Midweek Message: Accents

Matthew 26:73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away."

 Recently I went to my local bank to deposit a check. As usual, the young bank teller asked me to say a few words. “I just love listening to your accent,” she said. I smiled. If I had been given a dollar for every time that I’ve heard those words since coming to the United States, I might have owned the bank by now!

 Accents are dead giveaways about where people originate. In the United States, there are many different accents and I like to try to guess which region, state, or city people come from whenever I meet them for the first time. If the Scottish accent is likeable to the American ear, it’s also true that most Scots like to hear American accents. I guess it all has to do with common genes and historical roots.

 When the disciple Peter was confronted by a group outside the High Priest’s house where Jesus was being interrogated, his accent betrayed him to the crowd. He must have spoken with a rustic Galilean accent which was easily recognized by the city slickers of Jerusalem. He tried to hide in the courtyard, but each time he spoke, his accent revealed his origins. The fact that Jesus had begun His ministry in Galilee meant it was very likely that Peter had traveled with Him. No matter what the Big Fisherman tried to do to conceal his attachment to Christ, his accent gave him away. Sadly, the accusations all became too much for Peter and he eventually swore that he never knew Jesus. It was the lowest moment of his ministry with Christ.

 After the Resurrection, Jesus restored Peter’s faith by forgiving him first and then giving him a life-long mission to spread the Gospel. In this way, Peter’s accent would be used by God for many years and in many different places, offering hope, grace, and love to people who never personally knew Christ, but who needed to hear that they could also be forgiven, and then given the same opportunity to share God’s love through the words and ways of Jesus.

Point to ponder: What things do I say or do that positively accentuate my faith to those around me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, speak to our hearts and open our lives to Your bidding. Guide our thoughts and grant us the right words to say which will encourage and attract others to Your Way, Truth, and Life. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.