Types of Discipleship: Here we want to stress the point that discipleship is not of a uniform nature, but can take different forms acceptable to the Master.
The Ambivalent Attitude of Peter: When Jesus was arrested, as a loyal disciple Peter wielded the sword and cut off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest. Even at this late stage of his training by Jesus, Peter could not grasp the meaning of the mission of Jesus nor its nature. He behaved like a faithful servant of a leader with political and worldly ambitions. In order to correct this misguided sense of loyalty Jesus had to sternly warn Peter by saying: " Put up your sword. All who take the sword die by the sword" (Matthew, 26: 52). Stunned by the harsh tone of an otherwise gentle Jesus, Peter obeyed and withdrew to the point of running away leaving Jesus to his fate. Yet his loving heart could not be reconciled to the thought of running away from the Master and this is why when Jesus was led off to the house of Caiaphas the High Priest, Peter followed at a distance (See Matthew, 26: 58). There again Peter did not want to stand out like the odd man and so he joined the attendants hoping to see the end of it all. Let us just imagine the mental agony of the head of the Apostles who was both courageous and cowardlike, both loyal and unfaithful, both obedient and violent, both hopeful and disappointed. In this terrible state of mind how could any human being do the right thing at the right moment? The person whom he trusted, loved and depended on for everything was standing bound for trial before the High Priest. Peter just saw how Jesus was judged aided by false witnesses and how he was mistreated by the people standing around the High Priest. Weak as he was already, Peter heard a sound like a bolt from from the blue when a maid-servant said: " You were there too with Jesus the Galilean" (Matthew, 26: 29).
Peer's Denial: Peter denied Jesus by throwing out the accusation against him in questioning the very meaning of the words uttered by the maid, by saying: " I do not know what you mean" (Matthew, 26: 70). It was a complete separation of his self from Jesus the Galilean with whom he had walked the length and breadth of Galilee, Samaria and Judea. Peter was with Jesus throughout the period only in "body" and not in "spirit". He could not understand the import of Jesus in God's salvific plan and therefore it was easy for him to deny Jesus at the least provocation. He didn't want a second questioning about his involvement with Jesus and therefore the categorical and unhesitating reply invoking his complete ignorance about Jesus! In a vain attempt to escape from this tricky scene, Peter walked to the gate where he was confronted by another girl who told the people standing around: "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth" (Matthew, 26: 71). Immediately Peter sensed the gravity of the situation and came out with a stronger denial than the first one, adding an oath for the credibility of what he said: " I do not know the man" (Matthew, 26: 72) was the second form of his denial of Jesus . In a flash Peter must have seen the futility of beating around the bush by discussing the meaning of words in a situation where his very life was threatened. So he decided to take the bull by its horns and went straight to the point of disassociating himself from Jesus in a very fundamental manner. Any reasonable person should be satisfied by his clever move, so thought Peter, and to ward off any lingering doubt in the firmness of his denial, Peter added an oath to establish the veracity of his statements.
A little relieved, Peter was about to heave a sigh of relief when people came up to him accusing : "Surely you are another of them; your accent gives you away!" (Matthew, 26: 73). At this unexpected discovery of his origin from Galilee, from where Jesus too hailed, Peter became childish breaking into curses and declaring with an oath: " I do not know the man" (Matthew, 26: 74). The vehemence of Peter's protest and its urgency may be compared to the theatrics of a shoplifter caught red-handed by the shop owner. To the assembled onlookers the thief would appeal for sympathy and understanding by using methods similar to the ones used by Peter. He saw that dissociating himself from the company of Jesus was vital for his survival at the moment. In order to achieve it , he had to go against the teachings of his Master about eschewing curses and oaths on any occasion. Paradoxically, however, Peter was to use those forbidden items for the very purpose of denying his Master! What a fall for the one who was presumptuous and one who slept instead of watching and praying!! Good intention alone did not serve Peter in this test. By now Peter had reached the end of his wits and the nadir of his patience to the point of being beside himself. A mere flick would have been enough to tip the balance of his mental state to take a beating and Peter would have gone mad! Exactly at that moment a cock crew which transformed Peter who was on the brink of insanity into a new person. The reason of this sudden change was his remembrance of the words of Jesus foretold just before his arrest. "At that moment a cock crew ; and Peter remembered how Jesus had said, 'Before the cock crows you will disown me three times". He went outside, and wept bitterly." (Matthew, 26: 75). (To be Contd).
