The Death and Resurrection of the KingSample

The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak

“And again [Peter] denied it with an oath: ‘I do not know the man.’” (Matthew 26:72)

The Lord Jesus had warned Peter of the temptation that would come, and urged him to pray for strength to endure it. For, Jesus said, although Peter's spirit was willing to remain faithful, his body was weak.

That is exactly what we see happening in the remainder of the story. Peter first fled when Jesus was arrested, but followed at a distance to see what would happen to Him. This shows Peter's love for Jesus. However, when other bystanders recognized him as a follower of Jesus (bringing the risk of being arrested himself), panic struck. He denied three times that he had anything to do with “this Man.” He then made off to safety. But immediately after denying Jesus, Peter remembered his Master's earlier warning. He wept bitterly, Matthew writes.

Peter was torn by his love for Jesus on the one hand, and his urge for his own safety on the other. Paul describes a similar conflict in Romans 7: He wants to do good, yet he repeatedly does evil. This is why he cries out: “Wretched man that I am!”

Do you recognize this struggle? Do you also see a way out? For that, read Romans 7:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 10:13!