Peter was a follower of Jesus and part of his most intimate group of followers. He was very confident in his commitment to Jesus and reassured him that he was ready to follow him to the death! The Lord told Peter that that wasn’t the case – and that very soon he would instead deny him. We see this exchange in John 13:36-38:
Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
The lack of confidence Jesus had in Peter’s commitment must have hurt him, but it paled in comparison to what he’d experience over the next several days. The Lord had a plan to change Peter deeply – a call God has to each of us that are his followers.
As Jesus stated, Peter indeed denied him three times before he was murdered. Peter abandoned the one he loved in word and deed. After Jesus was resurrected from the grave, he met his disciples and gave Peter a chance to reaffirm – three times – his love for him. Jesus asked Peter in three different ways if he loved him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”. The book of John records that Peter was hurt the third time Jesus asked. Maybe Peter perceived Jesus was reminding him of his three denials. Regardless, these clever questions were part of a process to change him into the rock that the Lord would use to build his church.
Peter was a changed person and it was reported he clung to Christ even as he was killed for his faith. May each of us as Christ followers strive to encounter the Lord in a way that we walk away deeply changed.
Listen in on Kevin’s Message from Last Week
(great insights on the meaning of these 3 questions)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:05 — 11.8MB)




