27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:
“‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”
31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
Read Mark 14:27-31 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
During the supper Jesus shared with His disciples on the night He was betrayed and arrested, Jesus shares a prophecy with them that makes them all a little uneasy. Jesus also tries to point them towards His resurrection, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears because of the earlier statement.
Both Mark and Matthew record this conversation. Mark tells us that Jesus said, “You will all fall away, for it is written:”
“‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’” (v. 27)
But before they could interrupt Him, Jesus concludes this statement pointing towards His resurrection saying, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” (v. 28)
Peter is stuck on the earlier statement Jesus made, and we tend to focus in on Jesus’ prediction about him, but if we look closely, Mark tells us that Peter was not alone in his vocal commitment to Jesus. Both Mark and Matthew tell us that Peter insisted, “‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And all the others said the same.” (v. 31 & Matthew 26:35)
We tend to focus on Peter and his big denial, but all the remaining ten disciples said the same according to both Mark & Matthew. They all vocalized their commitment to Jesus. At this point in the night, Judas had already left and was headed to the Jewish leaders and to round up the mob that would arrest Jesus.
The remaining ten disciples shared Peter’s commitment to Jesus; they just weren’t as vocal about it.
This makes me wonder if this passage, and what ultimately happens, hints at how easy it is for people to silently fall away. One disciple, Peter, went down in a big way, but the other ten loyal disciples all scatter without a word. While John and Peter follow from a distance, and John doesn’t have the same big failure Peter had, the other nine are silently gone, and we only see them later together, gathered back in the upper room.
In our own lives, while we may fail God in a big way, it is also possible to fail in subtle and more silent ways. Staying quiet when we should speak is often just as bad as saying the wrong thing when we should have been silent. Both are missed opportunities.
This passage cautions me to be wary of the subtle ways I can mess up – but it also gives hope that regardless of how public or silent my failure is, Jesus is ready to forgive and accept me back. He wanted to meet the disciples at Galilee after He had risen, and that was to welcome them back after their failures.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.