Peter may not be a loser-boy after all...

We judge Peter so harshly. When you think of him the first thing you think of is the fact that he denied Jesus three times. In the story that culminates up to that moment, Jesus tells the disciples that He is going to be betrayed and handed over to the Romans for execution and that all of the disciples are going to abandon Him. Peter, in what we all have considered to be an act of empty bravado stands and declares, “If every one deserts you, even if I die I won’t.” (Paraphrase)

Then we hit the skip button and go right to the moment where Peter denies Him, not just once but three times. What a loser. He gets in the game and drops the ball. Of course, we like that because it gives us a great person to point at and justify ourselves when we do something stupid, but wait a minute. Back up to the garden, when a WHOLE TROOP OF SOLDIERS come to arrest Jesus and Peter, old sorry chicken-hearted, afraid of little girls asking questions, loser boy Peter steps in front of Jesus. One man, with one sword against armed soldiers, while everyone else is running away, stands there, just like he said would, cutting off ears.

I am absolutely convinced that Peter would have died that night with blood on his sword and made his words true if Jesus hadn’t changed the rules. Peter was playing by all the rules he knew, but Jesus changed the game in midstream. It’s like he tucked the ball against his chest and was getting ready to run to the end zone and then Jesus told him to dribble it and do a lay up. What?

Peter’s denial at the fireside was the only response that he had the capacity to make. He had already offered his unconditional, at all cost, loyalty to Jesus. He said “I’m a man, all I can offer you is my life. That’s it. Here it is.” And Jesus, without explanation, told him “No thanks.” What do you think you would have done?

I would have probably done the same thing, maybe you would have, too. Feel free to leave a comment, we're all interested in your response.

-Armando