The Fourth Station of the Cross: The Truth

Courtesy: Vatican Museum

"Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. 'You also were with Jesus of Galilee,' she said. But he denied it before them all. 'I don't know what you're talking about,' he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, 'This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.' He denied it again, with an oath: 'I don't know the man!' After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, 'Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.' Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, 'I don't know the man!' Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: 'Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly." - Matthew 26:69-75 (NIV)

Peter was a bold man. As Jesus predicted His death, He also predicted that all of his apostles would run away and deny Him. Peter challenged Jesus, saying He would never leave, even to the point of death. Jesus knew better, though, and predicted:

"'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.'" - Matthew 26:34 (NIV)

Of course, when Jesus was arrested, all of the disciples ran away, despite their earlier protests and promises to the contrary (see Matthew 26:56).

In the celebration of the Stations of the Cross by Pope John Paul II in 1991, the minister prayed this prayer:

"Lord, grant us the gift of honesty that we may not fear to speak the truth even when difficult."

Thanks to sin, even the most honest of us (at least by our standards) is still capable of speaking a lie, whether it is conscious or unconscious. Peter and the other apostles were very bold in protesting when Jesus predicted their falling away, but that was also at a time of very little trouble. When the real trouble came, they fell away almost too quickly.

We need to ask God to continue to work in us so we may not only be honest and speak the truth in the best of times, but also when we may, as they say, bite the bullet and say it when it is difficult. 1 Timothy 3 tells us that overseers (also can be defined as church leaders) must be above reproach, or good to the point of being beyond criticism because we are acting like we are speaking and doing what we should be doing, bringing glory and not shame to the name of Christ.

May we all be able to do that.

(Editor's note: This is part of a series of the Stations of the Cross.)