In our world today, most people do not like to give second chance after second chance. Maybe someone generous will give someone a second chance, but that is rare and will not extend to a third, fourth, or fifth chance. This is not the way with God. When we turn away from Him and let Him down, He is always ready and waiting for us to turn back to Him. He is a God who gives us chance after chance to turn to Him, even when we let Him down and turn away from Him. One person who experienced this first-hand was Peter, Jesus' disciple who denied knowing Jesus after He was arrested to be crucified on the cross, not once, not twice, but three times.
We can read about Peter’s story in the New Testament. The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all tell us about the time that he denied knowing Jesus in the moments leading up to Jesus
' brutal death on the cross. Certainly fearful for his life, he denied knowing Jesus when three different people asked if he was one of Jesus’ followers after Jesus was arrested. Luke 23:62 tells us that when Peter realized what he had done, he “wept bitterly.” He was devastated by what he had done. He had messed up terribly.
Imagine how Peter must have felt when he discovered that Jesus had risen from the grave and was alive. Maybe he was afraid. Maybe he was ashamed. Maybe he was just thrilled to see this teacher whom he loved again. Perhaps he felt that he was too far gone ever to be used by Jesus again. Whatever he was feeling, Peter was in desperate need of restoration after denying knowing Jesus. Jesus lovingly offered that moment of restoration in John 21. While spending time with His disciples, Jesus looked at Peter and asked him three times, “Do you love Me?” (verse 17). This was the same number of times he had denied Jesus. Scripture reveals that "Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time" (verse 17). Certainly, he was thinking about how badly he had messed up by denying Jesus three times. By asking this question three times, Jesus was restoring His relationship with Peter. He was giving Peter three more opportunities to confess His love for Jesus. As Peter answered Jesus’ questions with “yes,” each time, Jesus followed up with a command to care for His “sheep.” This command made it clear that Jesus had restored Peter and would still use him in big ways. Peter went on to be one of the most influential people in the church.
Friends, God is a God of restoration. Our mistakes do not deter Him. When we turn back to Him, He is willing and able to forgive us every single time. Not only this, but He will also restore us. Praise God for His redemption when we turn back to Him!
Today, write a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving to God. Thank Him that He does not give up on us when we let Him down. Commit to living in a way that honors Him and the new chances He offers each day to follow and live for Him.
1Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.
18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
20 Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” 21 Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”
22 Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” 23 So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
24 This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate.
25 Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.