A FRESH START
Movies and TV shows are full of time travel. Sometimes the time travel goes back to the past to change some event(s) for the better. Sometimes the leap is into the future to see if there is change needed for a fresh start. At the heart of these adventures is to find a different method or situation for some improvements. In real life aren’t many people searching for some guaranties or a fresh start? However, most ignore the best new start- not only in this life but for all of eternity. When we fail, Jesus restores us and gives us hope. When we come to faith in Christ, we realize there is nothing we can do to earn a right relationship with God. Now that we are Christians, we still fail, but we sometimes chastise ourselves for failing. The same grace we needed for salvation is the same grace we need to live it out. The hope we have in Christ is grounded in grace, and we need to experience that grace every day.
Read John 18:15-18, 25-27
The events in these verses occurred on the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, at the high priest’s residence in Jerusalem after Jesus’ arrest. This situation happened quickly in different locations.
The other disciple mentioned here I probably John, the author of this Gospel. He knew the high priest and identified himself to the woman at the door. Because of this connection, John got himself and Peter into the courtyard. So, Peter was not alone, but Peter refused to identify himself as a follower of Jesus. Peter’s experience in the next few hours would change his life.
Jesus had not come to that place alone. During this time, it was not clear whether Annas or Caiaphas was the high priest. Each held this office at different times, but it was likely Annas residence and Caiaphas may have still lived or had an office there. So, there was some confusion if there existed official authority to try Jesus. In fact, the pretrial of Jesus was not only informal but illegal. Peter and likely John showed up at the entrance to the court of the high priest’s place (v.15). The unnamed disciple was clearly known at that residence, so he gained easy entrance to the courtyard when Jesus was brought there. However, Peter was left standing at the entrance until John spoke to the doorkeeper (who was a slave girl) and she let Peter in.
Perhaps as she opened the door or gate for Peter she asked a question that was actually phrased in such a way that it would have been easy for him to say “no”. The question, in fact, was stated that “no” was the expected answer. “You are not one of this man’s disciples, too, are you?” Following the line of least resistance Peter indicated that he was not (v.17). She obviously had doubts about who she was letting into the courtyard. And Peter answered the simplest way, even though it was the untruthful way, the way of denial. Since it was cold that night the officers and servants or slaves had made a charcoal fire in the courtyard and were warming themselves around the fire (v. 18). Apparently trying to melt into the crowd, and likely because he was cold too, Peter joined the crowd around the fire, warming himself while Jesus was being subjected to questioning.
So, the stage was set (vv. 15-18) for Peter’s complete denial of Jesus. Jesus had predicted earlier that Peter would deny Him three times (13:38) before daybreak even though Peter had boasted that he (Peter) would be willing follow Jesus even to the death. While still warming himself around the fire Peter was further questioned about his relationship to Jesus. The other servants there seem to have taken up the question asked by the slave girl who served as the gatekeeper. They, too, phrased the question such a way that a negative answer was anticipated when they asked Peter if he were a disciple of Jesus. Again, Peter answered negatively (v.25). We all need to search our soul for what our answer to that question would be for us.
But once this subject was pursued one person, at least, was not willing to give up. This slave of the high priest was also a relative of Malchus, the high priest’s slave whose ear Peter had cut off in the garden. The light was probably uncertain in the garden and not too bright around a charcoal fire, but he still thought he recognized Peter as the man who had wielded the sword. He asked Peter directly if he had not seen him in the garden with Jesus. This time the question was phased in such a way that an affirmative answer was expected (V.26). But Peter’s answer was again negative. He denied that he had been in the garden with Jesus (V.27). And with this denial the cock crowed, just as Jesus had predicted. This reminds us that all of Jesus’ predictions have come true to this point in time. So, we can count on His prediction that He “will come again quickly”.
Peter had shown physical courage in the garden when he tried to protect Jesus by hacking away at Malchus. However, Peter was showing moral cowardice when tried to protect himself from the questions of a little slave girl. There is a significant contrast in the reaction of Peter and Judas to their actions. After his betrayal, Judas fell into despair and took his own life (Acts 1:18). After his denial Peter was moved to repentance and returned to Jesus, as we will see in the next segment. There is an interesting side note that many believed happened while Jesus was taken through the courtyard. It is believed Jesus actually looked at Peter following his third denial (Luke 22:61). This may have been significant in Peter’s encounter with Jesus after His resurrection.
