Peter’s story is our story

Matthew 26:31-35
"Then Jesus told them, "This very might you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." "Truly I tell you" Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same."

Peter  confidently declared he would never deny Jesus but Jesus said he would - not once but three times before the night was out. What made Peter so confident he would not and why did he do so in the end? ( Of course he subsequently redeemed himself with his martyrdom)

Peter’s story indirectly tells us about the nature of man. Original sin caused man to be cursed with death. It is that same curse that causes more sin because we fear death - we cling to life desperately wanting to live longer and in the process, we may even deny the very existence of God. In Peter’s case, he denies association with Jesus when he fears for his life.

Peter had been at Jesus’ side for a long time. He must have seen enough miracles to believe Jesus was no mere rabbi. He had been touched by the Word, enough to give up everything to follow Jesus. Yet, at that final stage, when it came to the crunch Jesus knew and predicted Peter’s reaction.

Peter’s declaration (and the other disciples as well) is a warning for us. Why? Because this declaration was done in the comfort of a peaceful setting, the Last Supper where all the disciples were enjoying fellowship with each other and with the Lord. Peter probably meant what he said too. What could go wrong? He was probably starting understand who Jesus really was. And maybe he thought that nothing would happen to Jesus. He was the Messiah wasn't he? What harm could come to Him? Nothing was at stake in that moment. And in such circumstance it is then easy to profess faith and loyalty.

If Peter, who knew our Lord personally in the flesh, could deny Him subsequently, how much more in danger are we? As Christians in our country today, we are like those disciples at the supper. We are blessed in so many ways as we live peacefully and comfortably, able to worship without fear of persecution. We declare our faith publicly, despite a modern liberal culture that venerates the intellectual atheist and ridicules Christians for being weak and simple-minded (And if we are honest, we might hesitate to speak up in such liberal company - and that is a post for another day)

So is it really that difficult to imagine a scenario in which we may deny Jesus? (The movie Silence by Martin Scorcese really brings this point home as it depicts how the early Japanese Christians were forced to recant their faith or face death.) What brought about this epiphany that we might not be very different if placed in a similar situation?

A recent conversation about the war in Gaza turned to how the Palestinians were really unwanted and unliked by so many (including fellow Muslims and Arabs). They were seen as troublemakers. Other examples of such stereotypes spring readily to mind. Germans during the Nazi era. The Japanese during the occupation of Singapore. They were/are evil people - there are Christians who even refuse the second great commandment to love everyone, saying they will never forgive these people. If Christ died for the most wretched sinner, how can Christians deny forgiveness to anyone?

It is easy to stereotype and demonise (de-humanise) because it simplifies things in our minds. To an extent, it is also a defence mechanism, to justify our own righteousness and supposed superiority. “We are not like that. We will never be like that.” We dare not contemplate that we are capable of such evil. We freely confess the’ easy’ sins in our lives, but we firmly reject the notion that we are capable of the horror of such extremes of killing, murder, and genocide. 

Are all Palestinians troublemakers? Did all Germans support Hitler? Did all Japanese support their imperialist ethos? (just watched an early Kurosawa film “No regrets for our youth” that covers this part of their history). Clearly not, if we give it any serious thought. Christians also understand that we are all sinners, and in that sense, no one can claim superiority of any one group (ethnic or some other distinction) over another. No one can claim with any certainty that they would behave differently.

So then, how do such regimes gain power? Some people definitely supported these regimes and profited, either financially or by gaining influence and power. And those would be the Judases of their era. The other necessary condition is that not enough people resisted or opposed them or did not succeed. And maybe some were persuaded to be more enthusiastic when presented with the early successes of the wars. Who doesn't want to be on a winning team?  I believe the majority were simply cowed or suppressed by those in power. Faced with persecution, prison and death, they acquiesced. They kept silent or looked the other way.

A Taiwanese friend once took issue with a commentator's view that if really pushed to the wall and without support from allies, Taiwan would have no choice but to submit to reunification. That friend said, "We will fight to the death!" (I suspect it was rhetoric more than anything). That is something said in the comfort of a hypothetical (albeit a very real possibility) scenario and even if you believe it yourself (at the time, like Peter), it is unlikely most would choose that option.

In a world where many believe this life is the only one we have, the fear of death or loss of status (in my opinion, loss aversion is the most powerful force in the world today) is a powerful motivator (or demotivator depending on your perspective). We sin because of the trappings of life. We fear missing out because we think this is all there is. Or at least it is all we know at the moment. And so we want to live life to the fullest, which is not in itself wrong. It is the circumstances we find ourselves in which tests whether we pursue enjoying the fruits of His creation in the right way. Gratitude, and not greed for more, is the key.

