Good morning my friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and that you are taking physical, tangible steps to follow the Lord closely this week!

Friday we watched Peter [follow Jesus at a distance] in Luke 22:54. We discussed the fact that following Jesus at a distance always leads to some form of denial, and that's certainly what happened to Peter. He denied Jesus, not to a soldier, not to a raging crowd, but to a simple servant girl. And the passage ends with Peter weeping bitterly.

Please read Luke 22:61. Jesus looked straight at Peter... again. As we learned when we first began this study, the terminology here is not a look of condemnation, but the exact opposite. This is the look that said “You are Simon... but you will be Peter.” A look of love, forgiveness, and purpose.

And Simon... and all that Simon had held onto, was broken in that moment. And he wept bitterly.

He had not fully traded his identity until this moment. Even in the garden he was the only one to fight for his Savior with a sword, but as soon as he was left alone he failed. He was disappointed, disillusioned, confused, afraid, and he defined his actions at that moment by those things, rather than what he knew about his Savior. He acted based on what he didn't know (what would happen to him? What would people think? What would happen next?) rather than on what he did. And he denied Jesus.

I wonder if it was at this very moment, in complete brokenness, that Simon finally became... [Peter].

And so while we grimace in pain as we relate to the terrible consequences in which Simon denied his best friend and Savior, we can rejoice in knowing that Simon was not defined by his failures, he was defined by his Savior. And the more he learned to walk closely, the more he was willing to trade in his identity, the more he would be able to become steadfast and useable. This was the last recorded time that Peter tried to figure out or define or FIX his circumstances. From this point on, it was only about what he KNEW... it was only about Jesus.

It was through brokenness that Simon finally became Peter.

It was through the forgiveness of a Savior that Peter was restored.

The denial is recorded in each of the gospels, but it is not mentioned again. Peter was not allowed to continue to revisit his failures, he was supposed to go forward and follow. And he did. We are defined by what we follow. If we follow our failures, our fears, our insecurities, we will always be defined by them. Always.

If we follow a Savior, we will be saved from those things that hinder us. Always.

So do not follow Him at a distance. Stay close. And go forward.

Peter and His Savior were both going through the epitome of brokenness at the same time. It really is impossible to imagine the pain that Peter must have suffered, not only watching Jesus die on the cross, but also knowing that he had just denied him. But Jesus had forgiven him. He wanted Peter to follow him forward.

Check out Mark 16:6-7.

“But go, tell His disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.” Mark 16:7

I absolutely adore the fact that Peter is mentioned specifically. And I'm so excited about encouraged by the fact that He was officially called.... Peter. We don't know much about what happened with Peter through the brokenness of himself and of His Savior... but we know that he gave his identity to Christ. He was Simon... but now, this broken man was Peter. Finally he knew that no, he wasn't smart enough, strong enough, or able enough, and that was the whole point. He was supposed to follow and be identified with his Savior!

[Do you want to hear something REALLY COOL?!?] In his book about Peter, Michael Card points out an encounter with Jesus after the resurrection that I'd never heard about before. Mary saw Jesus at the grave, but the disciples did not. The gospels include narratives of Jesus appearing in physical form on the road to Emmaus first. But check out Luke 24:34. The disciples said what? “It is true!!! The Lord has risen and has... appeared to Simon.” WOW! This is the one and only verse recording this encounter in all of the gospels. But it seems very clear that Jesus met with Peter, and that encounter was kept mostly between the two of them. Wow. Can you imagine that encounter? Can you imagine what was said? Will you allow the hunger for that conversation to lead you into one with the same Savior that you share with Peter today? Ask Him to lead you further today!

For Discussion: Let's just talk about Jesus today. Isn't He wonderful? The more I learn about His love the more mind-blowing it is. He doesn't hold onto self. He didn't hold onto hurt, bitterness, or anger that after friendship, preparation, and warning one of his dearest friends denied Him. He just wanted to go forward... and He wanted to bring His dear friend with Him. What do you love about Jesus?