Mark 14:27-31
There
is a very funny scene in the movie Monty
Python and the Holy Grail where the good guy meets an enemy and has a sword
fight. The good guy chops off the arm of his opponent. Then the other arm. Then
each leg in turn. Then the armless and legless man wants to keep fighting
claiming, “Tis a flesh wound.” This valiant warrior is in deep denial.
Southern
California is in deep denial in connect to their water shortage. Now neighbors
turn in their neighbors for water use violations. They thought they could beat
the desert back with development, but the desert is winning out. And the
solutions of the past aren’t working. Siphoning off water from other states’
supplies can’t continue. There is just not enough water. The bucket has a hole
in it, and the pump is dry. Drastic changes need to take place. And the sad
thing is that they have known about this coming shortage for years and have
done little to correct course.
There
is a small movement in the church that wants to deny the reality of sickness,
poverty and death. They believe that acknowledging the existence of an illness
is a lack of faith. And for them, faith is something magical that keeps bad
things away. So they walk around limping, but acting as if they are marathon
runners or championship ballroom dancers. Everyone around them can see the
fairy tale in which they live, but attempts to point out the obvious are
soundly denied.
Jesus
wants to pull the blinders off the disciples’ eyes. He wants to shine a light
in their darken minds. And the light Jesus wants to shine is the reality of
their denial. Jesus is going to be killed, no matter what they say or do. And
in the process every one of them will turn their backs on Jesus. None will keep
their allegiance complete.
And
Peter really steps in it. He declares that he is better than all the others. He
thinks he is above the others, that his fidelity will be intact. The pride in
his statement is catastrophic.
And
yet, haven’t we done the same thing at times. We see someone stumble into sin
and we declare that we would never fall that far. We point the finger at
others, while denying our own frailty and weakness.
It
is better to be honest about our weaknesses. Maybe we can’t do it publically,
but we need to at least be humble before the LORD and admit our weaknesses. We
have entirely too much chest-thumping. We throw the ball in the end zone and forget
the previous fumbles, missed handoffs, interceptions and missed plays. The
moment in the end zone seems to say that perfection is present.
Pull
down your own barriers to honesty.