Articles
When Our Rooster Crows
“The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter”. That portion of a verse from Luke 22 doesn’t mean much unless you know the story. If you don’t, read Luke 22. If you do, have you ever had the feeling that Peter must have had? I’m sure in imagining if I’ve ever felt that way, I can’t come close.
Peter’s very next action is to go outside and cry his heart out with a sorrow that probably none of us has ever experienced in its entirety.
Peter has just saved his own skin by refusing to admit he knew Jesus, something any of us could do facing death as the consequence, even though we say we never would. Jesus had told Peter exactly what Peter would do, even though Peter had said NEVER, I’ll die first! When Peter heard “cock-a-doodle-do” from that rooster, even before he made eye contact with Jesus, can’t you just feel the chills running down his spine? And then, to have Jesus look directly at him. Jesus could have had an “I told you so look”, but given the heart of Jesus maybe it was more like an “I love you Peter, this is the test of your life! What are you going to do now?” look.
Just a few short hours before all this, Jesus had told Peter he would fall, but then said “when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers”. Christ knew Peter would fall, but prayed for Peter’s return to his strength and conviction, which we all know he did.
Peter didn’t stay down, he got back up. We see him preaching the first Gospel sermon in Acts 2 not long after all this, standing out as a leader of the chosen 12, boldly standing and telling the people that just killed Jesus, that they were guilty of killing the Son of God. Perhaps his life was not in as much danger during that sermon. The people probably did not have the same level of contempt for him that they did Christ, but certainly the same people that killed Jesus were there, he was confronting them, but now a repentant, renewed, stronger Peter.
Today, we need to learn from Peter. We need to learn to be prepared to answer before the question even comes in our lives. We also need to know that should we fall, we can get back up, repent, and resume our position. We need to understand that Jesus knows our weaknesses, but desires to assist us in realizing our strengths.
