Christ Jesus referred to himself as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and Christians all over the world devote time and energy to learning how to follow his example. In addition, learning about Jesus’ immediate disciples can be especially helpful in the quest to be better students of Christ.
In reading the Gospels, we may find ourselves inspired by the disciples’ willingness to give up their own pursuits to follow Jesus. However, we may also be dismayed at their inability to stay true to him at the end of his ministry. For example, as many Bible readers will recall, Peter denied even knowing Jesus shortly before Pilate condemned the Master to death.
How could Peter at one time correctly identify Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), and later deny even knowing the man? Well, one answer might be that he was afraid of what would happen if he admitted to knowing Jesus. But I think there could be more to it than that. Peter’s life reveals the deep struggles, and brave triumphs, of a disciple who sincerely wants to stand resolutely in his decision to follow the Christ.
When he saw Jesus walking over the waves, Peter got out of the boat and also walked on the water. He was also one of three disciples to witness the transfiguration. He even tried to defend Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane when authorities came to arrest Jesus.
And yet, Peter denied Jesus three times before “the cock crew.” Perhaps it was not only fear of what might happen to him if he confessed to following Jesus that influenced his response; perhaps it also had to do with an unrecognized resistance within Peter to the Christ—a resistance that was not particular to him alone. Jesus had warned Peter he would betray him. Peter didn’t want to believe he could do such a thing. In fact, he seemed surprised by his own behavior when he realized he had denied knowing Jesus.
I’ve learned that discipleship in Christian Science includes developing a discipline of thought that acknowledges and accepts the spiritual truth of being. And every disciple needs to stay alert to recognize and rebuke the claims of the “carnal mind” (see Romans 8:7), which deny this truth of being. Mary Baker Eddy writes, “In Christian Science, a denial of Truth is fatal, while a just acknowledgment of Truth and of what it has done for us is an effectual help” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 372).
Peter’s life reveals deep struggles and brave triumphs.
Certainly, as we acknowledge that the Christ, the divine idea of God, is always with us, we are opening our hearts to discern God’s goodness at work in our lives. We are choosing to let into our consciousness the light of Truth, which eradicates the darkness of fear, doubt, and denial. Yet, the mental practice of consistently turning to God in prayer may require great effort. But we can take comfort. Missteps that focus on materiality and resist spiritual reality are destroyed and forgiven as we repent of those mistakes and open ourselves to the light of God’s goodness, and to the reformative action of the Christ. This repentance and reformation involves sorrow for the mistaken thought, a decisive turn away from it, and going forward as a more consecrated follower of Christ.
Erroneous, resisting thoughts do not actually originate in us; they are not our thoughts, they are suggestions of the carnal mind, and they fall flat when they are rejected for Truth. In reality we reflect the divine Mind. Understanding this spiritual fact gives us strength to turn away from whatever claims to oppose God, Truth.
One day I was scheduled to play in a tennis match, but was experiencing pain in my knee that made it difficult to move freely. When I arrived at the tennis court, I noticed my tennis partner had her ankle and elbow wrapped up. She told me she was in pain but said she would be fine to play because she had taken plenty of over-the-counter pain medication.
I was surprised by my next thought: “Oh no. I didn’t do what she did, so how will I be able to play?” Relying wholeheartedly on God has met my needs over many years, including when competing in sports. I turn to God in prayer for health and healing, and don’t use medication for pain relief. So I immediately realized that this suggestion of being unable to play without pain medication was not my thought. In fact, the suggestion was so ridiculous, it almost made me laugh!
Of course I had God at hand, and I could lean on Him; and by relying on Him, I could play without pain. I affirmed to myself: God is All. There is none beside Him. God sustains me as His image and likeness. I am a spiritual idea—a beam of pure reflected Love. As soon as I turned to these truths, the pain in my knee evaporated, and I played the tennis match with complete freedom.
And so how does this relate back to Peter’s denial? Mortal mind attempts to hide the light of the Christ from us by denying man’s eternal relation to God, and by disavowing Truth. We can counter this by striving to understand more clearly our relation to God and His Christ. We can joyfully affirm that we are God’s child, made in His image and likeness—because that’s what we are. We can consider the spiritual qualities that express God, such as love, flexibility, joy, and strength, and recognize that we reflect these qualities. As we acknowledge our spiritual nature, we cannot help but find that we “have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16), painless and free.
It requires recognizing our spiritual innocence to discern truth, and courage enables us to stand up to the bullying testimony of the material senses. But the fact is, innocence and courage are qualities inherent in each one of us as the expression of God. We simply need to accept that we express these qualities and put them into practice in our lives.
Peter identified the Christ boldly during Jesus’ ministry. His later denial of the Christ wasn’t reflective of his true nature. The book of Acts goes on to tell of Peter preaching, teaching, and healing after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. He acted in the name of Christ, with power and authority. Clearly, Peter was restored to faithful discipleship. Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension—and what he taught around the time these events occurred—led to his disciples’ greater understanding of him and his mission.
The same eternal Christ, Truth, is still present to restore our understanding, faith, and courage. We can acknowledge that its penetrating light rebukes and destroys material-mindedness today. Right now, we can usher in the Christ light for ourselves and others, recognizing that it is gathering us, drawing us to God, and elevating us from a merely material sense of existence to discern and prove more of spiritual reality.
Science and Health states, “Truth’s immortal idea is sweeping down the centuries, gathering beneath its wings the sick and sinning” (p. 55). The gathering of men and women, as disciples, for the purpose of healing and reformation is the eternal activity of the Christ, reaching into our hearts today. This power and love of the Christ enables us to let go of any vestige of a material outlook, overcome resistance to divine Truth, and joyfully be an active, healing member of Christ’s fold.
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
—Matthew 16:16