The Ambivalent Attitude of Peter: When Jesus was arrested, as a loyal disciple Peter wielded the sword and cut off the right ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest. Even at this late stage of his training by Jesus, Peter could not grasp the meaning of the mission of Jesus nor its nature. He behaved like a faithful servant of a leader with political and worldly ambitions. In order to correct this misguided sense of loyalty Jesus had to sternly warn Peter by saying: " Put up your sword. All who take the sword die by the sword" (Matthew, 26: 52). Stunned by the harsh tone of an otherwise gentle Jesus, Peter obeyed and withdrew to the point of running away leaving Jesus to his fate. Yet his loving heart could not be reconciled to the thought of running away from the Master and this is why when Jesus was led off to the house of Caiaphas the High Priest, Peter followed at a distance (See Matthew, 26: 58). There again Peter did not want to stand out like the odd man and so he joined the attendants hoping to see the end of it all. Let us just imagine the mental agony of the head of the Apostles who was both courageous and cowardlike, both loyal and unfaithful, both obedient and violent, both hopeful and disappointed. In this terrible state of mind how could any human being do the right thing at the right moment? The person whom he trusted, loved and depended on for everything was standing bound for trial before the High Priest. Peter just saw how Jesus was judged aided by false witnesses and how he was mistreated by the people standing around the High Priest. Weak as he was already, Peter heard a sound like a bolt from from the blue when a maid-servant said: " You were there too with Jesus the Galilean" (Matthew, 26: 29).
Peer's Denial: Peter denied Jesus by throwing out the accusation against him in questioning the very meaning of the words uttered by the maid, by saying: " I do not know what you mean" (Matthew, 26: 70). It was a complete separation of his self from Jesus the Galilean with whom he had walked the length and breadth of Galilee, Samaria and Judea. Peter was with Jesus throughout the period only in "body" and not in "spirit". He could not understand the import of Jesus in God's salvific plan and therefore it was easy for him to deny Jesus at the least provocation. He didn't want a second questioning about his involvement with Jesus and therefore the categorical and unhesitating reply invoking his complete ignorance about Jesus! In a vain attempt to escape from this tricky scene, Peter walked to the gate where he was confronted by another girl who told the people standing around: "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth" (Matthew, 26: 71). Immediately Peter sensed the gravity of the situation and came out with a stronger denial than the first one, adding an oath for the credibility of what he said: " I do not know the man" (Matthew, 26: 72) was the second form of his denial of Jesus . In a flash Peter must have seen the futility of beating around the bush by discussing the meaning of words in a situation where his very life was threatened. So he decided to take the bull by its horns and went straight to the point of disassociating himself from Jesus in a very fundamental manner. Any reasonable person should be satisfied by his clever move, so thought Peter, and to ward off any lingering doubt in the firmness of his denial, Peter added an oath to establish the veracity of his statements.
A little relieved, Peter was about to heave a sigh of relief when people came up to him accusing : "Surely you are another of them; your accent gives you away!" (Matthew, 26: 73). At this unexpected discovery of his origin from Galilee, from where Jesus too hailed, Peter became childish breaking into curses and declaring with an oath: " I do not know the man" (Matthew, 26: 74). The vehemence of Peter's protest and its urgency may be compared to the theatrics of a shoplifter caught red-handed by the shop owner. To the assembled onlookers the thief would appeal for sympathy and understanding by using methods similar to the ones used by Peter. He saw that dissociating himself from the company of Jesus was vital for his survival at the moment. In order to achieve it , he had to go against the teachings of his Master about eschewing curses and oaths on any occasion. Paradoxically, however, Peter was to use those forbidden items for the very purpose of denying his Master! What a fall for the one who was presumptuous and one who slept instead of watching and praying!! Good intention alone did not serve Peter in this test. By now Peter had reached the end of his wits and the nadir of his patience to the point of being beside himself. A mere flick would have been enough to tip the balance of his mental state to take a beating and Peter would have gone mad! Exactly at that moment a cock crew which transformed Peter who was on the brink of insanity into a new person. The reason of this sudden change was his remembrance of the words of Jesus foretold just before his arrest. "At that moment a cock crew ; and Peter remembered how Jesus had said, 'Before the cock crows you will disown me three times". He went outside, and wept bitterly." (Matthew, 26: 75). (To be Contd).
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