Following from a distance

In Matthew 26, we see where Christ is arrested and led off to be tried. When he is being led off, Peter does not follow closely like the close friend he claimed to be. Instead, “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.”

Has there ever been a time where you have felt as if a friend had deserted you in a time of need? Have you ever done that to a friend? Peter, after having told Christ he would go no one else, only followed Christ from a distance, perhaps so that he would not be recognized as a friend of Christ. But wouldn’t a true friend want to be there front and center the whole time and not just in the back to see the end?

I am not questioning whether or not Peter was a true friend of Christ. We know that he truly was a friend. He just buckled under the pressure of an event that he probably never thought would happen. But when it was over he sought forgiveness.

“Cafeteria Christians” are those who only follow what makes them feel most comfortable and what they personally approve of, disregarding the rest of the teachings of Christ and his Church. Are these true friends? Are you one of these?

Do you ever follow Christ from a distance?