by Prince Mathew
Preface for Meditation:
After Jesus is arrested and brought to the high priest, Peter follows and waits
in the nearby courtyard. Peter is then asked by a woman if he is a disciple of
Jesus:
Then the maid who kept the door said to Peter, "Are you also one of this man's
disciples?" He said, "I am not." Now the servants and the officers were standing
there, having made a fire of coals, for it was cold. They were warming
themselves. Peter was with them, standing and warming himself. John 18:17-18
Peter denies being a disciple of Jesus out of fear, as he is worried that he too
might be arrested. Yet Peter also wants to remain close to Jesus and the action,
presumably to witness what takes place. Peter denies knowing Jesus and then
warms himself next to the charcoal fire.
Peter warms himself with the charcoal fire after denying Jesus. He is in the
dark, and receiving warmth from a charcoal fire which produces very little
light. Peter is in the dark, yet he has enough warmth and light to be
comfortable. Contrast this with the light of Christ:
"The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so
that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not
know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so
that you may become children of light." John 12:35-36
While Peter warms himself in the darkness with a false light, Jesus light
shines. Peter's denial is perilous because he is in danger of being overtaken by
darkness. What is subtle and seductive, is that Peter hardly notices the absence
of light, the true light of Christ. Good Friday poses for Peter, and ultimately
for us, the question of light and darkness. We will walk in the light of Christ
or be consumed, little by little, by the forces of darkness?
Bible Reading Passages:
Before Holy Qurbana
Holy Qurbana
Bible Verse of the Day:
Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"
Fifth Saturday of The Holy Lent
St. Luke 6:9
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