Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, March 20, 2022
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Jesus experienced Peter’s betrayal deeply—Jesus knows exactly what it is to be human.
Jesus would be humiliated in every way on this night. He would be accused, tried, beaten, mocked, and hung on a cross. And the salt in the wound would be Peter’s denial. At a time when Jesus could have leaned upon the strength of his disciples, they betrayed him. Peter’s denial was an outward expression of the utter isolation Jesus would experience as he endured the events of the night. It’s truly heartbreaking.
I have long believed that Jesus experienced every single human emotion, so that God would forever know exactly what it is like to be human. This gut-wrenching betrayal demonstrates one of the most heinous experiences people will ever go through. For a beloved someone to turn their back on us, to leave us exposed and alone, highlights all the more why we will never live in a perfect world, why Jesus had to become human, and why God had to renew God’s covenant with people in the way that God did. Jesus did what we could never do. He endured more than any of us will ever endure. He survived the emotional roller coaster and came out loving us that much more. It’s perplexing and astonishing, and we are very fortunate to have a God that loves as deeply as this.
