Why Did Peter Deny Knowing Jesus Three Times?

One of the interesting stories in The New Testament was the tale of Peter on the night Jesus was taken into custody. At The Last Supper, Peter told Jesus how loyal he would be to him. Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times before the next morning.

That had to be a creepy moment for Peter. Maybe not when Jesus said that to him. I'm sure Peter meant what he said at the time. He wanted to stand with him, but he was a mortal man. He had the fear of death in him, despite what Jesus was preaching.

Peter knew that Jesus was going to die. In that moment, he had a choice to make. He could stand with him and suffer the consequences, which could mean death. Or he could deny him and live another day. He did what many would do in that moment. He went into self preservation mode.

There are moments in life when we know we have to take a stand. It may not mean life or death. It may be a career decision, a relationship decision or a financial decision. In those times, we know we have to make our choice and live with it.

As Peter was denying Jesus, he felt shame. He was supposed to be a friend and disciple, and yet he didn't have the courage to stand with him. Why did Jesus tell him that would happen? I think it had something to do with the fact that he wanted Peter to learn a lesson about himself.

It could very well be that as the world changes, we will be forced to make a decision similar to Peter's. If you believe the day is coming that Jesus is coming back, or even if you believe that the effort to make a one world government won't be a good thing, we all may have to make a choice.

Do we go along to get along, knowing that it's not really the right choice? It's about self preservation. Or, do we stand up for what's right and risk the consequences? Maybe these aren't questions we can truly answer until we are in those moments where we are really tested.