We have already seen that Peter overestimated himself, slept, and consequently didn’t pray. We also noticed that his heart’s condition became visible to others through his actions and exposed his distance from the Lord. This time, we will see him among the Lord’s enemies.
But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. (Matthew 26:58)
Peter has now arrived at the high priest’s court. He goes in and sits with the servants voluntarily. He is among the Lord’s enemies, among the scoffers. Psalm 1 makes it clear that the place of blessing is not among scoffers. Even if Peter is in the wrong place, he has lost his sense of it.
His carnal behaviour brought him to this place. How inconsistently does he act?! A stark contrast exists between Peter’s previous efforts to combat the Lord’s adversaries with the sword and his current presence among them as if nothing had transpired. Gradually, Peter’s spiritual strength and discernment waned.
He even seems comfortable among his enemies. They light a fire and sit around it—with Peter among them. Oh, Peter, don’t you know what these people have already done to the Lord? They have mocked Him, despised Him, called Him Beelzebub, and have now captured Him unjustifiably. Is this the right fellowship for you?
Peter should also have known what was coming. The Lord had already pointed out earlier that He would have to be taken prisoner and that He would have to suffer much from the elders, high priests, and scribes, and ultimately would have to die on the cross. At that time Peter rebuked the Lord, but the Lord rebuked him seriously, saying: Get away behind me, Satan; you are an offence to me, for your mind is not on the things that are of God, but on the things that are of men (Matt. 16: 21-23). Have you forgotten all of this, Peter?
What did Peter think the chief priests and scribes would do with the Lord now? To find out, Peter came into the courtyard to see the end! He was curious to see what they would do to the Lord. He didn’t seem to believe the Lord’s words—words the Lord had spoken to the disciples several times. He had to see it for himself, a typical fleshly behaviour.
Aren’t these all things we encounter in our daily lives? How quickly we can find ourselves in the wrong place without realizing it, enjoying the company of mockers, only to end up with a behaviour that is incomprehensible! We are no longer clearly on the Lord’s side, but instead act in complete confusion, sometimes in one direction and sometimes in the opposite.
We also forget the words of the Lord, spoken in His wisdom to warn, prepare, and provide clarity about the state of the world. We lose faith in His words, and our flesh—our old ‘I’—determines our actions, leaving us unable to resist temptation.
Let us take these warnings to heart and learn from the negative example of Peter here. Let us pray that the Lord will help us stay close to Him and that we will recognize in time if we move away from Him. Then we will learn more and more how the Lord opens our eyes to dangers. He allows us to experience how He keeps us in his great faithfulness and love!
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