Wednesday 20 April 2022

Sometimes I wonder why people tell lies. Is it to protect themselves and or protect others? I can tell you definitely that I have told lies in my life. Perhaps not so frequently now that I am an adult, perhaps more when I was a child or a teenager. I can vaguely remember my childish mind thinking that lying was a quick way of getting out of a tricky situation that I did not want to be in or I lied simply to protect other people.  At times telling the truth can be really difficult and it can come with unwanted consequences. Being caught out telling a lie can be one of the most morally conflicting moments.  Our contemporary society still considers lying to be destructive and deceitful.

Peter shows us his true human self in this passage. He is called upon by a girl who says to him that he was with Jesus. Peter takes this first opportunity to deny what she is saying and then denies others another two times. Jesus foretold Peter at the Last Supper, that he would deny Him yet Peter could not believe that this would happen. I believe that, in that moment when Peter was questioned about being with Jesus, he was scared. He was scared of incarceration or losing his life and he made a bad decision to be untruthful. Peter knew when the cock crowed that he had definitely made the wrong decision because it fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy. I think Peter knew how wrong he had been to deny the living Messiah, Jesus Christ. 

Dear God, Thank you for using everyday people such as Peter, to show the fragility and imperfection of humanity. Thank you for giving us our own minds to decide what is right and wrong. Forgive us daily for our trespasses. Thank you for loving us despite our imperfections.

Amen

Written by Susannah Ware