peter stumbled.

The surprising and remarkable thing is that this didn’t end his journey. It was part of it. Somehow, in the goodness of God, He can turn even our worst mistakes into the greatest victories of His grace. Peter took a terrible detour, but you will read this week about the forgiveness and restoration offered by the risen Christ.

Is there something you’ve done that lingers with you? Is there something you’ve done that causes you to doubt whether God can really forgive and restore you? Christ forgave and restored Peter. Christ still offers this forgiveness and restoration to us today.

Prayer Priorities For the Week

Prayer is how we make our requests known to God. It is also how He aligns our hearts with His will. Determine at least three things that you want to pray for this week, then pray for these requests daily.

• I am praising and thanking God for:
• I am asking God for myself:
• I am asking God on behalf of others:

Key Verse for the Week

Memorize and write down the key verse for the week: Mark 14:38