When You Fail (Mark 14:26-31)

"I would never do THAT." 

"I can't believe she crossed THAT line." 

"He didn't think he'd get away with THAT, did he?" 

Have you ever said something like that? 

I imagine you have. I have. And in some ways, it's a good thing to say - we all need to have red lines we won't cross and moral standards to live by. 

But the truth is that we're all more capable of crossing those red lines than we'd like to admit. 

Last week, Pastor Tim took us through the portion of Mark 14 where Judas' betrayal of Jesus comes to light. This week, we look at the sequel, where the rest of the disciples hear about how they will abandon Jesus, too. 

This passage is so important for us to reflect on because it shows that abandonment was not a problem just for the few "Judas" out there, but for all of us. 

For Peter, this mirror to his own fickleness is too much to handle. "Never!" he declares. Yet anyone who knows the gospel story knows that Peter is protesting something that will be all too true, all too soon. 

What about you? 

Do you ever claim a moral high ground compared to others, assuming you would never sink to their level? How does this passage of Scripture challenge that attitude, correct it, and point us to our Savior? 

Let's talk about it together on Sunday. 

In Christ, 
Pastor Bob 

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26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

- Mark 14:26-31