Peter's Denial: A Very Human Thing, Wanting To Be Part Of The Crowd
"When You Are In A Crowd, You Become Absolutely Possessed By The Crowd."
I often post this Rene Girard clip during Easter week. I enjoy listening to it, despite its poor audio quality.
“So what does Peter do? He wants to show he is one of them. And the only way to show you are part of a crowd is to join in scapegoating.”
I know a remarkable group of volunteers who studied and continue to study the Pfizer clinical trial data. Some lost their jobs, all were mocked, especially from family, but they did not bend to the masses.
I don't think Peter was at all 'possessed by the crowd ' and nor was he bothered over being accepted by them or to them......he had, after all, travelled the same lonely harsh roads as Jesus and even tried to defend Him from the Roman soldiers....that all takes a lot of guts and passion. I think that he was overcome with dread at the very likely prospect of joining his master in a most miserable and horrifically cruel death and as all seemed lost, he crumbled. Jesus saw Peter's human frailty and had compassion for him despite His own wretched situation, even pleading with him to "feed my sheep" afterwards. And of course fifty days later at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to mankind to enable us to live a live above our own inclinations, Peter was filled and went on to live a remarkable life, often with suffering due to his love for His Lord, empowered by the Holy Spirit. In other words- Jesus understands us -every part of us - and desires to heal and forgive should we so choose to allow Him to do so.