Peter has just denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would. When the reality of who you really are, catches up with you, it can be a very sobering moment. And so it was for Peter. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. – Mark 14:72
Peter has just denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would. When the reality of who you really are, catches up with you, it can be a very sobering moment. And so it was for Peter.
Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. – Mark 14:72
Peter had already moved away from the fire, and he was at the gate of the courtyard. When he heard the roster crow the second time, his heart broke, and he wept.
What he thought was his identity, and his entire world-view had been shattered. He was not the man he thought he was, and now he didn’t understand anything at all. Now he was ready for God to rebuild his life the way that God had always wanted it to be. Another gospel tells us that in great distress, he fled.
It’s no coincidence that there was also another man in great distress that night, because of what he had done to Jesus. That was Judas. The difference between the two was that Peter remembered the words of Jesus, but Judas didn’t. That’s why the outcomes of their lives were so different.
Have you ever wept in your relationship with Jesus? Perhaps they were tears of happiness and gratitude as you lost yourself in worship. Perhaps, you’ve wept as you’ve meditated on the Cross and realised what Jesus has done for you.
Or perhaps you’ve wept because, like Peter, you’ve realised that you really are more broken than you ever thought possible. Think about your tears. Tears change things. They changed Peter’s life. How have they changed yours?