JESUS DENIED BY PETER – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross
I said even if everyone else
Turns on you I promise I never will
I thought you were wrong wrong wrong Wrong about me…
I screamed even if I have to die I’m never never gonna deny you
I thought you were wrong wrong wrong Wrong about me…
You used the words of an old gone man Said God will strike the shepherd down
I know these lines have never been wrong before But I swear they won’t define me now
I knew you were wrong wrong wrong Wrong about me…
When she asked her question
That servant girl she broke my heart I knew she was the message
That you had spoken all along
Two behind her followed in the prints her feet had made
Said they’d seen me walking with you said my tongue gave me away
But I swore against their charges claimed you I’d never known
Just in time to hear the bird you promised lift its head and crow
I wish you were wrong wrong wrong Wrong about me…
Peter’s three-fold denial of Jesus is a well documented incident. Not only is it recorded in all four of the gospel accounts, but history has provided a wealth of art, music, and writing to immortalize one man’s set of egregious mistakes. A lesser known addition to this collection is a poem written by pastor John Piper entitled ‘Peter and John.’ The work examines Peter’s denial from some years after the fateful event, by imagining a reunion between the two disciples.
Piper’s words are simple. His rhyme and rhythm straightforward. Still they paint a powerful picture of unbearable regret. As they reminisce, Peter confides in John that his denial of Jesus still haunts him. Peter’s mistake has grown into a plaguing remorse, despite any good work he can do in Jesus’ name. Though the conversation is entirely speculative, Piper’s assumptions could very well be true. Jesus predicted Peter’s behavior, and even with a warning, Peter turned his back on his friend and Savior.
We know Peter was an emotional and zealous man. He was the one with the courage to step out of the boat in Matthew 14:22-33. He rebukes Jesus when Jesus predicts his own death (Matthew 16:22- 23). Peter draws the sword and cuts off the soldier’s ear in the garden. And when Jesus says that all of his friends will leave him, Peter declares with full intent and belief, “even if all fall away, I will not,” (Mark 14:29). Jesus’ reply must have been heart breaking to such a devoted man: “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today - yes, tonight - before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”
What a blow this must have been to Peter’s spirit! It was a statement that directly challenged his devotion. But what Jesus says is true, even when it may confuse or be hard to stomach. Remember, Jesus also proclaimed that Peter would be the rock on which the church would be built. This too is true. And what an empowering truth that must have been! Peter certainly stepped into this role after Jesus’ departure. Not wallowing in his mistakes, but becoming the man that Jesus saw in him.
Though Piper’s poem spends a good deal of its time illustrating Peter’s burden, it also accurately portrays Christ’s desire for full forgiveness and redemption. He ends the conceived conversation with John laying hands on Peter and praying for him:
His hands on Peter’s head and prayed: Come now, O Lord, and touch with me, Come, Jesus, heal the memory
Come, Spirit, spread a table here:
No sin, no guilt, no pain, no fear.
Come pour the cup and break the bread, And lift your servant Simon’s head,
And feed him with your righteousness,
And make the cup of blessing bless…
Written by Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper golgothamusic.com // poorbishophooper.com // Second edition ©2022
TODAY’S PRAYER: All of us are often like Peter. We want to follow Jesus, but we are weak.
The truth is we love him in spite of our denials. Ask Jesus to forgive you for when you deny him.
Ask Jesus to speak encouragement over you, and open your eyes and heart to the truth of who he has made you to be.
TODAY’TS AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Loneliness. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Presence. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 14:66-72: “While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.
But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.
When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” Again he denied it.
After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.”. Further Reading: Mark 14:27-30; Matthew 26:69-75; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:25-27; Zechariah 13:7.
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