I Am The One And Only
Matthew 26:75 (NIV) —
‘Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the cock crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.’
Have you ever had words tumble out of your mouth you immediately, or later regretted? I can imagine Peter may have experienced this a few times in his life, none more so than here. A little earlier, Peter, in a rush of overconfidence, had claimed he would never betray Jesus. Here he is, while his mentor and closest friend is on trial for his life, denying he even knows Jesus. The sound of the cock crowing must have been the worst sound to hear in that moment. As that cock crowed, Peter was heart-stricken: Jesus went to the cross knowing one of his inner circle denied ever knowing him. In his death Jesus was isolated.
While this is an extreme situation, all of us have had a moment where words tumbled out and we saw or knew immediately they caused damage of some kind. Perhaps words spoken in anger, out of fear, a misunderstanding, ignorance, arrogance, or maybe even spoken with intention. I know if I look back in my life, I’d tick off each of these and find more examples. Early on in my walk with Jesus, I know I denied my faith out of fear of what others would say. Fear got the better of me.
Oddly, something that brings me comfort is that Peter denied Jesus despite having met him and lived with him. He had an intimate physical knowledge of Jesus on earth. We don’t, which can make this journey of faith and sharing who Jesus is that much harder.
Despite this heart-breaking moment, Peter is not written off by God. He sees and performs miracles, teaches people who Jesus was and is and what he did for them. And on the rock of Peter's restored faith in Jesus, God would build the church. Peter - deeply flawed but chosen by God. We too are chosen by God. We are seen, loved and chosen.
Prayer - God, no matter what things we have done or said help us to come back to your grace. A grace that doesn’t condemn us but forgives and restores.