Peter Followed Him Afar Off...

"And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire." Mark 14:54

Peter was the "hard head" of the group.

I've sat through services where the Pastor would use this scripture in an attempt to cultivate a guilt trip so thick that surely any respectable believer would fall prostrate begging for forgiveness, the result of..., following Jesus from afar.

But wait a minute. Wasn't it Peter that lobbed off the ear of Malchus? John 18:10

Wasn't it Peter that attempted to impress Jesus that he had fished all night and there just wasn't anything to catch? "And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net." Luke 5 (I can just see it now. ho hum..., I guess we'll have to prove it to him.

Peter was a character we should all consider..., perhaps as a mirror image of ourselves? Peter was a boaster! Was quick tongued! He denied Christ!

Often, Peter was the one who opened mouth and inserted foot on a regular and recurring basis. Or, his mouth went into motion before the mind went into gear.

At the arrest of Jesus one version tells us the Apostles fled. Another version tells us that Jesus told the arresting party to "let them go".

By following..., Peter DISOBEYED! Yes, Peter followed from afar but he was instructed TO GO! To go away! To vacate the premises! To flee! So what did the hard-head do? He followed!

To me..., it would appear that yes, Peter followed from afar but the real application to our lives is NOT that we are following Jesus from afar but rather..., so many of us simply DO NOT follow His instructions to begin with.

Are you a boaster?
Are you quick tonged?
Have you denied Christ? (Inadvertently?)
Have you followed from afar when you should have fled?

...just asking. :thumbs:

 

Every follower of Christ has been guilty of each of these at some point.

Yep, we have and as such, it's time to calibrate our radar scope to ensure accuracy.