The Rooster on the Steeple

“But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:33

The Rooster on the Steeple

Deny – In the town of Huemoz sur Ollon, Switzerland, the local church has a rooster on the steeple.  Not at cross.  Why?  Because people say what they believe but they do what they value!  The rooster is a reminder that denial is a matter of values, not words.  Jesus is interested in what you value.  That’s why He emphasizes the cost of discipleship.  We can make all the claims we want about believing what Jesus said and did, but the truth about what we value is found in what we do.  If our lives do not exhibit Jesus’ perspective on things, we are denying Him.  And the consequences are severe.

Modern Christianity has been robbed of life-altering, culture-transforming power because we have watered down who God is.  We have been taught to believe that God’s purpose is to serve our needs and save our souls.  We ignore the demand for true turn-around repentance.  We look for bounty and blessings but shun affliction and pain.  We want the God who gives us exactly what we want and who overlooks our tepid commitments.  We don’t see the Kingdom in present reality because we really want the world our way.

The Greek word arneomai is primarily not about the denial of facts.  It is a word that concentrates its meaning on rejecting a person.  Yes, it’s true that I can speak denials.  I can say, “I don’t believe”.  But in the New Testament, denial is much more powerful.  It is acting in ways that reject who Jesus is.    There are three kinds of denials.  The first is the denial of unfaithfulness.  This denial assumes that there is a previous relationship of fidelity and obedience.  Once I honored Jesus with my life.  But now things are different.  I am having an affair with the world, chasing its rewards, and my vows don’t mean anything anymore because my actions show what I really value.

To be unfaithful to Jesus is to value what the world honors, to value what opposes His Kingdom.  Do you need a list?  Self-fulfillment.  Power.  Fame.  Fortune.  Protection.  Self-concern.  Life on my terms.  Maybe those are too obvious.  How about worry?  Anxiety.  Fear.  Addictive behavior.  Dissatisfaction.  Anger.  Lack of compassion.

When these things determine my behavior, Jesus doesn’t.  The rooster crows for you and me whenever we let the world’s values take control.