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This week we continue our discussion of chapter 22 of Luke’s Gospel. Please read verses 54-62 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 22:56-62 (NLT)
‘A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally, she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!” After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!”
“No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.” But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered that the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.’
There is a phrase origination in the 19thcentury that goes something like this: ‘When the chickens come home to roost’. I’m sure that you will have heard this at some point or other and it essentially means that whatever you do that is bad will eventually come back and hurt you also. It was originally coined in order to explain that we should be careful about what we say because everything will rebound on us at some point. Well, I can’t say that for sure but we know from the Bible that ‘We reap what we sow’, that our ‘tongue is a fire’ and ‘be sure that your sin will find you out’.
I know from experience that I have indeed been the recipient of things that I have done or said in the past. Also, as a very young lad, I used to play a table football game and the players were quite expensive. I couldn’t afford them but I really loved the game and wanted this new set of footballers. One day while out shopping with my parents, I was looking through the toy section and saw the footballers that I so desperately wanted. I had no money but my desire was stronger than my sense of right and wrong. So, I slipped this set of players under my coat and walked out of the shop. I can’t remember the exact detail but I sat in the car thinking that I had gotten away with it. Then my mother turned to me and asked what was wrong. At that point, my guilt hit me like a train and I sobbed and sobbed. My sin had found me out. I had no option other than to take the set back into the store and walk out empty handed. From that point on, every time I saw the game, I was overcome with shame and I couldn’t play it any longer. I knew what I had done was wrong but I did it anyway and then paid the penalty.
I can only imagine what Peter went through as hissin found himout. Perhaps after the first denial, he may have thought that he’d gotten away with it. I’m sure that after the second, he would have thought that he was home and dry. Then the last denial takes place and at that very moment, Peter sees Jesus once more. The look of the Saviour hits Peter like a train and just like my story earlier, he too could do nothing other than to weep and weep bitterly.
I can’t believe for one second that Jesus’ face showed anything apart from love and compassion. He had prayed that Peter’s faith would not completely fail. He knew that Peter would fall and at this point, I believe that Jesus’ love was bounding toward him.
Don’t be discouraged if you fall. Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy that say “you’re finished”. I’m absolutely sure that God’s purpose in your life is bigger than any failure. “My sin was great, Your love was greater. What can separate me now? What a wonderful name, the name of Jesus.”
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