Luke 22:54-62
I am imagining a scene where Peter is being interviewed as his time on earth is drawing to a close. From his prison cell, he is reflecting about His intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. The interviewer asks, “Peter, we all know about your behavior the terrible night Jesus was arrested so many years ago. How do you account for your cowardice and betrayal of this Man you had professed your willingness to die for?”.
Peter, much slower to answer at 65 than he was at 35, looked at the reporter, sighing as if the question had pierced him deep and said,”Thank you for asking that question. I have thought about it much but spoken of it very little. First of all, you are correct, it was a terrible terrible night. The whole day was a series of failures. I had argued with the other disciples earlier about which of us was the greatest. Later, I had fallen asleep in the garden even after the Lord had instructed me to stay alert. Then the mob came for Jesus and I panicked, injuring a man with my sword. Then, finally there was the incident you are referring to. Yes, it was a terrible night but there is something you need to understand. It was one of the most important milestones of my journey with Him.”
The amazing thing for those of us who have continued on in our following of Jesus is that our most terrible failures have turned out to be the places of new beginnings; places where His grace has been able to touch us most deeply. These places of our gross failures have turned out to be the platforms on which God has been able to build most deeply. In these areas, we no longer have illusions of who we are and our own greatness. In these areas we know we have nothing – so Christ Himself can become our foundational-everything. I cannot tell you why, but this is just the way things work out for His true followers. Where we are most weak, He is most strong.
The reporter asks, “What did you mean when you referred to illusions as to who you were? Peter, patiently nodding as if he understood, answers and said, “Yes, excellent question. You see, none of us really knew what this kingdom of God thing was that he was always talking about. We thought it was going to be a government in the earthly sense. We all thought we were going to be chief administrators in an earthly kingdom. On top of this none of us knew our own hearts. We loved Jesus but, at the same time, each of us was envisioning our own kingdoms within His. Jesus knew we would not finish the race well with our selfish motives and self-delusion.”
Continuing, Peter added “That is why the evening you have referred to, as terrible as it was, has also become glorious to me. When Jesus turned and looked at me as the cock crowed, this was my first glimpse of something He had known all along. I was not who I thought I was. I was not the great leader of men. I was the chief of sinners. Although it is painful, my awareness of this has created a dependency that opens my heart to His righteousness, peace and joy – the essence of the kingdom He governs now and forevermore.”
The interviewer asks if he might ask one more question. “Of course”, Peter responds. “OK, what is your advice to me, as a believer, if I want to follow Christ well ?”. Peter is pleased once more at the question. He becomes sober and says, “My counsel is to not follow Jesus from a safe distance as I did the night He was betrayed by Judas. Follow Him very closely. And, do not attempt to blend in with those who do not know Him or care to know Him as I did at the high priest’s home. Instead of saying that you don’t know him. Tell the world around you that you do. Why this is so important I cannot fully explain but we are changed as we identify ourselves publicly with Him.”
Then as if a load had been lifted, Peter said, There is something else that is essential. God is using the events of your life, literally everything that touches you, to transform you into the image of Jesus. If my story is relevant, and I am sure that it is. We are all made of the same stuff. He may expose you as He did with me so that it will be Him you are really trusting in and not some illusion you have of Him or yourself. Yes, it may seem terrible in the moment but it can become an essential milestone in your journey and a part of the story you born to tell.”
These were things that may have been better understood in the early church than today. Our profession is not a one time event. It is a lifestyle of telling others about our milestone experiences and encounters with Jesus. Having a story of our own and telling it will make a dramatic impact on our lives now and in eternity. If you desire to better understand what I am saying, please read: Matthew 10:33, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26 and 2 Timothy 2:12.
Father, so be it if You must turn Your gaze upon us and provoke the same kind of bitter tears that Peter shed. Help us to recognize the events you are trying to use in helping us appraise ourselves more accurately so that we may trust you more completely. It is a glorious privilege to be called Your children. Do the necessary work in us so that You become our rock and foundation and we will walk openly and in step with You in boldness and joy. Amen.