Nothing in Secret
A Good Friday Lectio Reflection on John 18:20
I encourage you to read the Gospel of John 18-19. May Jesus have mercy on us.
Nothing in Secret
"I have said nothing secretly..."
—John 18:20
Jesus stood before the high priest without fear, without deception. He had nothing to hide. Every word He spoke, every act He performed, was light breaking into darkness. Nothing in secret. No duplicity.
…and there was no deceit in his mouth. Is 53:9 RSV
We cannot say the same. Our words, our motives, our witness—fragmented. A mix of truth and evasion, often shaped more by fear than by fidelity. If we were placed under scrutiny, what would be revealed? Half-truths polished for approval. Convictions softened for convenience.
Peter is our mirror. “I am not,” he said. A lie so confident it chills. Not once, but three times. His denial wasn’t merely a stumble; it was a full-throated rejection of the One he loved. And yet… grace had the final word. He wept. He turned. He followed.
He denied it and said, “I am not. John 18:25 RSV
Today, on this Good Friday, we must do the same. We renounce the impulse to hide, to dissemble, to pretend. We unite our weakness to Christ’s strength. We walk the Via Dolorosa not in defiance, but in sorrowful hope. Let our fractured witness be healed into truth. May we leave behind a life of secrecy. And like Peter, may we be found again at dawn, on a shore, with the courage to say, “Jesus, my Lord, You know that I love You.”
Grace and peace on this most holy day.
© 2025, Lawain McNeil, Mission Surrender, LLC.