Peter
I think that sometimes we are very harsh in our judgment of Peter as he swore up and down that he would never deny Christ … but then did exactly that. If we look at what happened in the garden, we see that ALL of Jesus’ followers who were with him ran away. Now if you’ve ever been in real fear of something, where do you go when you run away?
Well, there isn’t one answer for that, but I think the one place that we would NOT go is where the very source of our fear is. We would tend to go in the opposite direction of the threat. But where did Peter go when he ran away? That’s right; he went to the Chief Priest’s house and was sitting outside next to the fire. Then when someone recognized him and the threat became even greater for him, did he run out of the compound and hide? No, he stayed in the compound.
Basically, Peter decided to just hang around the threat. Yes, he certainly let his fear get the best of him when it was ‘put up or shut up’ time, but at least he was still there. Where were the others?
The other thing to notice, I think, is when the two Marys went to the tomb and found it empty. What did the ‘young man’ in the tomb tell the Marys to do? “But go! Tell his disciples and Peter.”
Peter must have felt lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut after his disloyalty and Jesus’ death. But he was specifically singled out to be told about Jesus’ triumph over death, and assuming he heard about being singled out, it had to warm his heart and lift his spirit to know how much Jesus trusted him even on the field of his defeat.
Being sons and daughters of the Father through Jesus, isn’t it good to know that although we fail and we fail and we fail again, Jesus still loves and trusts us? We can use that knowledge to get back up when sin has knocked us down and get back into the fight with renewed resolve. Sin and Satan are going to knock us down … count on it … but the love of Jesus Christ has given us the power to get up … again and again.
Personally, I would love to hear about instances where each one of us were knocked down and yet claimed the power of our position in Jesus to get back up. Sharing these stories, whether large of small, with each other helps strengthen and encourage all of us.
Great thoughts, Tom! Thank you for raising this aspect of Peter’s denial. It frees us to ponder the greatness, and weakness, of this beloved disciple. We will do well to see Jesus and his power through our failures and disappointments. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:2-3)
Beautifully said, Tom!
I’ll share an incident which I believe relates to the lesson. It took place “on the job” in Charlotte, N.C. (Richland Creek prayed me into the position there). After a lot of time, effort and hard work, I was promoted to “Assistant Manager” for a national apartment leasing company. They wanted me to remain in the same apartment complex for which I was hired. I happily agreed! After a short period of time, my Manager was reassigned and a new person was hired from outside of the company. They were so impressed with this persons’ track record, that they agreed to meet her demand of having the Asst. Mgr. she worked with at the former company join her in the same office. She was hired as the property “leasing agent”. It wasn’t long before I came in one day and was told that I was “no longer the Assistant Manager since _____is now in that position and you’re once again the property leasing agent”. All of my personal and business belongings had been moved from my nice professional size desk to a corner station that was barely large enough to accomodate a computer screen and keyboard. (My new work area). They had been cold and rude to me beforehand, but the bad treatment escalated to the point that I had no doubt that they were attempting to discourage me out of the workplace/ job (at age 60). I immediately started praying and asking the Lord to help me. I sought His Word and was lead to Jeremiah 20:11-13. I committed it to memory and claimed its promise every day (several times). It took some time, but eventually the two of them were out of a job. The Lord truly did come to my defense “like a mighty Warrior” (1st verse) and “rescued me from the hands of the wicked” (last verse). As it turned out, Corporate was not aware that I had been demoted, but they did have reason to confront the Manager about something else. That was the day the Assistant Manager was fired and the Manager threatened to quit if that were to transpire. They were both bid “good-bye” and I was immediately promoted to the Manager position. PRAISE THE LORD! I functioned well at my job until the Lord showed me that He had other plans for me. He lead me back to Raleigh to the wonderful company where I’ll celebrate my 4th Anniversary on March 12th! I went from being “micro-managed” causing a lot of “high stress”, to being “self-managed” to a great degree. I work for a very small company, a place where I feel “highly esteemed”. I truly believe that the reason for it is my openly professed love for the Lord and the fact that He leads, guides and directs me in all that I do. (It’s even well known that I choose a church setting to hold the Annual Meetings for the Homeowner Associations that I manage). Those in the office are aware that I counsel and pray for strangers who call in (only because they overhear it). Now, my work ethics do not demand constant or even occasional monitoring since my employer undoubtedly has faith in my abilities. GOD HAD A PLAN which I believe includes a call, and in some cases, a return to Him on the part of those with whom I work. I believe that He not only wanted me where I am professionally, but wanted me to be close (physically, emotionally, and geographically) to my daughter and “son”. I’ve also been given the privilege of becoming a member (for a 2nd time) of Richland Creek Community Church, a place that I dearly love and feel loved in return. The Singles Ministry didn’t exist when I left for the job in Charlotte in 2001, but it was in the beginning stages of what I consider explosive growth when I joined RCCC again in 2006. It means a lot to me to be a part of something SO BIG, SO GOD ORDAINED, where I’m not only growing in Him by having contacts with the likes of Pastor David, the other Pastors, SS teachers, and learned Bible students like you, but where He wants me to share the gifts He’s bestowed on me with others. I praise and thank Him everyday. I thank you for sharing and for encouraging me to do the same. May God continue to richly bless and enlighten you.
Cheryl