Dear Friends,

I have just been reading in St. Mark 14 v 27-31. These verses speak of Peter making wild promises never to forsake Jesus, but they speak much more of how Jesus went to the cross alone, and his great love for sinners. Jesus predicts, "You will all fall away," (v.27). When Peter hears this he swears he will never forsake Jesus, but Jesus says quietly - "Peter you will - you will do it tonight". At the moment of his great trial Jesus was entirely alone, but he never stopped loving the disciples who forsook him.

How entirely hopeless human beings are to save themselves, or do anything to contribute to their saving themselves from sin and God’s just judgernent upon their sin. Surely this was the time when the disciples at least could have done something, even if it was only to stick by Jesus and own their love for him openly to the last. But they had no strength even for this. They did not have enough love even to hold to him when he was dying for them.

See how wretchedly worthless humanity here is seen to be when the chips are down. The disciples action was simply an indication of what we are all like - sinful and cowardly. We may imagine that we would not be like these disciples, but God’s diagnosis is that we would have acted precisely in the same way. Jesus quoted a prophecy in Zechariah to support his words, "l will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered". Jesus gives us the meaning. The sheep are too frightened and weak to do anything else but run away. The love of Jesus for his disciples, seen against this background, is truly amazing. It is love which is completely gratuitous, for there is nothing lovely in us.

What greater evidence can be given, than in this passage, that Jesus, and he alone, won and purchased salvation for us. Everyone else ran away. He went to the cross alone. No one was prepared to put themselves in danger by standing by him We owe all our forgiveness to him.

Howamazmg is God's grace God knew what the disciples of Jesus were like. He caused Zechariah to tell us many years before that they would forsake him in the hour of need. We are just the same. Yet although there is nothing in us but our sin and rebellion God still sent his Son, and Jesus did not shirk the bitter suffering; nor that he had to suffer it alone. It is through God's grace and love that God sent Jesus to die for us. The words of Zechariah, " I (God) will strike the Shepherd" confirm this,

This is amazing grace. God strikes the Shepherd. The Jews and Romans wilfully carried out the act and were to blame; but Peter tells us in Acts chapter 2 that Jesus was handed over to them by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge. God’s law was broken. Humanity can’t meet the debt. So God in grace provides the substitute - his well beloved and only Son - to meet his laws' demands in their place.

But God’s plan of grace and love was certain. There was no doubt Jesus was equal to the task. Jesus indicates this when he promises he will rise again (v.28). He rose when he had met all the demands of Godts law for us. His death is all-sufficient to meet the punishment due for all your sin and mine.

Look at real love expressed by Jesus. Even knowing Peter’s awful wretched weakness, and his arrogant pride, he still loves him and still goes through with his work to die for him. Don’t let us fall into the trap of believing Jesus was helpless and could not escape. St. Matchew 26 v 53 reveals otherwise. He could have called upon the power of heaven to escape if he would. But love sent him to die for the unlovely ones. The attitude of Jesus to Peter is simply a demonstration of his same loving and gracious attitude to all of us. He knows our sin and weakness, but this did not stop him dying for us.

Peter's reaction to Jesus' words about all his disciples forsaking him is a portrait of the pride and blindness of the human heart. How like Peter we are. We have no idea of the depth of our weakness, nor the power of our fallen nature. We may have good intentions, but really it is also an expression of pnde.

Our comfort is that Jesus knows all about us. In fact he knows more about us than we know ourselves. Peter really thought he could keep his word. Jesus knew better. Jesus knows the degradation of our sinful nature. We can’t hide anything from him, but his love is never failing towards us, and knowing what we are like he still went to the cross for us. We can take comfort from this to know that, having died for us, Jesus will never forsake us but love us to the end,

Your servant for Christ’s sake,