Mark
14:26-31
26 After singing a
hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the
shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ 28 But after I have been raised, I
will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 29 But Peter
said to Him, “Even though all may fall
away, yet I will not.” 30 And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say
to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself
will deny Me three times.” 31 But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will
not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.
General Richard S. Ewell once found himself
commanding his Confederate troops in a fierce gunfight against a group of Union
Soldiers. After the smoke cleared he saw a Union cavalry officer get out of the
protective trench where his men lay to rally them for another round of fire.
Ewell was so impressed by the man’s bravery that he ordered his men not to
shoot. After the battle was over he was asked by General “Stonewall” Jackson
why he did not give his men permission to shoot this vulnerable commanding
officer. Ewell explained that he admired his bravery to which Jackson replied, “If
you want to win this war Ewell shoot the brave officers - then the cowards will
run away and take their men with them.”
Sometimes we forget that Jesus was the bravest
commanding officer to ever fight, and He did so in the greatest battle, one of
eternal cosmic proportions. Satan had the power of sin and death on his side as
he sought to destroy the souls of men created in the image of God, but Jesus
was about to win the victory as He was headed to the cross. However, Jesus would not be
recognized as victorious until after “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for
our iniquities” on the cross (Isaiah 53:5). Without Jesus’ sacrifice we are
POWERLESS against sin and the death that it brings, but our commanding officer,
though he died, lives! Notice that Peter's running, like a scared soldier in the midst of a defeat in battle after Jesus’ death
was predicted in this passage. But don’t get any ideas that Peter is
worse than us. He is not. Every believer has the present help of the Lord
through the Holy Spirit. Check out Acts 4:1-20 to see how bold Peter became as a witness for Jesus when the Holy Spirit was enabling Him-when his Brave Commander was present to
help. Because Jesus conquered the grave and gives us who repent and trust in
Him His Spirit, we too are called to be conquerors. He is not fallen. He lives!
No matter what hardship, mistreatment, or temptation pulls us down we are to be “more than
conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Rise to the call of your
Master today, let in the Overcomer, and He will conquer.
"I will be with you even to the end of the age" - Jesus
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