And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice. Mark 14:30
Today’s text is a very serious warning to any of us who might feel that we have progressed beyond the spiritual tumble stage. The lesson that Peter was about to learn would mark him for the rest of his life. Big, boisterous, and fearless, he could not imagine anything that would shake him from following his Lord even unto death. He was confident in his unswerving fidelity to the Lord, and was prepared to die for Him if necessary. Or, so he thought.
How Jesus’ words must have haunted Peter in the days that followed. As soon as that rooster crowed the second time, Peter’s pride took a radical drop from which it thankfully never recovered. Even his powerful Pentecost message that resulted in 3,000 conversions in a single day did not cause his head to swell in self-confidence. No, Peter learned that not only are the Lord’s words always true, but also that no one, not even an apostle, is safe from falling and from failing our Lord.
We do get a little smug, don’t we, when we look about and see how others, particularly those among the denominations, who are letting spiritual truths and doctrines slip away. There are even those in our Assemblies who we see making great mistakes and messing up their lives and testimonies. Listen carefully to your heart! Did you not glance sideways at such folks and say ‘I’m glad I would never do that’?
Take heed, lest you fall. Stay humble. May you never need to hear the cock crow twice! -Jim MacIntosh