Following Jesus At A Distance

My 16 year-old son is a new driver and that brings with it all the worry that goes along with teenage boys driving large vehicles. Yesterday, after his basketball game, we went out to eat. He didn't know how to get there (and doesn't have a phone with data), so I told him to "follow me" in his truck. I kept my speed at a gentle pace, so he could keep up and was constantly checking my mirror to make sure he made it. He did. But, if you have ever tried to follow someone who didn't care to keep their speed down, it can be a challenge, especially when they lose you around a turn, in traffic, through a stop light, etc. Following at a distance is hard and can mean you can get lost.

The same goes with following Jesus, just as Peter found out.
Peter is the apostle who boasted he would die in defense of Jesus, who cuts off the ear of a slave (when they come to arrest Jesus), but then runs away in fear. After the guards take Jesus to Caiaphas, Peter "follows at a distance". Notice where it ultimately leads him:

"Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Ca′iaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter followed him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end." -Matt 26:57-58

When Peter decides to follow Jesus "at a distance" he ends up with the enemies of Jesus! He mixes right in with them and tries to hide his true identity.

Isn't this what many Christians do today? We hide in our culture and don't let anyone know we are followers of Jesus. Maybe we don't deny who we are, when directly asked, but it is so much easier to just fade into the background of a world that looks with disdain on our Lord.

Yet, we know the story of Peter isn't over. After weeping over his sins, repenting, and then receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he grew in humility and boldness. He preached in the streets, he was beaten, he was rejected, and ultimately his discipleship cost him his life. Which he did lay down for Jesus - just as he once predicted.

Loudmouth Peter became the humble disciple he was meant to be. But, he had to first realize that he could never follow Jesus "at a distance" if he was to be all that God wanted him to be.

What about you and I? In what ways do we need to follow Jesus more closely? What do we lack in our discipleship?

Jesus close the distance between us!