Read John 21:15-19
The events in these verses took place after Jesus’ resurrection (perhaps a couple of weeks later). After they had finished breakfast Jesus directed a question to Simon Peter. Addressing him formally and fully as “Simon, son of John”, He asked Peter if he loved Him. Responding that Jesus knew he loved Him, Peter gave an affirmative answer to which Jesus replied by assigning him the task of feeding His lambs. But then Jesus repeated the question twice- for a total of three questions. Each time Peter answered that he loved Jesus. And each time Jesus responded by giving him a responsibility (vv.15-17). The third time Peter was grieved by the continued questions and affirmed his love for Jesus with a statement that the Lord knew everything, and He knew Peter loved Him.
This examination of Peter and his assertion of love and loyalty was a restoration of Simon Peter to ministry and service. Three times Peter had denied Jesus. Three times Jesus asked about his love for Him. I believe we can be certain that Peter had grieved a great deal about his denial of the Lord. Obviously, the other disciples knew about it and had probably discussed it among themselves. Before the group, Jesus had Simon Peter declare his love and loyalty to Him and accepting Peter’s confession gave him a ministering responsibility. He was to shepherd the sheep of Christ’s fold. This is the same responsibility we have as believers in Christ.
When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him “more than these”, what was His comparison? More than what? It could have meant more than those other men loved Jesus. After all, Peter had asserted that he would remain loyal even if it meant death (13:37). Or He could have asked Peter if he loved Him more than those things around him: the boat, the nets, the sea, the fishing enterprise. Peter had gone back to fishing, and it may have been as a vocation. If this were true, then Jesus’ question to Peter was a call to final and full commitment.
There is also a difference in the words used for “love” in the questions that Jesus asked Simon. The first two times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him with the love that C.B. Williams in “The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People” translated “devoted”. Peter answered with the word for love that Williams rendered “tenderly love”. The third time Jesus asked Peter the question He used the same word for love that Peter had used ‘tenderly love”. Peter may have been more grieved that Jesus had dropped to his level of love- than that He asked him the question three times. With the affirmative answer that Peter loved Him, Jesus assigned Peter a ministering responsibility. Jesus was not just interested in a profession of love but proof of his love by his actions. Peter had professed love but had failed in his actions. Jesus wanted the profession of love proved by his practice of love. Notice that love was the only requirement Jesus gave for witness and ministry. He just wanted to see the actions. That is what Jesus wants of all of us.
Jesus then made an observation that was rather proverbial. When Peter was young he could dress himself and carry himself wherever he wanted to go. But when he would get old then he could not care for himself that way. He could neither dress himself not determine his destination. The writer of the Gospel (John) interpreted this as an indication of the way Peter would die. In his old age Peter died by martyrdom (vv. 18-19). Traditionally, it has been thought that Peter died by crucifixion, upside down at his own request since he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
Then in verse 19 Jesus said to Peter the same words that he had said in calling him to discipleship, “Follow me”. Following Jesus is the nature of Christian discipleship. When Peter was called to discipleship it was to follow Jesus. When Peter was restored and recommissioned it was with the same command, to follow Jesus. In this beach scene, Jesus led Peter through an experience that would remove the cloud of his denial. Peter’s occupation changed from fisherman to evangelist; his identity changed from impetuous to “rock”, and his relationship to Jesus changed – he was forgiven, and he finally understood the significance of Jesus’ words about His death and resurrection. Peter had a fresh start and that is the way- the only way – for any of us for a fresh start.
“Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22-23). In verse 19, Jesus uses the tense of the verb translated “feed” refers to an ongoing action, which could be rendered “keep on feeding”. This was not to be a one-time action for Peter- or for any of us. Thinking about Peter’s three denials in Chapter 18, used the time recorded by John in chapter 21, as a way to have Peter declare his allegiance to Him the same number of times as Peter’s denials. This was to Peter his fresh start- and it worked. This tells us that we can always count on Jesus for our fresh start.
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