To deny Jesus is to lose everything, including any hope for eternal life. And if you deny Him six times, like Peter did on the night before Jesus was crucified, then your case would appear to be hopeless, indeed.
But Peter’s story gives us hope, not because of his repeated denials, but because of our Lord’s victory over his failures. Just as Jesus triumphed over death, so He empowered Peter to triumph over his loss of courage. And if Jesus can do that for Peter, He can do that for us.
Lots of folks debate how many times Peter denied the Lord: was it three times, or was it six times? The answer is that the rooster crowed twice, and Peter denied Jesus three times before each crowing of the rooster. Which makes six.
Now, before you get all caught up in the counting, ask yourself this: how many times have you denied the Lord Jesus? That is the crucial question, isn’t it? And what does it mean to “deny” Jesus?
The word “deny” means to disclaim association with a person or to repudiate someone. On the surface, it is the ultimate rejection any one person can utter about another. Such a denial represents a turning point in relationship from which there appears to be no returning. If this was true, however, Peter would be in hell today.
What matters is the condition of the heart at the moment of denial. What is the motivator of the denial? Depending upon the nature of the denial, a restored relationship is possible.
In Peter’s case, a lack of courage mixed with pride was at work. He had previously boasted that he would be willing to die with Jesus, but fear gripped his heart and denials flowed from his lips. Notice, however, that he never stopped loving Jesus; otherwise, he would never have wept over the course of events that tragic night.
For others however, a denial of Jesus flows from a heart filled with doubts. Thomas comes to mind, and in a moment of fear, he too ran away from his Lord. Each one of us may face times in life when we are tempted to deny Jesus out of fear, or pride, or doubt. In such times, tortuous and depressing as they are, there is still hope.
It is the heart of unbelief, however, for which there is no hope at all. In contrast to Peter and the others who wavered on the edge of faith, and who experienced a night of agonizing weakness of spirit, a man like Judas plunged straight into damnation because of his unbelief. Judas loved religion. He loved his country, and he loved Jesus so long as he thought he could use Jesus to advance his agenda. But he never surrendered his heart to the Lord as had the others. He went to his death regretting what he did, but there was no faith in his heart to call upon in those dark hours as there was for Peter.
What about you?
Is yours a heart that makes room for Jesus? Do you believe in Him on His terms and conditions, not your own? All He asks is that you follow Him in faith, and if you do, then you can be sure of His love in the darkest of hours. Even if your courage fails on some dark night of the soul, remember what the sunrise on resurrection Sunday morning brought for Peter. It brought him hope, and it brought him the power to move beyond denial.
It can do the same for you.
