Weeping From Love

“And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.” (Mr 14:72 AV)

This begs a question.  How many weep over their failures to stand for Christ in this generation?  Every time we neglect to share the love of Christ, leading to a testimony of salvation in Him, we have done the same as Peter.  I am reminded of this every day.  Every day there are several different people walking up and down our street.  Perhaps close to 100 every day.  Many are not repeat walkers.  Few are, but many are not.  Yet, how many times have I taken the time to share a simple greeting, hoping to hand them a tract?  Not nearly as many as there should be.

What struck me was that first, Peter decided to think on what he had just done (or failed to do) and the warning Christ gave him.  Peter had all the sincerity in the world.  He really meant what he said when he promised to stand by Jesus.  He wasn’t being braggadocios.  He truly felt that if Jesus was threatened, he would stand by him even until death.  Peter did not lie.  What Peter didn’t think of was all the circumstances upon which this declaration might be tested.  He didn’t have a problem drawing his sword.  He did have a problem speaking the truth in love.  He had enough faith to fight.  But not enough faith to associate.  The point being, he wept.  This weeping was his testimony.  He failed to affirm his association with Christ by speaking a word to the maiden. But, he affirmed it loud and clear by weeping.  One wonders if we weep when we fail to associate ourselves with the Savior.  Peter’s weeping was not solely motivated by guilt.  I truly believe he felt shame because he knew he disappointed someone whom he loved and appreciated deeply. Therein lies the reason we do not weep.  We do not weep because we do not love.

Recently, I said my goodbyes to many people whom I love.  My dear mother passed away in March.  I moved from one congregation to another, leaving behind people whom I loved deeply.  I said goodbye to my son, his wife, and my grandchildren as they left for the foreign mission field.  In each case, I wept.  I wept because I loved.  If we do not weep, then we do not love.