Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise. (Mark 14:27-31)

Lost Courage

To be courageous is to embolden the spirit to face fears with the resolve that no matter what happens, fidelity will be the call to arms to preserve. Pain will not deter or dissuade the purpose. The danger will only be supposed to be temporary. Courage flies in the face of what seems a present danger, but there will be no backing down. The word for the day is onward and upward. Victory is assured. Nothing will diminish the spirit. The challenge of courage is whether it is found in words spoken in haste or when the danger is real. For Peter and the ten remaining apostles, the voice of courage was found in the moment of confidence when the threat was not real. When the mob came to the garden to arrest Jesus, courage was lost immediately.

Jesus had warned the apostles of what would happen to Him in Jerusalem. Jesus said the scribes and chief priests would take Him by betrayal and condemn Him to death. He would be delivered to the Romans where they would mock Him, scourge Him severely, and beat and spit upon Him. Then they would take Jesus and kill Him. He told His disciples this on multiple occasions. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He told the eleven they would all be made to stumble and deny Him. Peter courageously declared his infinite resolve never to deny His Lord. He suggested the other ten may stumble, but that would not happen to him. What great courage Peter expressed.

The courage of Peter was admirable, but Jesus knew how weak Peter’s faith was, and the severe test of courage he would fail in a short time. Only to Peter Jesus directs His words when He tells the confident apostle that before the rooster crows twice, Peter would deny His Lord three times. Peter reacted with words of defiance for the courage of spirit he possessed to die for the Lord if he had to. He said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” The ten apostles said the same. What great courage!

A short time later, when Jesus and the eleven arrive in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus goes off to pray by Himself. Peter, James, and John join Jesus at a distance but cannot remain awake while Jesus prays. Judas had completed his betrayal, bringing a large mob of scribes, chief priests, and soldiers to arrest Jesus. In a moment of despair, Peter lunges at the servant of the High Priest with a sword and cuts an ear off. Jesus heals the man immediately, telling Peter to put up the sword. They bind Jesus in chains and lead Him off. The eleven disciples forsake Jesus as their courage fails.

Peter follows a short distance behind the mob who are taking Jesus away. He keeps his distance from Jesus to make sure no one knows he is with the man from Nazareth. Before the rooster crows twice that night, Peter lost his courage and, three times, vehemently denied he knew Christ. His lost courage failed him and his Lord, Jesus Christ. What happened to the man who would die for Jesus? His faith was not where it needed to be.

The spirit of courage is best when danger is far away. It is easy to fill the heart with confidence before facing the foe. What happens when danger is breathing down the neck changes the meaning of courage to a resolution not to give up. Peter failed Jesus that night for lack of courage, but his lack of courage did not destroy him. Judas lost his faith and killed himself. Peter regained his faith and preached the first sermon at Pentecost. He would become a great leader in the early church, bringing many people to Christ. His courage is best defined by his life. He never gave up on Jesus again, although he faltered from time to time, but God’s grace was merciful.

It is not easy to be courageous. The spirit of the Christian must resolve to tell the story of Jesus to others. Courage is needed to talk with neighbors, friends, and co-workers about salvation. Sitting in a church building makes it easy to talk about what needs to be done, but who among us is willing to embrace divine courage and go into all the world to share the gospel? We cannot let lost courage define our mission. There will be times of failure, but like Peter, we have to pick our faith back up and regain our courage and fight the fight a little harder. Be a fighter. Have courage.