Jesus Appears in the Yard

I knew a pastor whose mother lived with him and his wife. His mother had a small apartment in the basement so she could have privacy when she wanted it.

One weekend to of their grandsons came to visit. As is common with five and six year olds the boys were having a difficult time going to sleep. After being sent to bed they had to be warned several times to stop playing. The last time their mother went into their room the two small boys were staring out the window. When the door opened and they turned to see their mother in the doorway, both boys pointed outside excitedly saying, “Jesus is waiting in the yard. She told them to stop fooling around and to get into bed.

The next morning they discovered the pastor’s mother had gone home to be with her Lord. Maybe the boys had seen Jesus (John 14:3).

Call to be Holy

Jesus is encouraging all of his disciples who were about to betray him that he was still preparing a place for them. God wants us to rest in his ability to forgive us, not in our ability to be perfect.

There can be no doubt that he has called us to holiness, “As he who as called you is holy, be holy in all of your conduct; Be Yea Holy for I am Holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). But our focus must be on him and his ability to purify us as we yield to him and use the strength he has provided us (Ephesians 3:14-15; Colossians 1:9-14).

When we attempt to follow him by our own strength and fail, his forgiveness is greater than our failure (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 3:20).

A Thin Thread

Jesus’ prophecy concerning Peter’s upcoming denial was filled with amazing things. It is difficult to grasp the full significance of all the pieces.

Immediately after telling Peter he would deny him, he tells Peter and the rest of the Disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:1-3).

Then he proceeds to indicate that they will have a ministry after his death (Luke 22:35-36; John 14:12-21). We do not live in the kingdom of God by a thin thread that can be broken in a moment of weakness. We are kept by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5, 23-25). God’s life force in you is far greater than you give him credit.

Using Our Failure

We read in Luke 22:34 that Satan had to ask permission to sift Peter through temptation. Notice that Jesus not only said Peter would return, but that he would also encourage others.

Peter was not the only disciple who forsook Jesus. They all did (John 16:31-32). Peter was not meant to wallow in regret the rest of his life. He was instructed to use the good news of his restoration to encourage others who had failed.

Sifting Wheat

Luke gives us an insight into Peter’s denial that John does not address. Just before Jesus told Peter that he would deny the Lord, he said to him, “…indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, hat your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32).

In other words Jesus not only knew Peter would deny him, but that he would also return to his faith. Yet again we see that God uses our failures to sift us. Sifting is a process of getting rid of the empty husks of wheat. When we fail the things that are empty in our life become obvious. We then cry out to God to remove them and he takes us another step toward being like him.

Notice also that Jesus said he was praying for Peter. God answers every request that Jesus makes to his Father. Did you know that scripture says Jesus is praying for you? (Romans 8:34).

Life Style vs Failure

Jesus was very specific about the timing of Peter’s denial. “…Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied me three times” (John 13:38: Luke 22:34).

God knew before you failed him exactly when and how you would fail. Yet, knowing this he still called you to himself. If he called you when you were his enemy, is he going to stop loving you now that you are his child and you failed? (Romans 5:6-11).

We cannot choose to continue to live in sin and expect to inherit the kingdom of God. But remember, a failure is not a life style (Galatians 5:19-21; Proverbs 28:13)

The Gifts and Calling

One of the most important lessons we can learn from Peter’s failure is that God does not give up on us when we fail. God did not withdraw his call from Peter because he denied him. He used Peter’s failure to strengthen the call on his life (John 21:15-19; Romans 12:28-29).