Ungodly Decisions Motivated by Fear

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text:  Mark 14:66-72

Mark 14:72

And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

(ESV)

During this time of world war against an unseen virus, it is important to pray for our leaders as they face unprecedented decisions.  With the dire numbers predicted by the models earlier this month falling far short due to measures such as social distancing and shelter-in-place orders, world leaders face a new set of decisions, when to safely reopen their countries and communities.  President Trump touts this as the biggest decision he has ever made.  (1)  President Trump’s feelings are no doubt shared by governors and local leaders in the United States as well as leaders all over the world.  Like decisions made during wartime, people’s lives are in the balance and a reminder of why we are to pray for our leader’s so they lead us in peace (1 Timothy 2:1-4). 

During these times of sheltering in place, it becomes easy to identify introverts or those happy to be alone and extroverts who seek to be around others.  Introverts are most likely using the time to find things to do around the house without the interruption of extroverts in their lives vying for their attention.  Extroverts are stressed out at not being able to be with others and most likely are the ones on social media connecting with friends and family and eagerly awaiting the time when they can be with friends and family again.  As Christians, we can have hope knowing that the same Jesus who conquered death has the power to conquer the coronavirus and we will once again be able to be with our friends and family. 

Peter has spent three and one-half years following Jesus.  During this time, he would have witnessed the many miracles performed by Jesus including the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus, a precursor to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (John 11:38-44).  Peter was privileged to be one of the three to witness the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-13).  Emboldened by what he had seen during his time with Jesus, Peter declares that he would never deny Jesus at the last supper (Mark 14:27-29; 31).  However, when a time of testing came as recorded in Mark 14:66-72, we see Peter holding back, cowering in fear, and denying Jesus three times.  This change in Peter leads to the question, what happened between the time of Peter’s declaration of loyalty to Jesus and his denial,  The answer is the betrayal and arrest of Jesus (Mark 14:43-50). 

The fact that Peter fell asleep while Jesus prayed indicated he did not truly understand the gravity of what was about to occur (Mark 14:32-42).  However, when he witnessed a throng of soldiers and representatives from the chief priests, scribes, and elders along with Judas coming and arrest Jesus, reality may have set in accompanied with fear in Peter that he too would be arrested and tried as a follower of Jesus.  Peter abandoned Jesus in the Garden but instead of running away completely, we see him lurking in the background, perhaps presuming he will be safe at a distance and possibly even witness a miracle of deliverance (Mark 14:54).  However, Peter’s feelings of safety are soon dashed as a servant girl approached him about being a follower of Jesus (Mark 14:67).  Peter denies knowing Jesus and to find safety, goes out into the gateway (Mark 14:68).  However, there is no safety here as the servant girl follows him and tells bystanders that Peter is a follower of Jesus, prompting Peter to deny Jesus for a second time (Mark 14:69).  When approached by the bystanders, Peter makes his most scathing denial, this time invoking a curse upon himself (Mark 14:70-71).  Peter’s denial of Christ illustrates what can occur in one’s life when they allow fear to govern their decisions. 

As we continue to pray for our leaders during this time of crisis, let us pray they do not make decisions based upon fear but make decisions based upon Godly wisdom and facts.  Let us pray that our leaders will pray and seek God in making important decisions regarding returning life to normal and when people can get back together and not need to live sheltered at home.  May their decisions not be based upon fear created by computer models predicting dire circumstances based upon a worst-case scenario as these models are not designed to provide definitive answers but instead provide a snapshot of what could occur.  In the case of many of the models used for coronavirus, the models are a snapshot of a worst-case scenario of what would occur with no intervention.  An intervention changing a model is illustrated by the reduction of deaths in the UK by Neil Ferguson who initially predicted 500,000 deaths in the UK and later reduced that number down to 20,000 after the implementation of interventions like social distancing and sheltering-in-place.  (2) 

Our leaders need our prayers during the coming weeks as they must balance the health of their citizens against the long-term repercussions of prolonged shutting down of their economies and the mental and spiritual health of individuals sheltered-in-place for a prolonged period.  My prayer is that leaders will cry out to God for guidance, seek and find truthful facts on both the physical, mental and spiritual health of individuals and the repercussions on societies brought upon by the slowing of their economies.  May God bless and guide our leaders and keep us safe during this time. 

1. Michael Ruiz, Samuel Chamberlain. Trump announces second task force on reopening economy as he weighs 'biggest decision'. www.fixnews.com. [Online] Fox News, April 11, 2020. [Cited: April 12, 2020.] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-reopening-economy-task-force.

2. Tufekci, Zeynep. Don’t Believe the COVID-19 Models: That's not What They're for. www.theatlantic.com. [Online] The Atlantic, April 2, 2020. [Cited: April 12, 2020.] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-models-arent-supposed-be-right/609271/.