“Following Jesus at a Distance”

Rev. Philip Beisswenger

You have to hand it to Peter. He never stopped following Jesus. Ever since Jesus called him, the Sea of Galilee, to leave his nets behind and follow him, Peter followed. Even at the end of Christ’s life, when the other disciples fled, Peter followed. When soldiers captured Jesus and dragged Jesus to the house the high priest, Peter kept following.

Nevertheless, there was a flaw in the way Peter followed. The Bible says he followed Jesus “at a distance.” (Luke 22:54) Peter didn’t want anybody to notice him. As he warmed himself at the fire, he tried to blend in with the others. While Christ’s accusers lied about him, Peter laid low. He feared that if he got caught, his potential usefulness to Jesus might be gone.

In our day, many Christians seem to follow Jesus at a distance. They might go to church, but not very often. They pray, but sporadically. They have a Bible, but they seldom study it. They offer niceness to their neighbors instead of love. Their giving is minimal. Their faith is superficial. Instead of standing up for Christian values and principles, they play it safe.

The problem is that distance from Jesus leads to denial of Jesus, though we might not realize it while it’s happening. Peter is an example. He didn’t realize he was denying Jesus while he did it. In the courtyard, a servant girl asked Peter if he knew Jesus. Wanting to avoid trouble, he claimed Jesus was a stranger to him. When another person asked Peter about Jesus, he repeated his denial for the sake of consistency. Then, when someone noticed Peter had the same Galilean accent as Jesus, Peter again denied any ties to Jesus. Then a rooster crowed.

Before getting into the meaning of the rooster, it’s important to know Peter wasn’t a coward. He’d always been a brave disciple. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when the soldiers came for Jesus, it was Peter who brandished his sword and started swinging. He put away his sword only because Jesus told him to. (Matthew 26:52)

Prior to Gethsemane, it was Peter who declared, “Lord, I’m ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Jesus knew Peter was brave, but he also knew Peter had his weak spots. That’s when Jesus challenged Peter by saying, “The rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:33-34)

We also need to know that Peter’s denials didn’t affect the fate of Jesus. Jesus was going to be crucified for the world’s sins regardless. Instead, it was Peter’s future that was at stake. Jesus had once warned, “Whoever denies me before others, I’ll deny before my Father in heaven.”

Once Peter denied Jesus three times, the rooster crowed. At that moment, Peter looked up and saw Jesus staring at him. Their eyes connected. That must’ve been a horrifying shock, because Peter then remembered what the crowing meant. He’d denied Jesus. Devastated by that realization, Peter went outside and wept bitterly.

Over the centuries, people have wondered about Christ’s expression at that dramatic moment. Was it a look of anger, hostility, or condemnation? No doubt, such an expression would’ve crushed Peter. What we know is that eventually Peter was redeemed.

More important than what Peter saw on Christ’s face is what Christ saw as he looked at Peter. Jesus saw a man he’d trained for three years. He saw the man he’d called the rock upon which his church would be built. He saw a man who struggled to grasp religious concepts, but who had a sincere heart. Jesus saw someone he loved.

Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny him three times. Jesus also knew he’d be bound, gagged, and surrounded by soldiers while Peter faced his own failure. Jesus knew he wouldn’t be able to communicate with Peter directly. Somehow, he had to let Peter know that all wasn’t lost. Somehow, Jesus had to extend God’s grace and forgiveness to Peter. Somehow, Jesus had to convince Peter not to give up.

That’s where the rooster’s crow fits into the story. Jesus wanted Peter to hear the sound of another opportunity. He provided for Peter, as they both faced their darkest moments, the universal sign that heralds the dawn, the sign that light triumphs over darkness, that a new day is arriving. 

That’s the same message that Jesus also offers to each of us during our own moments of darkness and defeat.