“The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.”- Luke 22:62
Peter gets a bad rap! I know, he seriously blew it by denying Jesus—but because of Jesus, he came back even stronger. Peter’s relationship with the Lord prior to the denial was loyal, protective, and faith driven. People often relate to Peter because he’s impulsive, passionate, and flawed. During the Last Supper, Jesus tells Peter that he will deny Him three times before the rooster crows. Peter says that he would NEVER deny Jesus, just like most of us would have responded.
But it is important for us to know that Peter left everything he knew to follow Jesus, his fishing business, his wife, and his home. When Jesus told the disciples to get out of the boat and walk on water, who took the first step in faith? Peter! When he heard that Jesus came back to life, he could have hid from embarrassment and shame but instead he ran to the open tomb! John 21:7 says that when Peter saw Jesus by the shore, he jumped into the water and swam to him. I love that visual. That is what I would have done as well. Peter denied Jesus three times and Jesus asked Peter three more times if he loved Him, and each time Peter said, “yes!”
Peter went on to be an amazing leader for the Lord; he preached a sermon at Pentecost where 3,000 people were saved, performed miracles in Jesus’ name, wrote parts of the New Testament, was arrested for not backing down to the same leaders that killed Jesus, and in the end, died with courage for Christ. Peter was killed in Rome, under the Emperor Nero, and was crucified upside down, by his own request, because he felt unworthy to die on the cross the same way his Savior had.
Peter loved Jesus. He followed Him, denied Him, was restored by Him, and went on to be the leader that God created him to be. Peter would end up being known as “The Rock” that Jesus would build His church upon. Peter’s testimony is a human reminder that we can all fail and disappoint, especially if we think our lives are going to be on the line. But, just like Peter, God can also restore us. We can know that failure isn’t final when grace steps in.