When We Follow at a Distance — Remain Encouraged

As I am reading the bible study, Beautifully Broken by Candace Cameron Bure, there is a reference to when Peter denied Jesus three times. We know the story, but let’s refresh,

“Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:54–62, ESV)

The phrase “Peter followed Him but at a distance…” stuck out to me this time around. Usually, when I read this statement, I would think of Peter’s fear, but this time that thought expounded more into his actions and posture of his heart.

Fear has a way of keeping us from seeking God and remaining close to Him. Through fear, we tend to take matters into our own hands and make our own decisions without consulting God and godly counsel. Our brains are in survival mode so without much practice, we will just respond from instinct instead of wise discernment. In Peter’s case, the fear in his heart, kept him at a “safe” distance from physical harm. He too, prioritized self-preservation over loyalty to Jesus. The fear he had in his heart stood between him and Jesus, causing him to “follow at a distance.” Remember that dancing phrase, “make room for The Holy Spirit”? Similar here, Peter made room for fear.

With fear standing between him and Jesus, he could not see Jesus, just his anxieties so when it came time to declare his loyalty, he spoke on what he saw and denied Jesus three times. Fear had the wheel of his heart in those moments, resulting in denying the man he loved, followed and at one point willing to murder for. This made me think about the control fear has on my heart and how it is leading me to deny Jesus. Whether it be in my words or my actions, at what point is following Jesus at a distance causing me to deny Him. It may not sound like Peter’s outright denial of knowing Jesus, but it can sound like dishonoring profanity and foul language, gossip, saying things that would warrant positive responses from others even it goes against God’s goodness and holiness, and engaging in conversations that are dishonoring to God for the sake of pleasing and being liked by others. It may not look like Peter’s physical distance from Jesus, but it may look like feelings of unworthiness that keeps me from seeking God, guilt that keeps me from reading my bible, the unwillingness to sacrifice time for picking up my bible to read, yet with my mouth I declare Jesus as Lord. Scripture says,

“And the Lord said:

“Because this people draw near with their mouth

and honor me with their lips,

while their hearts are far from me,

and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,” (Isaiah 29:13, ESV)

Following Jesus at a distance, on paper, looked like Peter trailing behind as Jesus was being taken away, but the real distance was in his heart. We may proclaim Jesus with our mouths but our actions reflect the distance we have set up between us and Jesus and how we are following him at a distance. Following near to Jesus looks like when Peter was chopping off people’s ears in boldness of his faithfulness to Jesus (John 18:10-11). Following near to Jesus looks like relentless obedience, us not being afraid of appearing foolish to others as we proclaim His name and gospel, remaining true to the Holy Spirit’s convictions and honoring God by any means necessary.

I encourage you, look inside your heart, or ask God to test it for you, acknowledge how you are following Jesus at a distance. Renounce denying Him in speech and/or act and go boldly in proclamation. Lets rid ourselves of this distance and draw near to Jesus as He draws near to us.

Book Reference:

Cameron-Bure, C. (2020). Beautifully Broken: Jesus Every Day Devotional Guide. Dayspring.