Jesus STILL Went to the Cross
“Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.”
“A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:53-62, NIV)
As far as the disciples go, Peter is probably the most well known. He’s memorable, he’s relatable, and he’s known for both his passionate faith in Christ and his antics. He walked on water, but he almost drowned because he got wrapped up in the moment and took his focus off Jesus. He was a fisherman, the “rock” on which the early church is built, and one of Jesus’ closest friends. He cut off the ear of one of the soldiers who showed up to arrest Jesus.
But probably most notably, he’s the guy that denied Christ three times mere hours after the whole group was together in the upper room at the Last Supper. It’s hard to imagine, but it took less than a day to go from that intimate Passover meal to Christ’s arrest and the subsequent scattering of all the disciples. By the time Christ’s trial in front of the Sanhedrin took place, only Peter was left to follow Him, and even then, he followed at a distance.
For most of us, we probably can’t imagine a reality in which we would physically walk with Jesus, watching Him teach and minister to people for years, and all in one night, have everything break apart. Most of us probably want to believe that we’d be that one disciple who vehemently refused to leave Jesus’ side while he was being tried, accused, and sentenced. Most of us want to believe we’d come in with the energy Peter originally displayed in trying to fight off the soldiers that arrested Jesus. We’d like to believe that we’d fight tooth and nail to defend and protect Him.
And most people don’t know how Peter could go from that to denying Christ three times before the night is through. Not even Peter believed it himself when Jesus told him he would. In fact, Peter promises Jesus he’d follow Him even if it meant prison or death (Luke 22:33). So how on earth could it be that this very same Peter, whose name was actually changed to accommodate his surety of faith and His calling in the early church?
And yet, a mere 20 verses later, Peter is hiding amongst the crowd, huddled around a fire when he’s recognized. A woman notices him and confronts him. This man was with this Jesus who is on trial. Peter replies that he doesn’t know Jesus. A while later, another person sees him and affirms that this man was one of Jesus’ disciples; someone who lived closely, followed, and loved Him. Again, Peter denies this, saying he must be mistaken. He is not one of those disciples.
One last time, someone else accuses Peter of being with Jesus, citing his Galilean background. This time, Peter so adamantly denies this man that some accounts say Peter started to curse and swear to really sell this final denial. And then, scripture says that even in this crowded area, just as Peter realizes what he’s done, Jesus looks at Peter.
I can only imagine what Peter felt at that moment. The deep grief at realizing his faith was not as rock-solid as he thought. The embarrassment of being humbled enough to see that even he could waver in his passion for Christ. The sorrow of knowing that not only was Jesus right that Peter would deny Him, but that He witnessed Peter so harshly renounce Him. Certainly, Peter must have felt unworthy of the name Jesus gave Him: Peter, meaning rock. The moment Jesus’ eyes met Peter’s, he must’ve felt like Simon, the man he was before Christ.
You know what? We’ve all been there. Maybe not in that exact position, but certainly in a situation where we’ve sinned and then felt the Lord’s eyes on us. Because despite the strength of the faith we think we have, we will all fall short. None of us are perfect or have walked with Christ so long that we have attained a sinless life. What it comes down to is that no matter how long we’ve lived in submission to Jesus, we will always need Him to be our Savior.
Because if even Peter messed up– and he knew Jesus in a context that we will never know on this side of eternity– then who are we to believe that we won’t grieve the Lord just as much? And yes, in those moments we are convicted of our sin and wrongdoing, we are evermore aware of Jesus’ eyes on us. But His conviction is meant to drive us to our knees in repentance so that He can forgive us of our transgressions.
Even in these moments– moments where we feel the guilt of our sin and denial of God’s goodness– He still draws us near. Because the truth is, even after Peter’s adamant denial of Christ, Jesus still went to the cross for Peter. He didn’t save the world and leave out Peter to teach him a lesson. He didn’t stand nailed to a cross and say, “This is for everyone but Peter, because after all these years, he all of a sudden doesn’t know me so why should I save him?”
No, even when Jesus had every reason to be upset with Peter, He died for him. Even when Peter fell short of the faith he thought he walked in, Christ shed His blood to cover that offense. And even more beautiful than that: Jesus still called Simon to be Peter at the beginning of His ministry, even knowing in His Godship that Peter would deny knowing Him three years down the road.
What does that say to me? It says that Jesus knows us– past, present, and future– when He calls us. He sees our sinful past and still draws us near to be saved. He knows who we are at the moment of redemption and still wants us. He sees every mistake we’ll ever make and all the ways we will offend Him… and still, He loves us and went to the cross for us.
Even when Jesus renamed Simon into Peter, He know this man with a rock-solid faith would deny Him. And He still chose to call him the rock that the Church would be built on after He fulfilled God’s plan for redemption.
So this week, as the days count down to Easter where we remember the cross, the grave, His love, and His goodness to us, we should meditate on that. We should remember that even in our deepest mistakes and struggles with our flesh, Christ still desired to draw us nearer to Him than we ever could have been without His death and resurrection. He knew you would offend Him, curse Him, deny Him– and yet, He still chose to be beaten, mocked, and killed so He could cover those sins. He knew the worst versions of yourself, and He still called you out of the eternal death of your sin and flesh. We can’t even begin to fathom the kind of love that would do that, but even now, it is freely extended to us.
Thank the Lord! Praise the One who has already paid the debts of our sin! Praise Him for seeing us at our worst and still passionately pulling us into His arms! He is worthy of our devotion, our praise, and the submission of all we have to give.
