Reflecting on John 18:25-27“‘You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?’ He denied it, saying, ‘I am not.'” (John 18:25)
Peter is seen as one of the main leaders of the Jesus movement.
Eventually Peter was willing to suffer and die for following Jesus.
Yet at this moment, he was not prepared to follow Jesus, not to death.
“Whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father. (Matthew 10:33)
So does Jesus disown Peter before the Father?
I know people who have have disowned Jesus; they once believed but no more.
I fear we are too quick to assume that God is done with them too.
Peter clearly and fully disowns Jesus.
He even declares himself cursed by God, if he is lying (Matthew 26:74)
I believe God’s mercy extends all the way to the moment we stand before God.
Some disowners, like Peter, will reclaim Jesus before they die.
Others may die disowning Jesus, but will encounter Jesus’s love when they see Him.
Jesus is, and always will be, merciful, allowing the penitent to come.
But if at THAT moment, standing before Him in all His mercy, they STILL disown Him…
In the end, Jesus gives us what we want… and for some that may disowning.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You do not willfully disown anyone. Help me not to give up on anyone, even if they have given up on You. The door is always open: for them, for me, for everyone!