“Tho I Should Die with Thee, Yet Will I Not Deny Thee”
By T. E. Bowen
The night had settled down, the last one that Jesus was to spend with His disciples as their earthly “Lord and Master.” The meeting in the “upper room” was over. They had sung a hymn, and were now on their way to the familiar place of prayer in Gethsemane. Jesus, knowing that His “hour” was come, that hour when He should be delivered into the hand of the prince of darkness, for him to do as he would, began to explain a little more fully the cause for the “exceeding sorrowful” spirit that had settled down upon His soul. “All ye shall be offended because of Me this night,” He said; “for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.” From these words His disciples could gather no other meaning than that Jesus was soon to die. But they could not have it that way. They could not see how their growing cause could be advanced by the death of Jesus. And, further, how could it be that He should count them so base as to be offended for anything that might come to them because of Him? “Never!” they thought. And Peter’s thoughts soon formed themselves into words. “Tho all men should be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended.” Jesus replied by telling him that before the dawn of morning he would three times deny that he knew his Lord. “Tho I should die with Thee,” Peter stoutly affirmed, “yet will I not deny Thee.” And “likewise also said all the disciples.” We wonder how this could be. But just before us a time is approaching when believers will pass through a similar test. The storm had been gathering in Jesus’ work. He knew that it was only because of the restraining hand of His Father that He had been preserved from being taken by those thirsting for His life. He knew that “His hour” had now come, the time for the supreme test of the ages to be made; that the hour had struck for the Son of God to lay down His life for sinners—the fulfilment of the compact made between the Father and the Son away back before the world was, in that mysterious council when the plan of redemption was laid. The disciples did not know all that was involved in the scenes taking place about them. Day by day prophecy had been fulfilling before their eyes, yet they comprehended it all but vaguely at best. Had they believed Jesus when He pointed out to them their condition, they might have been saved from defeat. But they did not know their own hearts, so entered upon the scenes of that eventful night unprepared. “Tho I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee,” were Peter’s words. How about us? Are we cherishing the same self-confidence? Do we feel that whatever comes, we will not forsake the truth? Are7we prepared for the decided change in the sentiment of the people that is sure to come before the work of God closes in the world? The same heavenly hand that protected Jesus has been restraining and holding in check these powerful forces of evil. But some day they will be held no longer. The exact time for this change we may never know. But when God does permit it to come, it will be as much the carrying out of His eternal purpose in the great controversy between good and evil as it was to permit Jesus to be taken by the cruel mob in Gethsemane. When the crisis came to the disciples they were unprepared. They failed to see that this experience for them and for Jesus was included in the Father’s plan. They rose up against it in their hearts. Is there not a lesson in this for us? After the resurrection Jesus explained to His disciples the meaning of these things. By “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself,” and showed that the Christ was to suffer “these things and to enter into His glory.” But we must be prepared beforehand; for the events to follow this time of trial just ahead will not be a long earthly experience, but the final scenes connected with the deliverance of the people of God; the time of their entering upon the eternal inheritance in the kingdom of Christ. To the humble believer in Jesus comes the encouraging promise of help and deliverance. “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”