Denial

How many times have you lied? Have you lied because you were ashamed of the truth? Have you left part of the truth unspoken to protect your pride? Have you lied to escape punishment? Do you despise lying? If so, how do you avoid those embarrassing truths?

We all have lied at some point in our lives. We have all avoided telling the truth for one reason or another. It may have been out of shame, pride, or to avoid punishment. Yet, most of us will say we hate people lying to us. We often separate lying into different degrees or categories.

As most of you, I consider myself to be a person who prefers truth. I have even stated the lying is equivalent to stealing. One steals physical property while the other steals trust. Unfortunately, I cannot state I have never lied or withheld the truth. Like nearly everyone I know, I view some lies as small and non-hurtful while others are big and impactful.

Peter was caught in a quandary. As he followed Jesus being taken to the high priest for guards, I’m sure he knew nothing good would come of it. He may have thought Jesus would be thrown in prison. He also was in self-preservation mode. So, when asked if he was one of Jesus’ followers, he lied. Out of fear for his own well-being, Peter distanced himself from Jesus. He portrayed himself as a curious onlooker.

We like to poke at the mistakes Peter and the other disciples made. What we often forget is we are just like them. After nearly two-thousand years of learning, teaching, and experiencing Jesus, we continue making the same mistakes. The truth of the matter is fear drives us to deny we are followers of Jesus. And even if we won’t admit it, our belief is not as strong as we think it is. Rather than scoffing at Peter, we need to reflect on his mistake, our own mistakes, and learn from them.

I pray we all reflect on the times we have lied or withheld the truth. I pray we learn from our past mistakes. I pray each one of us apply what we learn and deepen our faith in Jesus. Reflect on your mistakes. Learn from them. Apply the lessons you learn. Deepen your faith in Jesus.

John 18:17 The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”