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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 3 of 5
Mark 14:55-72
In the middle of the night, the palace of the high priest seethes with excitement. The Lord Jesus stands before His accusers. False witnesses make statements which do not agree. But the Lord Jesus does not make use of this to defend Himself. He is condemned, slapped in the face and buffeted; someone spits in His face. The Saviour, whom we adore, accepts all these outrages, foretold by the prophet (Isaiah 50:6). Alas, another scene is taking place in the courtyard of the palace. Peter had not believed His master and had assured Him, "I will not deny thee in any wise" (v. 31). After this he had not listened to Him when he was told to watch and pray in Gethsemane. That is the reason for his defeat. Yet the Saviour had warned them that "the flesh is weak" (v. 38). But it was a truth that Peter was not ready to accept, so he has to go through this bitter experience. What we do not want to learn with the Lord by humbly receiving His Word, we may have to learn painfully by having to do with the Enemy of our souls.
To confirm more strongly that he does not know "this man", poor Peter utters curses and oaths. Let us not judge him harshly; let us think rather of the many ways in which we can deny the Lord if we do not watch: by our deeds, by our words, or . . . by our silences (1 Corinthians 10:12).
