I've Had It,
By Dr. Calvin Ray Evans
Mark, Chapter 14
Someone once asked me the question, “How do you know the Lord wrote the Bible and not man?” The answer is simple, “If man only inspired the Word of God then he would never have written about his failures. He would only have told of his victories and successes.” There is no greater account, to which most of us can relate, than the denial of Peter. He told Jesus plainly, “…I will not deny thee…”(vs. 31) and before the chapter ends we read, “…But he denied…”(vs. 68).What happened to change Peter’s mind so quickly? What altered his position so much that he turned from a pillar of strength to a pool of fear in the face of his accusers? The answer is basic to all of us. Somewhere through the trials and pressures, he reached his breaking point! He did what so many of us do. He simply said, “I’ve had it!”
The subject touches so many folks in our society today. People think and say things like, “If the boss comes up to me and scolds me just one more time then I will quit.” “If my spouse cheats on me one more time then I’ll leave!” “If my children disrespect me just once more then I will reach my breaking point!” Everyone knows the feeling of coming to the place when you think it would just take one more thing to cause you to break.
The source of pressure on Peter was unseen to him. He had no trouble dealing with the pressures or problems that were visible. He knew how to walk on the water and how to use a sword against those coming to arrest Jesus. However, he never watched out for the unseen enemy of his soul. Our real adversary is not flesh and blood!
The wonderful thing about serving the Lord is He never lets us get into trouble without warning us. The Lord told Peter, “…Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice” (vs. 30). The Lord always sends the signal to show us we are going in the wrong direction away from His plan. If your life is in a mess, you are the one responsible. It is due to the fact that you have not obeyed the signals or warnings He has sent to you. This message is one more warning for us all to stop, look and listen for His voice.
The Lord warned Peter twice before the sorrow came. He had been so bold. He had made promises to the Lord. Now, he is hit with a reality. He spoke so quickly but now he has lived long enough for his life to shut him up! He has broken his own law. He is like a police officer who fulfills his duty by arresting those who break the law when they speed while driving their car. However, when the same officer breaks the speed limit, “Do they arrest themselves?” So the sorrow floods his conscious because of the actions which he was so confident he would never participate in.
The sorrow then led Peter to the suspicion. Remember, all of his assurance was based on the conversation the disciples had with Jesus when He revealed there was a traitor in their midst. One who would betray. So relieved with the idea it was Judas, Peter never saw himself capable of betraying the Christ. I wonder if he asked himself, “Maybe it wasn’t Judas who was the devil? Maybe it was me?”
I have watched people battle with the same problem when they experience broken promises to the Lord. They ask themselves questions like, “Maybe I was never saved? Maybe God never called me to His work? Maybe I married the wrong person or took the wrong job? Maybe I am at the wrong church? Maybe I am not able to raise my children the right way?” The suspicion creates a million doubts that make us think about “maybe this” or “maybe that!”
The suspicion finally resulted in the separation of Peter from the Lord. The point is certainly made by the scriptural account of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Where was Peter when He was whipped unmercifully? Where was Peter when they were falsely accusing Jesus? Where was Peter when they looked for someone to carry His cross? Where was Peter when He hung on the cross? Where was Peter when Jesus was in need of a tomb? Where was he when they took our Savior from the cross? Where was Peter when the women went to the tomb? The answer is plain to me. Peter had separated himself. In all these years of ministry, I have always noticed something in common about disgruntled people who leave the Lord and the church. The first thing they do is separate or withdraw from the others who still want to be near the Lord. Something pulls them away from the fellowship. If you feel yourself out of place around others who are serving the Lord, please stop now and get close to the Master before you reach a breaking point! It only leads to shame and loneliness. Turn to Him and draw near to His presence.
The best news about this entire account in the Scriptures is that it never came to an end with Peter being alone and dying with all the guilt of his actions on him. There came a glorious resurrection day! The Lord rose from the grave. The angel at the empty tomb told the women to go tell the disciples “and Peter” Jesus would meet them in Galilee! Jesus knew as He was dying that Peter was dying on the inside. So the angel passed along the wonderful message from the Lord. “Tell Peter when I died there was something in him that died too. I now have risen and when I got up, Peter got up too!” Hallelujah! He is the Lord of the second chance! You may have been broken but He can put all the pieces together and give you another chance. Call on Him today is my prayer.
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