A Hesitant Baker
I don’t compare to the incredible chefs we have on tv.
Reference: ““You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.”” John 18:17 NIV
Explore: I like to cook things for other people but I would never say I am a baker. And yet other people seem to tell me otherwise.
Every time I pop the oven on and get the flour out of the pantry my husband teases me by mimicking, “I’m not a baker!” When I turn up to work with a container filled with sweet treats my colleagues gather round to ask, “What have you baked for us today?”
It’s funny that while I would never have thought of myself as a baker it seems other people do. Because my baking is very basic (think of something a child would be able to whip up in the kitchen) I don’t compare to the incredible chefs we have on tv.
I guess the difference people see in me is that I actually take the time to bake. While other people would much rather grab a packet of Tim Tams from the shop rather than bringing something home cooked, I’m not adverse to spending some time in the kitchen to prepare a dish.
If you look at my time, my resources and the result, I guess I can agree that I am a baker – although a very basic one at that!
Application: After Jesus was taken into custody, Peter was asked if he was one of Jesus’ disciples. He was quick to deny it.
Fortunately for Peter no one looked any deeper into his life. For, while at this point in time he was being a very poor disciple, if you looked at his time, his resources and his end result, he was definitely a disciple.
People deny accusations or declarations for all sorts of reasons. Some may not feel up to scratch, that they aren’t worthy. Some because they don’t want to get into trouble.
We can assume for Peter it’s because he didn’t want to be arrested like Jesus. But what is it for us?
Often we can deny we don’t know a lot about Jesus or faith because we don’t want to look stupid. Sometimes we can deny our commitment because we want to look cool.
There are various reasons why we deny our beliefs, I guess that’s why we can relate so well to Peter. Let’s not allow popularity, pride or fear get in the way of us proclaiming to all who are keen to hear, we love Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, You have never denied us, in fact You died on the cross for us. May we stand proud and commit to following You wholeheartedly in all we do. Amen.
How have you denied a part of your faith in the past?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.