THURSDAY, APRIL 1ST - HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY

(But, I did my April Fool’s Joke last Sunday in my “Funday” - so today is serious)

What happened to Peter?

I think many people - Christian or Not - can identify with the apostle Peter.  I do.  I associate the word “impetuous” with Peter.  

The definition of impetuous is: acting or done quickly and without thought or care.

Kind of a shoot before you think or aim!!!

Peter is the only one of the apostles to get out of the boat when Jesus walked on the water.  Peter is the one who said Jesus was the Messiah, only to say something stupid a few minutes later.  Peter wears his thoughts on his sleeve.  When he has been fishing all night and not caught anything and Jesus says toss your nets on the other side of your boat, I can see Peter rolling his eyes - thinking “as if that would make a difference” - and then catching so many the net almost breaks.  Peter falls asleep while Jesus prays.  Peter blurts out “I’ll make three tents for you” when Jesus, Moses, and Elijah are together.

So - what happened to Peter.  At the Last Supper, Jesus says to Peter that he will deny Jesus.  Peter (of course) says “no way”.  And, Jesus says before the cock/rooster crows three times Peter will deny Jesus.   

In the garden, while Jesus prays, Peter falls asleep three times.  Then when the mob comes to arrest Jesus, Peter takes a sword and chops off the ear of one of the crowd.  (I don’t imagine that Peter had a lot of experience in sword fighting).  (strikes 1 and 2)

Then Peter is outside the house where Jesus is being tried and does deny Jesus three times. Luke describes this thusly:

And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”  And he went out and wept bitterly.

Luke 22:60-62.

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So, my question - what happened to Peter?

He went out and wept bitterly.  

Have you ever been so remorseful that you have wept bitterly?  I can picture Peter totally devastated - the Man he had been following for three years - and believed in - was going to be killed.  He had (seemingly) wasted three years of his life - following a dream - and a dream that wasn’t going to happen.  It was all for naught.  They would kill Jesus and that would be the end of it.  What a waste of Peter’s time.  He could have been home with his wife (and presumably children).  He could be fishing.  But, here he was in Jerusalem - away from home, away from his family - and his life was shattered.  Three years - gone and nothing to show from it.  Three years of walking around Israel and what?  Nothing, Nil, Zilch, Zippo, Zero!!!

Did he go out and get drunk?  Did he go home to Capernaum?  (It would take several days - Google maps suggest 39 hours of walking.) Did he go out into the desert and hide in a cave?  

He couldn’t go to the temple - he already learned that his speech and clothing marked him as a Galilean.  Could he go back to where the other disciples were?  He didn’t want them to know how stupid he had been.  How he was never going to deny Jesus - and just so quickly he did!!!  

We didn’t hear of Peter for three days.  He is not at the crucifixion, he is not at the tomb.  He just is absent until the resurrection - when (Mark 16:7) the angel says “Go tell the disciples AND PETER”.  The angel explicitly said, “and Peter”.  

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What do you do when you reach rock bottom? When you realize that your dream didn’t work when you find out that you are a loser - what do you do?

Has your faith been shattered?  Has your best friend written you off?  Has your spouse kicked you out of your house?  Did you get fired?  Did a pastor, or somebody in the church go astray?  Has your country forgotten you and is marching to a different tune and a different leader?  

On this Holy Week - or Passover week - or whatever you are observing (or not) - where are you (and I) putting our thoughts?

Proverbs 13:12: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Follow your dreams!!!  (Don’t let the problems make you wept bitterly!!)

LOVE WINS!!

HUGS!!

Karen