66 And as Peter was beneath in the court, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest; 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and saith, Thou also wast with the Nazarene, even Jesus. 68 But he denied, saying, I neither know, nor understand what thou sayest: and he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. 69 And the maid saw him, and began again to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 70 But he again denied it. And after a little while again they that stood by said to Peter, of a truth thou art one of them; for thou art a Galilaean. 71 But he began to curse, and to swear, I know not this man of whom ye speak. 72 And straightway the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word, how that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
The three-fold shape of Peter’s denial is the story-teller’s way of rubbing it in, making sure we don’t miss it. The scary bit for me is that at the third time of asking, Peter begins to curse and swear. “Call down curses on himself” says the NIV. This is not just bad language, but a door opened to the dark. How easily that could have simply been the end for Peter. How amazing the grace of God which brings him back. The cross, a curse in itself, is the place where all curses are broken, and the inevitabilities of evil are interrupted.
October 14, 2009 at 3:14 pm |
And I’ve always enjoyed John 21′s threefold affirmation and commissioning of Peter – again, around a charcoal fire. It makes real in Peter’s life the truth of what’s happened on the cross and in the resurrection – without the record of that second chance for Peter would the triumph of Easter new life ring so true for us?
That’s why I find the fate of Judas so difficult to deal with – if there was truly no way back for him, when he was in such dire straights right at the moment of the approaching passion, then what hope is there for the rest of us? Yet, if we’re serious about our own hope of redemption, then do we not have to hold out some hope for Judas, too? I heard a story of a small child who, when asked what Jesus was doing between dying and coming back to life, answered that he went down into hell to collect his friend Judas.
I find it hard to say whether Peter or Judas went further ‘into the dark’. And how far is so far that there is no way back – is there a depth of darkness that is so deep that the love of Christ on the cross can’t reach it? Hope not!