Telling the truth was already not an option for Peter as he continued to warm himself by the fire in the High Priest’s courtyard. A servant girl had already recognized him, and asked if he was a disciple of Jesus as well. In his fear, he lied. And now, around the fire, surrounded by strangers employed by the enemy who had just arrested his master, Peter had to keep up the pretense through two more inquiries.
The three denials Jesus had predicted.
This story has brought Peter a lot of grief over the years. Many a preacher has levied this scene as a means of shaming the flock into not being ashamed to admit to being a follower of Jesus. Fair enough. Many “heroes” in the Bible are certainly not heroes. We can learn from their mistakes just as much as their successes. But this story is much richer than the flat picture of Peter as an unfaithful, fearful liar.
Fleeing was also not an option for Peter. Let’s not forget that upon Jesus’ arrest, all the other disciples besides Peter and one other (supposedly John) ran for the hills. They had seen enough clubs and torches for one evening. Peter could have ran, but he didn’t. Rather, he followed.
He had a second chance to run when he was kept outside the courtyard after only John was allowed to enter. There’s no easier time to slip away than when you’re standing outside the enemy’s door in the dark. Yet Peter stayed.
He had a third chance to run when the servant girl called him out as a disciple. If she had recognized him, there was a pretty good chance others might as well—and then what? A wiser person might get while the getting’s good. Yet Peter stayed.
Peter. Stayed. As close to Jesus as the enemy—and his own deception-inducing fear—would allow him to stay. His tongue might have prevented him from telling the truth, but his feet also prevented him from fleeing. He simply had to stay as close to Jesus as possible.
So, you see, the moral of the story is more complicated than “don’t be like Peter.” He might not be such a bad role model after all.
