The Lord’s prediction concerning Peter came true later that night. He is committed to your development and success, as well. If He demanded perfection, where would any of us be? Jesus was aware of Peter’s weaknesses, but He also knew that deep in him was a faithful heart, and He was determined to mine the gold. The Lord knows that in the course of life all of us will fail Him. “I have prayed for you,” the Lord said, “and because of that you’ll make it through this ordeal.” Rather than being offended or “put out” with Peter due to his impending betrayal, Christ was compassionate toward him. “Behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (vv. Evidently the Lord wasn’t the only one seeing the potential in Peter. Christ, however, knew otherwise and gave Peter the now famous “before the cock crows, you’ll deny me three times” prophecy (v. I’m sure Peter believed his level of commitment was this great. I’m ready to go to prison and die for you” (Luke 22:33, paraphrased). When Jesus spoke of his arrest and the disciples’ scattering, Peter spoke up and bragged, “I’ll never run. Like many of us, he was a bit overconfident concerning his commitment to the Master. One of Peter’s all-too-human moments came at the Last Supper, the night before Christ’s crucifixion. “Follow me!” He shouted to Peter and his brother Andrew one fateful day. He may have even mused, somewhat pensively as His prophetic gift kicked in, He is so loyal, in fact, that one day he’ll be willing to die for me (see John 13:36 21:18). A little rough around the edges, but great potential. Like any good carpenter with a raw piece of wood, Jesus could see past the knots and blemishes in Peter, to the potential within. And, like many good fishermen, Peter was known to string out a few expletives, when necessary (Matthew 26:74). This outspoken disciple sometimes wore his emotions on his sleeve – he once rebuked Jesus (Matthew 16:22) and later at the Lord’s arrest, cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant (John 18:10). A down-to-earth fisherman, grinding out a living in the small town of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, Peter was probably a tough, callous, hard-nosed individual. Simon Peter is one of those real-life characters. Affairs, murders, betrayals, failures – all the zits are there. The Bible puts the average reality TV show to shame. There are no worries concerning this when it comes to the scriptures. Pedestals are great for non-human displays, but they are far too unstable to support the average human. One of the things I like about the Bible is that God allows its heroes of faith to be real, choosing not to hide their humanness from the rest of us all-too-human earthlings.
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