asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “I shall dip a piece of bread in the dish, and he
to whom I give it, is the one.”
So Jesus dipped the bread in the dish and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
As Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus then said to him, “What you
are going to do, do quickly.”
When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified
in him. God will glorify him, and he will glorify him very soon. My children, I am with you for only
a little while; you will look for me, but as I already told the Jews, now I tell you: where I am going
you cannot come.
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you
cannot follow me now, but afterward you will.” Peter said, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I am
ready to give my life for you.” “To give your life for me?” Jesus asked Peter. “Truly I tell you, the
cock will not crow, before you have denied me three times.”
Reflect
Peter tries so hard to be a good follower of Jesus. At his first encounter with Jesus, he
abandoned his boat and his livelihood to follow Jesus. He traveled with Jesus throughout his
public ministry, witnessing his miraculous deeds and listening to his teaching. Peter was even
the first of the Twelve to acclaim Jesus as the Messiah, the Holy One of God.
Yet, at the same time, Peter struggled with the ultimate understanding of what it would mean
to follow Jesus. Following Jesus means following him to the cross. Peter thought he could do
it, putting his life on the line to follow Jesus. But when faced with the soldiers and the hostile
crowds, Peter three times denied even knowing Jesus. Despite everything he had seen and
heard, he wasn’t ready for the cross quite yet.
As I struggle to carry the crosses in my life, I remember the example of Peter and I recall that,
filled with the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed the risen Christ fearlessly, even unto death.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023