Read through the Gospels in a Year: Mark 14:66-72
Read the New Testament in a Year: Galatians 3:15-29
[Peter] began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” —Mark 14:71
Peer pressure often holds us captive. The need for acceptance is so tyrannical that we are willing to do almost anything to join the crowd. A young person is murdered for a popular brand of shoe. Or others willingly go against everything they believe because a group influences them.
Imprisoned by his need to be like everyone else, Peter denies his true identity and compromises his love for Jesus. Not only that, but in his third denial he also ends up cursing.
Just as Peter tried to blend in with the crowd, we too struggle to stand up for our convictions. Too many times in my own life, coaching or in other jobs, I find myself not speaking up or just going with the group because of the internal pressure to fit in.
Peer pressure controls all of us from time to time. We want to be accepted, approved of, popular. We don’t enjoy being different. So we allow ourselves to be shaped by people’s opinions rather than by what God wants. When that happens, we need to hear the rooster crow so that we can recognize our sin and repent.
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