Thrice Denied

Peter denied Jesus three times. He wept bitterly when the cock crowed and Jesus looked at him pointedly, just before being taken away for crucifixion. At some point, Peter was with John on the road to Emmaus, when he first gazed upon Jesus after Jesus was crucified. Peter, impetuous Peter, who denied Jesus during His greatest hour, saw Jesus again after the resurrection, whilst fishing on the Sea of Galilee.

Peter was so excited to set his eyes on Jesus, he jumped out of the boat and swam to the beach, where Jesus was preparing breakfast in the early morning light, for the seven disciples. After the crucifixion, seven of the disciples had gone back to what they knew…fishing. Though they’d been out all night they’d caught nothing, until Jesus called to them and told them to let their nets down on the other side of the boat and then they caught a boat load of fish. Do you know, with Jesus on board, nothing is impossible?

Peter jumped from the boat, when He heard Jesus call out. You see, Peter knew the voice of Jesus. Peter had spent three years with Jesus and knew, even from the distance of the ocean to the sands, that it was Jesus calling to them.

By the time Peter had swum to shore, Jesus was working over a coal fire, cooking life giving fish and bread. Where did Jesus get the fish and the bread? The bible doesn’t tell us. What the bible does say is Jesus was cooking over coals. Why a coal fire and not a fire of sticks, or even dried camel dung (for no matter how insignificant something is, it all has a purpose in God’s creation.)?

Burning coal is mentioned several times in scripture: It symbolises judgement and spiritual purification. It allows righteousness and justice, in the hope of bringing repentance. Coal is represented in the bible as cleansing, as in the burning of the lips by coal, to take away iniquity and purge of sin (Isaiah 6:6-7).

Peter had denied Jesus thrice and thrice Jesus asked Peter; “Do you love me?” Jesus not only asked that, but He reverted back to using Peter’s original name of Simon. Jesus had changed Simon’s name to “Peter” saying, “and on this rock I will build My church…” (Matt 16:18), when Peter decided to join the disciples early on in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus knew Peter would deny him, right from the start, but Jesus accepted Peter into the fold just the same, as He does with all of us.

In reverting back to the name Simon, Jesus was subtly bringing up the denials Peter used when the Roman soldiers came to capture Jesus in the dark of night. Three denials in the subsequent hours, followed later by the three questions of do you love me.  

In using the name Simon, while working over the hot coals, Jesus was cleansing the sin of each denial from Peter. He was asking Peter, do you love me, so Peter would acknowledge Jesus and turn back to Him.

After Peter confirmed he loved Jesus, Jesus never again called Peter Simon. Peter’s repentance was used by God to show us, it doesn’t matter how far we fall, Jesus can meet us there and bring us back and He will never again bring up the sin, which caused us to pull away.

When the Israelites left Egypt, not one of them were sick. There would have been elderly, frail, maimed, blind and poor amongst the Israelites, but when they left, there were none. All were in good health. All left in financial abundance.

At the time of Passover, God told the Israelites to kill a spotless lamb, cook and eat it, then with hyssop, apply the blood of the lamb to the door posts and to be ready with unleavened bread. Blood over the door, was to distinguish between the Israelites and the Egyptians. The eating of the lamb represented the strength and power of the Lord, the strength and power needed to bring the frail and unwell into fullness of health. The unleavened bread, which Jesus also cooked over the coals, are to separate a person; to cut them off from Israel (from carnality). The blood also represented the authority given, as well as the salvation offered.

Today we take of the body and drink of the blood, for salvation and authority, in remembrance of Him. We ingest the power and the authority, bringing upon ourselves the healing, the strength, the wholeness, the prosperity, and the salvation; all the promises of God. Just as Peter had to go through the hot coals of the fire, under the questioning of Jesus and turn back and repent, we too at this time can turn back and repent, accept the body and the blood and be forgiven.

If you’re living in a place of brokenness, turn to Jesus. Don’t go into condemnation, for this denies His work on the cross as being good enough. Condemnation tells Jesus, dying on the cross wasn’t enough; all that pain and suffering wasn’t enough, the darkness of separation from the Father wasn’t enough. We have all been through places of trial and brokenness and we will move forward from this, as long as we don’t go to condemnation, but turn to Jesus for forgiveness and repentance, by taking the bread and wine often, in remembrance of Him, as stated in 1 Cor 11:23-25.