And Peter remembered the word of Jesus which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:75
A man I worked with many years ago used to steal items from the company inventory. This man was urged many times by his fellow workers not to steal, warning him that someday he would be caught, and some even threatening to report him to the general manager. But he continued his stealing until one day the general manager caught him taking a valuable set of tools. He was fired on the spot. He pleaded with the general manager to give him another chance, but the general manager told him that he had known about his stealing for a long time but had been unable to catch him at it before. He also knew that the man had been warned many times but had continued his thefts. So the thief was denied a second chance, unlike Peter whose remorse was genuine.
Although we wonder at Peter’s shameful denials in the face of the warning that he had received, we must also be deeply touched by the depths of his remorse. His boast never to deny his Lord was prideful, but it was also sincere. He had never imagined the possibility that anything could cause him to fail in this regard. His love and devotion to His Lord was genuine and strong. His failure was not realizing how great would be the challenge he would face, and not realizing that his pride was no protection against defeat. What Peter experienced has been of immeasurable help to countless Christians ever since, warning us not to boast in our selves to retain our devotion and fellowship with our Lord. If Peter, who was so close to the Lord Jesus, could fail so easily, how much must we guard ourselves against vain boasting and against situations where we might experience challenges to our faith and devotion.
Consider Peter’s feelings, as he realized that he had just committed the great blunder that he had boasted against. He knew that the Lord Jesus knew him better than he knew himself. Because His love for the Lord was so deep and sincere, he felt an overwhelming crush of shame and grief. As he looked back over those three denials, he must have wondered how he could ever have done that. His strong and vibrant spirit was dealt a devastating blow, one that he never forgot. In Peter’s great remorse for His denials, we see hope and comfort for ourselves. We have been no better than Peter in the face of must less demanding trials, so rather than pointing the finger at him, we need to learn Peter’s lesson and be ashamed of our failures.
How many tears of remorse have we shed over our failures to be and say what our Lord desires us to be and say? The extent of Peter’s restoration is directly based on the extent of his remorse for his failures. -Jim MacIntosh