Hope Still

“Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also [one] of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not.” (Joh 18:17 AV)

Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed to the rising sun.  I find it interesting that John mentions only one denial.  The other gospels mention either all three occasions of Peter’s denial or the rooster’s crow, or both.  Only John mentions one occurrence without mentioning the completed action.  What this means, I cannot say.  Perhaps because John was the one who invited Peter to join the crowd, he felt it was unnecessary to make a point of Peter’s failure.  Or, more than likely, John was all about Jesus and not about Peter.  He was focused on the event of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ and not on the human events that surrounded it.  There is a profound takeaway here.  Peter denied knowing Jesus Christ.  Other gospel entries tell us he went so far as to curse with the lost as he denied Christ.  Peter was as far away from Christ as he had been since his initial calling.  Things were not going well for him.  Jesus had called him Satan.  When Peter tried to convince Jesus to forgo the crucifixion, Jesus said, “Get thee behind me, Satan.”  Now we see him denying Christ with profanity. The very next time we read of Peter was at the seaside, fishing.  He had went back to his former occupation.  When confronted by Christ, he jumped into the sea because he was immodestly dressed.  Not Peter’s finest hour.  Yet, outside of Paul, Peter affected his world for Christ more than any other disciple.

We may feel as though we have failed the LORD more times than He would tolerate.  Perhaps we have fallen into deep sin.  Perhaps we have made a series of poor choices that brought us low.  When reading of Peter, I was moved to internalize it.  What if that were me?  What if I was the one who spoke as I did before Christ came into my heart and denied being a Christian with ugly passion?  What if I were the one who went back to my old friends and lived as I once lived?  What if I were the one who, instead of being a disciple of Christ, sowed confusion and hatred of Christ among those who never knew Him?  How would I feel?  Would I think that God would ever love me again?  Would I think that God could ever do a miracle for me again?  What would be going through my head or heart?

The fact that Christ restored Peter is a miracle in itself.  But restoring Peter to a place of usefulness beyond most others is something one cannot understand.  There are many believers in the same situation as Peter.  In the past, they were faithful believers.  They passed out tracts.  They were faithful to services.  They read their Bibles and prayed regularly.  Then something happened.  Now they are in the world, and they fight against God rather than with Him.  They may come to church once in a blue moon.  But their hearts are far from God.  Will God ever love me again? They ask.  There is a time, like Peter on the sea, in which they float around on neutral ground.  They are not in the world, but they are not with Christ.  Let me encourage you.  Jesus never stopped loving you.  God has been and always will be your loving Father.  He will restore you if you let Him.  He will use you to affect the kingdom, if you let Him.  So, cast yourself into the sea of God's mercy.  Swim to shore as Peter did.  Then take up again the mantel of God’s service and ignore the foolish charges of the devil!