“And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, ‘Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.’ But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.” Mark 14:70-71 (KJV)
Two men hunting ducks, “M R Ducks.”
“M R not.”
“OSCAR! C M Wings?”
“Wulyle B, M R Ducks.”
If you can understand this conversation, your cultural roots are showing. Their speech betrays them and it will every time. We can dress up and move to the city in an attempt to hide our roots, but our speech won’t comply with the “hiding our roots” memo. In any given situation, every time we open our mouths, it becomes plain as day for all to hear.
That is what happened to Peter. He wanted to be close to the Lord but didn’t want to be identified with the Lord. He could change his appearance but not his Galilean drawl. We don’t know why those around the fire focused on Peter. Is it possible they might have wanted to ask questions about the accused on trial? We do not know because the gospel writers do not tell us. Standing that close to the Lord’s trial would have certainly brought fear to Peter. In any case, he began cursing, making it very plain that he was not an associate of this Jesus. After his angry outburst, no one questioned his association further.
Chuck Swindoll writes, “Looking for ways to make your witness more gracious, more winsome? Interested in communicating Christ’s love and attracting others to him? Start with your speech . . . and don’t worry if folks can guess what part of the country you’re from.” You see, dear friend, what matters is whether they can know that you are a Christian.
Dear Father, thank you for your grace and mercy. Empower us with the grace to communicate Christ with others. Enable us to live in such a manner that those around us will know our association with Christ. This I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Let us praise God for his association with us and live to prove our association with him,