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“And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest…but Peter followed Him afar off” (Matthew 26:57-58).
Peter was one of the Lord’s most prominent disciples, and was ready to follow the Lord Jesus right to the end, even if it meant giving up his life for his Lord. However, he did not realize his own weakness. When he should have been praying with the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was sleeping. Later, when they came to arrest Jesus, he began to fight with his sword. In our verse for today he is in the palace of the high priest, but he is following “afar off.” Sadly, he ended up denying his Lord and Master shortly afterward.
We are in danger of having this happen in our own lives. If we are not on our guard, we will be overconfident and think that we can follow the Lord in our own strength. Then our fear of the reproach of this world will cause us to follow the Lord “afar off.” But it is only by staying close to Him that we can be kept from dishonoring Him. Let us recognize our weakness and remember to stick close to Him!
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