This is where the early Christians provide a wonderful example of the opposite worldview. There was absolutely no material benefit for holding on to their faith. On the contrary they faced persecution and death. It is to the modern mind, almost unthinkable that Christianity would survive these odds. But as Timothy Keller said in one of his sermons, only Christianity (of all the faiths) satisfied both the intellectual and existential demands of any valid worldview/religion. Early Christians were not simpletons who simply believed because it made them feel good - it was a likely death sentence for something they believed but could not see nor prove to anyone - an eternal life. So why did they persevere? They heard the direct testimonies of those who witnessed the resurrection and other miracles. They saw the apostles being martyred and for what? The apostles did not get rich but they kept preaching that Jesus died and was resurrected, and were willing to die for that. And that is the intellectual credibility and rigour that an atheist would have to overcome.

So in Peter's story we get almost a complete picture of all of our human responses to Jesus. We believe, because the Holy Spirit touched our hearts. We grow in faith because we start to recognise His impact on our lives - an answered prayer, an unasked for blessing. We believe that nothing will trouble us if God is with us, and yet we doubt when things do not go our way, and that's perfectly understandable. We forget His goodness when we are threatened. But He is merciful and will bring us home to Him eventually if we do not turn away.

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“I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Eph 3:7-11

What is the source of our success? It is surely because we have been blessed by God. It is very tempting to think we succeed through our abilities, our intellect, our decisions, our choices.

And if we stop there, we are merely serving our own pride. We need to go deeper. How did we come upon these abilities? First, a slight digression. What is success?

Does rising to the top of your profession (or somewhere in the vicinity) constitute success? Most would not argue with that. I’m excluding of course a career in crime. And maybe politics as well. Heh. What about being a successful influencer with millions of followers? I guess it depends on the content, and the intent. (Note to self: this is actually useful for my coaching. If the focus is on the journey rather than the destination, we are more likely to achieve the right type of success that’s more meaningful and sustainable)

Ultimately it comes down to whether our success is an end in itself or if it’s a vessel, a gift, a means for something else. If we are not careful, it’s easy to rationalise that the success is the end that God wants for us. After all, even a social media account dedicated to Christian content can succumb to the temptation that it should be edgy, provocative and controversial to get more views. More views must mean greater success right? 

But it would not feel right. This is where those of us who are more objective or detached from the ‘success’ need to provide counsel because those most invested in the success would find it difficult to see clearly.

Let’s get back to the more fundamental question I asked earlier . What are these’ gifts’ we think God has blessed us with so that we can be successful? And it is definitely a thing.

“And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭35‬:‭34‬ ‭NIV

As I come back from London and take on another new chapter in my life, I pray that this is what He has directed me to and equipped me for. I have said many times that I wanted to be a trainer, just that my bosses didn’t really listen to me when I was in the department. And in the latter half of my career, it wasn’t really an option though all leadership positions carry that responsibility, even if it isn’t usually laid out in the job description.

How do I know that training was what He meant for me to do? I think it is partly that He gave me the ability to see that the need existed. I don’t mean that I’m the only one, or one of a few, who can be a trainer. But it is probably true that not many want to do this - except as a retirement gig when it’s one of few choices available. And it is also partly true that senior management in many organisations often put good people who might be great trainers in operational roles because they’re more valuable there in the short to medium term. Needs must.

I believe He also gave me the desire to serve others, and it is how I have tried to develop my officers, even though it isn’t always appreciated - or maybe I’m not that good. When they submit work to me, I ask questions and provide comments - both to understand their thought processes and for them to understand where I’m coming from. And I hear feedback that some don’t like it. It’s more work for me actually but I do want to help them.

There are also signs, though maybe not obvious at the time, that He gave me the words to provide guidance and direction in specific situations and incidents. He certainly blessed me with the words when I was asked to provide an article for the civil service magazine at short notice. And in some cases the words might even be costly to me personally (in the sense that I may appear naive, or too blunt or whatever) but they served a larger purpose. Of course the converse is also true. I have said things to protect myself when I should have say, taken one for the team. (This does not negate the point. The realisation that I could have done better, is key.)

And how do I know what gifts I have been blessed with? How do others know? It isn’t like in The Matrix, where you can download some software into your brain and then instantly have the ability to fly a a helicopter. God does not zap us with the gift. I think. At least He does not in most cases. Even in the verse above, it isn’t explicitly stated how Bezalel and Oholiab got the gifts.

It is I think a combination of different circumstances in our lives that lead us to develop these gifts. God may open some doors for us that we didn’t think of at the time, or didn’t think they were important. Or He may keep some doors we really wanted open, shut for a while. Would I be a better trainer if I had gone into it earlier in my career? Unlikely, since my experience would be narrow and limited. Did I even know there was such a thing as coaching? Not until I was given the opportunity to be coached. And then given the opportunity to be trained as one, which led in turn to acquiring the very challenging skill of learning to listen without judgement, without getting ahead of the conversation. It is still a challenge but something I’m more aware of.

Even the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in, provide new opportunities. It is in our response to them that we also learn new skills and get new perspectives. The tough times I have faced at senior levels of leadership mean that I have more stories that I can share so that others can benefit.

I’m excited at this new chapter coming up as it appears that things are coming to fruition and I get the sense that I can fully fulfill the plan He has for me, or at least one of the plans. May I glorify Him through my work.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16 NIV