MATTHEW 26:31-35 PRIDE OR HUMILITY?

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 

³¹ Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ³² But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
³³ Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
³⁴ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
³⁵ But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Where is the line between bravado and a lack of faith?

The answer lies in the heart. It was clear in the case of Judas, who betrayed Jesus because he did not believe that Jesus is who he said he is. But with Peter and the other disciples it was their love for Jesus that was the root of their denial of his prophecy, so in their situation the line is not so clear. Yet, in the end, it was still an expression of their lack of faith in Jesus that they would declare that he was wrong about them. Their denial was an act of pride rather than humble acceptance of the Master’s teaching and the truth of the Scriptures (the words from Zechariah 13:7). The faith of Peter and the disciple was in themselves and not their Lord.

The elevation of our selves, our desires, our knowledge, our ability and even our estimation of our love of God and Jesus, over the Lord’s revelation is an act of pride. Our pride must be subdued by the memory of two foundational truths from Scripture. First, our call is to follow Jesus. In all four Gospels this was the call to the disciples by Jesus. And, second, in both the Old and New Testaments we are told that “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6) and “there is no one righteous, not even one…All have turned away” (Romans 3:10-12). When we declare that we are an exception, even if it is an expression of our love for Jesus, we saying “No” to him and declaring him wrong.

The line between bravado and lack of faith is drawn with the ink of obedience. The bravado of faith is that which says, “I know who you are Lord, and cannot fathom that I would deny you, but if you say so, be with me and bring me back to you through your loving forgiveness.” The Good News is that the Isaiah passage quoted above continues with, “and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Do you believe this?

God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring [us] again with penitent heart and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (B.C.P., p.218)

Attachment	Size
Download and Print This Devotional	132.49 KB