Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me.” … Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same. [Matthew 26:31a,33-35 (NLT)]
I think the worst thing my parents could say was that they were disappointed in me. Knowing I hadn’t lived up to their high expectations, I’d hang my head in shame as they added, “We expected far better from you.” I never wanted to disappoint them but, unfortunately, like every child, I often did.
While parents tend to envision having the perfect child—one who never disobeys, makes unwise choices, or gets a bad grade—God doesn’t operate under that delusion. Knowing us, He has realistic expectations of His fallen children. Nevertheless, while He understands that we can’t live up to His standard of perfection, God does expect us to do our best and He provides the guidance and power to do so. Even so, we’ll falter more times than we can count and, when that happens, rather than being disappointed in us, God is disappointed for us.
When they deserted the Lord that Thursday evening in Gethsemane, none of the disciples behaved much like true believers. Although the others also may have denied knowing Jesus that night, only Peter’s denials were recorded for posterity. While Jesus was being questioned, slandered, spit upon, blindfolded, and beaten, Peter was warming himself by a fire. Then the disciple who claimed to be ready to die for Jesus failed Him miserably by denying even knowing the Lord. Jesus wasn’t surprised in the disciples’ desertion and Peter’s betrayal; He expected it. In fact, He predicted it.
When Jesus appeared Easter morning, He didn’t tell the disciples how disappointed He was in them or shame them for their desertion. Instead, Jesus’ first words were words of love and reconciliation, “Shalom…peace be with you.” Then, instead of chastening them for their fear and doubt at His resurrected presence, Jesus ate with them! Rather than single out Peter and censure him for his denials, Jesus simply asked the disciple if he loved Him. Despite Peter’s previous failures, Jesus loved and forgave the man and appointed him to “feed my sheep.”
Peter’s failings didn’t define him and neither should ours. Peter denied Christ and yet he was in that room with the other disciples on Easter morning. A betrayal doesn’t have to send us away from Jesus into the depths of despair, as it did for Judas. A betrayal can bring us closer to Christ, as it did for Peter. Repentance and forgiveness turned Peter, the betrayer, into Peter, the Rock, the powerful preacher and fearless leader of the early Church!
Like Peter and the disciples, we are flawed people. As much as we want to honor and please God, there will be times we make poor choices and disappoint Him. The good news is that God never will disappoint us! Although He grieves for every one of our bad choices, He never will leave us, stop believing in us, or take His Holy Spirit from us.
Fish play a prominent role in Scripture, especially in the New Testament. Jesus preached from a fishing boat, the first disciples were fishermen, and Jesus called them to be fishers of men. It was at His instruction that Peter found tax money in the mouth of a fish and the disciples netted two miraculous catches of fish. Jesus multiplied a few fish and loaves into food enough to feed thousands not once but twice! He compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a fishing net and, after His resurrection, Jesus even ate fish twice with the disciples. The frequent mention of fish in the New Testament, however, doesn’t fully explain how the fish symbol (ixthus/icthus) came to be one of the most recognized symbols of Christianity today.
When I saw a wildflower that looked like a helicopter’s rotors, I showed it to the park’s naturalist for identification. Not as impressive as Scarlet Hibiscus or as colorful as Butterfly Weed, she found the plant unworthy of name or notice and wrote it off as “just a weed!” What some people call “weeds,” I think of as wildflowers and a little research told me it was the floret of Egyptian Crowfoot Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium). Native to Africa and widely distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, it is one of the most drought-resistant of grasses.
Hebrews 11 lists the great examples of faith found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Every story, however, has a supporting cast and, while we may not remember or even know their names, they played an important role in everyone’s story. We know Moses is one of those heroes of faith but what of the midwives Shiphrah and Puah? If they hadn’t defied Pharaoh’s orders to kill newborn Hebrew boys, Moses wouldn’t have lived long enough to be found by Pharaoh’s daughter let alone lead Israel to the Promised Land!
Several years ago, I purchased a beautifully drawn coloring book featuring scenes from the Colorado mountain town that had been part of our lives for thirty-five years. Since it was a gift for one of my grands, I asked the artist to sign the book. She added these words to her signature: “Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines!” Was the artist’s advice limited to her book or was it about something more?
In the Gospel stories of the two miraculous catches of fish, experience told the disciples that fishing in the light of day was the wrong time and casting a net from the right side of the boat was the wrong way to do it. Nevertheless, that’s exactly how Jesus told them to fish. If we look at those stories more figuratively, we see that night time was man’s time and the boat’s left side was man’s way. Those miraculous catches, however, tell us that the right time is whenever God says it is and the right way is however God says it’s to be done!
Devotions of the Heart 