Following 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

Deep in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we find a phrase that should make us stop and take notice: "And Peter followed him afar off."

This phrase serves as a warning to us all. Just fourteen verses later, this same Peter denies even knowing Jesus. Three verses after that, he curses and swears in his denial of Jesus. Then, in the next verse, he remembers Jesus' warning and weeps.

Peter was a man like us. Honestly, he was all over the place in what happened that night. He boldly declares he'll never deny Jesus, even if everyone else does! He cuts off Malchus' ear trying to defend Jesus. He then follows at a distance as Jesus is taken away. Ultimately he finds himself warming himself by a fire and denying even knowing Jesus!

How did this happen?

I'd like to suggest four contributing factors to Peter's failure:

• First, it appears Peter placed too much confidence in himself (Mark 14:27-29).

• Second, because of his self-confidence he didn't take Jesus' warning seriously enough (Mark 14:30-31).

• Third, he slept when he should have been praying (Mark 14:37-41).

• Fourth, he followed Jesus at a distance.

We never know when we'll be called upon to stand for Jesus. If we're not careful, we'll end up like Peter. Let's make sure we trust in Jesus, listen to His Word, pray, and walk closely with Him.

Dear Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Please help us to remember that we cannot stand in our own strength and power. The arm of flesh will fail us. Today, help us to put on the whole armor of God and stand for You. In Jesus' mighty Name, we pray, Amen.