Matthew 26:72 – And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

Matthew 26:73 – And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.

Matthew 26:74 – Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

Matthew 26:75 – And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Hello readers, today I want to talk about us being chickens. That doesn’t sound promising does it. But we all have a bit of chicken in us. And that’s ok, because before Peter heard the chicken… he’d heard Jesus say “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. And boy our flesh sure is weak.

“Chicken” is what we call someone who is scared or a coward. It’s a way of shaming someone for not being able to do something because they were afraid to. Jesus Christ wasn’t trying to shame Peter, but Peter had put on a big bravado about how he would follow him no matter what happened, and how he’d fight for him and die for him if needed! Tough talk wasn’t it, but the chicken had the final say.

We all struggle with being a chicken. None of us are as tough as we think. None of us can deliver on our resolve to God. It’s why we should have no confidence in our flesh, because our flesh is weak. And today, as another week comes to a close, I just want to think about how many times the chicken sounded off this week when we were too scared to own Jesus Christ before others. Have you ever not told someone the gospel because you were chicken? We are all guilty of that. Maybe you’re an exceptionally confident person, maybe you’re an extrovert, maybe you’re obnoxious enough to jam Jesus Christ down other people’s throats… but were you still a chicken this week?

Peter was pretty confident and outspoken and extroverted… are you doing Christianity better than him? Here in the arrest and trial of Jesus Christ, Peter had chance after chance to identify with Christ and speak up for Christ. If we are going to be honest, we do not lack for chances to shine our light, it’s just we are too scared to shine our light. I mean, I know if I pray for God to give me a chance to speak to someone, he will make it happen, so much so I’m afraid to ask. But aren’t you thankful for the chances God gives us in life? What a privilege to share Christ with this world! Every day brings new chances to own Jesus Christ to others, because Jesus is on trial and the jury is out every day… how about you be the one to take up for him and tell them what great things he has done for you?

So here they are bringing in witnesses to testify against Jesus Christ. False witnesses lying about him. Jesus could’ve used a truthful witness, but where were they? Where were all the lives he had changed, where were all the souls he had saved? Peter was there, he could’ve got on the witness stand to attest to what Jesus had done for him in his life. Peter had a chance to testify to who Jesus was, because he knew who he was, and he had a chance to tell others how Jesus Christ was sinless, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, the King of the Jews… but instead Peter denied Christ again and again.

People say there is a contradiction in the Bible because in the gospel of Mark, Jesus talked about the cock crowing twice… but there is no contradiction, as usual the only contradiction exists in the minds of those looking for one. I actually do not care to even go through it, because if you’re one of these contradiction seekers, even if I give an explanation, you’ve determined the Bible has mistakes already and you’re not interested in answers, but proving yourself. So help yourself. But I get to thinking that the first time the cock crew, Peter might have been able to summon some courage the next time someone said hey aren’t you one of his disciples? But he didn’t, and he repeated his denial. How have you gone with repeated failure in your life? How many Christians today live in the repetition of failure day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. You need resurrection power, because Peter got resurrection power and there was no denial at Pentecost. Think about it, if the power that raised Jesus from the dead is in you, which it is if you are saved, I’m pretty sure you can overcome anything.

But here during Jesus Christ’s trial, instead of a testimony and a faithful witness and a courageous stand, there was the sound of chicken crowing. It about sums us up doesn’t it. In case you don’t know, a cock is a male chicken, often called a rooster. Roosters are famous for looking good, they get their strut on, and they lord it over the hens. They can be proud and impressive birds… but for all the colour and show, they’re a chicken like the rest. Like us. There’s nothing special about us except the Saviour we serve. So before you get your Christian strut on and go around thinking like you’re really something, we’d all do well to learn from this story of Peter’s epic failure that easily happens to all of us.

How many times were you a chicken this week when you could have stood up for Christ? How many times were you a chicken when you could’ve owned your Saviour before others? How many times did you not risk your flesh being shamed for identifying with Jesus Christ and fellow believers? Remember, we were saved so men would judge us according to the flesh, and they will when you own Jesus, you’re not going to find this magical balance of serving God and being liked and approved of by everyone else too. We were also saved to live according to God in the spirit. So stop worrying about what others think and say, because they will reject you as they rejected Christ… and instead get full of the Holy Spirit of God, because that’s the only way we live.

We all like to crow about how good we are, how we love God, how we are following Jesus Christ, how we’ve got our life all together… but how’s that crowing really going? What’s that crowing really telling everyone else? Proverbs 20:6 “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” Remember, it is a chicken that crows. He’s crowing because he’s telling everyone how good he is, how worthy he is of everyone’s attention, how he’s someone to be desired. But if it’s crowing, you know it’s just a chicken. Behind all that religious bluster, there’s just a chicken, so don’t be so quick to crow about how much you love Jesus and are following him at all costs. Let’s get honest about our weakness and let’s pray for God for mercy and grace and courage as we go into a new week with our little lights shining.

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