In Matthew, at the end of chapter 26, we read of Peter’s denial of Christ. After the third denial, “Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, ‘Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75 NASB)
When you know the whole story of Peter’s walk with God, you can find some comfort in this part of his story. Just a bit earlier Peter told Jesus, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” [and], “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” (Matthew 26:33, 35 NASB) Yet here he is, just a short time later, weeping bitterly because he just denied knowing Jesus. Not just once, but three times!
Then Jesus died.
So where’s the comfort in this story? Well, it is in knowing the whole story. First of all, on the third day Jesus arose, conquering death! The power of His resurrection gives meaning and power to everything He says and does.
This gives greater comfort when we know the whole story of Peter. When he wept bitterly I can just imagine Jesus looking over at Peter and feeling His heart fill with compassion for the man that just denied him. When Peter wept bitterly it was an outward sign of the inner sorrow for what he just did. Jesus’ compassion led to His forgiveness of Peter, and to Peter’s subsequent status as a great leader of the disciples and the church. Jesus’ resurrection gave power to His forgiveness.
We can take comfort in this story in Matthew, because it shows us that we can be sure that Jesus will never stop having compassion for us. No matter how far we walk away from God and thereby denying Him, we can know that He will always have the desire to take us back. We too can and must weep bitterly over the sins that separate us from Christ, but we can be confident that our Lord will have mercy on us. His resurrection is proof that His love for us is never ending!
Because He Lives!!