LUKE 22:54-62 – Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” 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.”
THEME OF THE DAY: WHEN THE LORD LOOKS AT US. Did you ever as a child growing up receive “the look” from a parent when you did something wrong, and they knew it? I did. And often all it took was “the look” from my mom to get me in line. What about as a parent? Ever give “the look” to your child? I have. I think I still do, and more often than not, that did the trick. And what did “the look” either received or given say without words? Well, things like, “I told you so. You should have listened to me. I am disappointed in you. I am angry” and maybe other “silent statements” of displeasure.
Stand at a short distance and watch what happens to Peter and Jesus. Today’s scripture is the familiar account of Peter succumbing to the fear of people, denying the Lord, and not too long after he made the impulsive, howbeit well-intended, proclamation that he wouldn’t. And what made it worse was the Lord telling him he would and Peter responding to the Creator, “No, you are wrong. I won’t.” We know what happened. He did and in Luke’s account of the denial, we read that “the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” Some scholars believe this indicates Jesus was within earshot and heard Peter’s denials. What we do know is that Peter “got the look” from Jesus. However, it wasn’t the look I mentioned in the opening paragraph.
Jesus looked at Peter with mercy, not judgment; with love, not disappointment; with pity, not a critical spirit and that is because of Who Jesus is – our God full of mercy, love, pity, and never with condemnation, even in our failures, like Peter.
As we marvel, humbly and worshipfully, over our Lord’s handling of Peter, and ourselves in our many times of failing Him, the lesson goes beyond just our Lord’s treatment of us. He models what is to be our treatment of others when they fail, sin, and that even against us. Are we? The body of Christ must learn to treat each member as the Head of the Body does.
Let’s learn a lot from “the look” Jesus gave Peter and gives us . . . we will foster more love among believers, a love that impacts our world.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to never question Your love to me when I fail You, sin against You, or neglect You.”
QUOTE: “God always looks at us through eyes of holy compassion, holy mercy, and holy grace. Do likewise with others.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim