When you're tempted to follow at a distance …

“And Peter had followed Him at a distance…”

~

A few weeks ago our pastor shared about discipleship, that often we call ourselves “Christians” even though the much more common biblical term would be a Follower. Those who identify with Christ and have believed in Him are actually Christ-followers. He is who we follow. And Joel asked the question, “Can you really be a Christ-follower, a Christian, and not actually follow Christ?”

That very morning I’d read a story that put the question in an interesting light.

Peter, having followed Jesus for three years, is standing right beside Jesus when Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. After cutting off Malchus’ ear, what does Peter do? (Mark 14:50)

He fled.

Well, not exactly.

He didn’t flee very far. 

Verses 53-54 tells us that “as they led Jesus to the high priest” that “Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire.”

Peter did follow Jesus. He followed Him right smack dab into the courtyard of the high priest.

He couldn’t stand to let Jesus out of his sight, but he didn’t want his affiliation with Christ to cause him harm, so he stayed close enough to see Jesus but far enough away to be safe.

And warm his hands by the fire.

Can I humbly suggest that this is exactly the kind of following that characterizes the lives of many followers?

Followers who genuinely experienced new birth, and yet prefer to follow Christ to the outer courts, a place of comfort where they can still keep an eye on Jesus and yet still warm their hands by the fire. Still keep far enough away that an affiliation with Him will not cause them harm, discomfort, hardship.

Friends, we’re all tempted by the fire in the outer court. 

We’re all tempted, who love and know and follow Christ, to drop back just a few steps so that the distance between Christ and us is enough to keep us from hardship. No way would we deny Him outright, but we’ll follow Him just as far as our comfort will allow.

No big deal, right? Wrong. Why is it a big deal?

Because of what Peter did next.

You all know the story: After hangin’ in the outer court, warming his hands, someone calls him out:

Hey, you’re one of those Jesus-guys!

Then the words slipped so easily from Peter’s mouth:

“I do not know this man of whom you speak.” (Mark  14:71)

Crushed. Crushed. Can you imagine the agony in Peter’s heart as he stared in horror at those words, spoken into existance and staring him in the face. How could he do it? He had denied his Lord! 

I can only imagine his anguish: How on earth did I get to this place?

All it took was the warm fire in the outer court. Had he been there, right there, next to Jesus, there was no way on earth he could have denied him. Jesus’ face, His voice, His touch, His smell, His presence would have given Peter the courage to remain. But at a distance, by the fire, it was easy to do.

It was easy to deny his Lord.

Oh friends, I know people who are sitting by the fire.  I’ve cried out to God in prayer for friends I know who are sitting by the fire right now. The natural ending of that spot scares me to death. And I know that often I am tempted to hold back just a few steps and sit right down by that fire as well. Warm my hands a bit. We’re all tempted by the fire in the outer court.

We can’t go there. Must not go there. Must not let each other go there.

To follow Christ at a distance isn’t to follow Him at all. And I’m not judging distances, heaven forbid, I don’t know your distance and you don’t know mine, but I just know that we do well to stick right as tight as we possibly can, to ask Jesus to take our hand and keep us near. So that Jesus’ face, His voice, His touch, His smell, His presence, would give us the courage to stand fast right at His side.

*Just this morning, waiting for the elevator in our Maui hotel, I felt prompted to talk to a hotel worker about Jesus. What? How uncomfortable! How awkward. But as I walked away I had to wonder if every time we walk away from an opportunity we walk a little bit away from Jesus Himself.  Considering this, taking this to heart, praying for another chance to see that person again.

{Oh for grace! We need it, amen? Thank you for following along this journey with me. Let’s pray for one another to stay close to Jesus. Thank you.}