At a Distance
After the arrest and frightening turn of events for the disciples, they all left Jesus and fled. Yet two disciples remained. John records that he and Peter followed Jesus to the High Priest’s house. John was allowed inside because he knew people inside. But Peter stayed in the courtyard following at a distance. He warmed himself along with some of the guards around a charcoal fire, hoping not to be noticed. But he was and the questioning began. “Don’t you know the one they arrested? Aren’t you one of his followers?"
When you warm yourself by the fires of others, it’s hard not to become like them. It’s the peer pressure, the desire to play it safe, to fit in, to not be noticed that often drives us to say things we later regret, or act in ways we’re embarrassed to admit. There is safety in anonymity, no one who really knows what we believe, no one to hold us accountable if we denied truth or even a friendship. No one would be harmed.
What began in the personal intimacy of the upper room dialogue now shifts. There is distance between us and Jesus. He is separated from the devotion and love of his family and followers and now enters a time of isolation except for the cruel hands of his captors. His closest friends now watch from a distance, withdrawn or downright absent. We see Jesus suffer alone through the most physically painful and demanding last 24 hours of his life. But this separation is momentary. This separation is necessary in order to bring us to a place where we know that “nothing can separate us from love of God,” (Romans 8:37-39).
But for now, we follow at a distance.
Lord, I confess, at times I’ve turned my back to you. I’ve kept my distance because I didn’t want to rock the boat or be labeled “religious.” Forgive my fickle heart. Have mercy when I leave your side, and find another fire to keep me warm. Give me an undivided heart, Lord. Give us a Spirit of Unity within ourselves and with one another As we learn to follow you and love you each day.
For Prayer and Reflection:
How would you describe your relationship with Jesus? Close, distant, indifferent, devoted, skeptical…?
What are the realities that have kept you from knowing and following Jesus throughout your life?
What might God be inviting you to consider as a means of drawing nearer to Jesus?
How could you express all this in a prayer? Then listen for the Divine response within your soul
