Not Me, Lord

October 24, 2026

Peter said to Him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not." And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said emphatically, “If I must die with You, I will not deny You.” And they all said the same. Mark 14:29-31

We’ve all said it. I would never. I would never yell like that. I would never quit. I would never let worry run my life. We say it with our whole chest, and we mean every word.

And then, sometimes, we do the very thing we swore we wouldn’t.

If that’s you, you’re in good company. Some of the boldest words ever spoken to Jesus came from a man who broke them before sunrise.

Peter, also called Simon, was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. He was one of the few Jesus took to see Jarius’ daughter raised from the dead and up on the mountain for the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8). Jesus also called Peter “The Rock”, declaring the church would be built through him (Matthew 16:18). One could argue Peter was one of the “important disciples”, if there was such a category. In the very least, we can refer to him as one of Jesus’ leaders.

The final night before He died, Jesus told His disciples they would all fall away, referencing Zech 13:7. Peter, in Mark 14:29-31, immediately assures Jesus that will not happen with him. Jesus responds that yes, Peter, you will deny me three times this very night. Peter couldn’t believe it. He quickly denied that, telling Jesus that he would instead die with him.

Peter was quick to speak. Remember Mark 8:31-33, when Jesus announced He must suffer? Peter quickly retorted, “Never!" Jesus immediately rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Because Peter regularly spoke his mind, we can guess he actually meant it when he said he would rather die with Jesus than deny Him. But that’s not what happened. Here’s what unfolded instead:

Jesus brought Peter, along with James and John, to pray with Him in the garden. Understandably, Jesus was needing God’s peace, knowing what was about to take place. While He did not share his impending sacrifice with Peter, He implored Peter, James, and John to pray. To stay with Him. To watch.

What did Peter, James, and John do? Slept. You can imagine their eyes were heavy, just having eaten the Passover. Maybe they hadn’t slept well as travelers? Or possibly super busy and finally sat down in quiet?

You have to think that if Peter, James, and John actually knew what the next hours would produce, they would have stayed wide awake. Wide. Awake.

But they knew nothing. They were tired. So, they succumbed. Instead of partnering with Jesus in His final hours, they succumbed to the temptation of the flesh. Sleeping isn’t bad – but we can all agree it was poor timing. Imagine Jesus’ disappointment. Not once, but three times finding them sleeping. But that’s another blog entirely.

After Jesus was arrested, Peter proceeded to deny Jesus not once, but three times. Just like Jesus predicted. Why did Peter deny Jesus? Why did Peter deny knowing the Savior he had followed for so long? We can all guess: probably fear. Deep down fear of dying.

Peter not only said he would not deny Jesus, he emphatically declared it (Mark 14:31). He meant it in a forceful or unmistakable way, leaving no room for doubt. How often do we say things we don’t do? How often do our actions not match our words?

Peter sobbed after realizing what he had done. How Jesus had known Peter better than even Peter knew himself. And it wrecked Peter. But Jesus, after rising from the dead, found Peter. Jesus sought him out, not only confirming His love for him, but also His job for him: feed My sheep. Jesus reaffirmed Peter as the leader He had always intended him to be. Peter's three denials by a charcoal fire. Jesus' three questions by another charcoal fire: “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” (John 21:15-17). One for every denial. Jesus didn’t skip over Peter’s failure, and He didn’t leave him stuck in it. He walked him right back through it and out the other side.

And Peter, the man who couldn’t stay awake for one hour in the garden, the man who folded under a servant girl’s question, stood up a few weeks later, preaching so boldly that about 3,000 people came to faith (Acts 2:14-41). Same Peter. Same mouth that once said “Never!” and “Not me.” Different source of strength.

Here’s the part that gets me. Years later, Peter wrote a letter to believers and listen to what he told them: “Be sober-minded; be watchful” (1 Peter 5:8). Watchful. The very thing Jesus asked of him in Gethsemane, the very thing he failed to do. Peter learned that lesson the hard way, and then he passed it on so we wouldn’t have to.

So, let’s be honest. How many times have we said, “Not me, Lord”?

I would never lose my temper like that.
I would never walk away from my marriage.
I would never let fear make my decisions.

And then we do. Or we come close. Like Peter, we mean every word when we say it. Our spirit is willing. But Jesus already told us the rest of that sentence: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).

The answer isn’t trying harder to be the person who would never fall. Peter tried that. It lasted about six hours. The answer is staying close to Jesus, awake and watching and praying, because He knows us better than we know ourselves. That’s the very thing that wrecked Peter, and it’s the very thing that restored him.

If you’ve already had your rooster-crowing moment, take heart. Jesus didn’t give up on Peter, and He hasn’t given up on you. He’s still finding His people on the shoreline, still asking, “Do you love Me?” And He’s still handing out assignments to the ones who say yes.

Not me, Lord? Maybe the better prayer is this: Keep me, Lord.