Manila, Maui, and Jerusalem

When we moved to Maui nine months ago, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was an island surrounded by water, beaches, and shores. But I didn’t expect to see tall mountains. Our city, Kahului, is in the valley between two tall mountains (one over 10,000 feet or 3,048 meters). That’s not all – we are surrounded by free-roaming chickens and roosters. Like Manila, where we lived for five years, these roosters crow all through the day! When I wake up to their sounds, I often remember Peter.

The Passover meal finished, and Jesus and the disciples sang the traditional Passover hymns as they climbed the Mountain of Olives from Bethany, which was on the other side of the mountain from where the Mt. of Olives faced the temple mount (Mark14:26). Jesus cited Zechariah to give the disciples a lesson.

“You all will be scandalized/scattered tonight, as it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But, after my resurrection, I will go to Galilee” (14:27; Zech 13:7).

Zechariah prophesized about a day when God would come to clean the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem of their sins and impurity (Zech 13:1). He would banish idols from the land and the false prophets of the idol gods (13:2–3). Ture prophets would be careful in what they said because they knew God was in their midst (13:4–6), and he would even strike his shepherd, “he who is close to him,” and scatter the sheep, only to draw them near to him as his people (13:7–9a). On that day, the people would unanimously say, “The Lord is our God” (13:9b).

If the disciples had understood this scripture, they would have said, “Oh good. God is coming to us and will cleanse us of our sins and impurities.” Instead, Peter only heard the first part of Jesus’s statement: “You all will be scandalized/scattered tonight.” He didn’t hear the prophet’s words or Jesus’s statement, “But, after my resurrection, I will go to Galilee.”

Like always, Peter opened his mouth and inserted his foot.

“Even if everyone is scandalized/scattered, I will not.” (Mark 14:29)

Jesus answered,

“Peter, truly I say to you: Today, in this night, before (prin) a rooster crows two times, you will deny me three times.” (14:30)

Peter refused to accept this truth. So did all the disciples (14:31).

If Peter had remembered Zechariah’s prophecy and heard Jesus’s statement about resurrection, he would have anticipated his scattering. YHWH God must strike the shepherd and scatter his sheep to bring about the salvation of the people – to remove their sins and iniquities. What the Lord was about to do weren’t bad things; without them, sins and iniquities would not be forgiven. Jesus wouldn’t die and resurrect. For them to happen, Jesus had to be stricken, and the disciples had to be scattered.

Since Peter refused, the Lord gave them a one-two-three reminder. The word “before” (prin) in Greek can also mean “first” or "one." One – that night, two – rooster crows, and three – Peter’s denial. By the time Peter got to three, he would understand what the Lord had predicted.

Sometimes, we, too, have difficulty accepting God’s harsh way of bringing blessings., We, like Peter, fight. Blessings await those who accept God’s reality.