The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 14:27-31, “And Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away, because it is written, “I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.”

28 ‘But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.’

29 “But Peter said to Him, ‘Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.’

30 “And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, that you yourself this very night, before a cock crows twice, shall three times deny Me.’

31 “But Peter kept saying insistently, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ And they all were saying the same thing, too.”

Did you ever tell a lie? What is a lie, anyway? A lie is a purposeful denial of something, so as to exonorate ourselves from an action or attitude that would otherwise condemn us.

Think about the verses you’ve just read. Did Peter lie? In my estimation, Peter did not lie, although as we will see, he veered away from his original intention. We’ve all probably done that in the heat of the moment.

Jesus had just told His disciples that they would “fall away” from Him and from the Truth. Impetious Peter insisted that he would not! He would not deny his LORD even if it cost him his life. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, that you yourself this very night, before a cock crows twice, shall three times deny Me.” Peter then even denied the truth spoken by Jesus Himself, when again he said, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (v. 31).

Later that same night, Peter was approached by some who challenged his affiliation with Jesus. Each time, Peter denied even knowing Jesus. In verse 71, Peter “began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about!’” Let me assure you that although Peter was then lying, he was not cursing and swearing in the way we think today. His “swearing” was like taking an oath, as in a court of law; and his “cursing” was a strong declaration of that oath. He was “putting himself under a curse,” if his oath were not true. Peter was not “cussing.” There was no profanity from the lips of Peter. But when the cock crowed, Peter remembered the LORD’s words, and he wept profusely!

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and LORD, we pledged to stick with Him in every situation of life. When we veer from that pledge, we are denying Him much like Peter did. No, a true believer can never again be spiritually lost; but he can sin by denying he belongs to the Savior. I endeavor every day to be true to Jesus, my LORD and Savior. I’m sure you do, too. But may we never become arrogant, just because we can never be spiritually lost.

Jesus wants us to be open and honest about our relationship with Him. That’s what witnessing is all about. We witness with our lives and with our voices.

May the LORD bless and care for you always.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”