You have to think that the only reason Peter denied Jesus [three times] was because of the fear of man (Luke 22: 32-34, Luke 22: 55-62). What else would it have been? He warmed himself at the enemy’s fire—When you sit down at the enemy’s fire, you don’t get warm; you get burned.
It was cowardice. He was so scared for his own skin that he was afraid to acknowledge Christ before man. It makes me think, and Jesus said this, that if we acknowledge Him before men, He will acknowledge us before His Father in Heaven (Matthew 10:32).
I am so thankful that the Lord knows that we are dust. Psalm 103 states, “For as the Heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust… But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him…” (V. 12-17)
When the eyes of Peter and Jesus locked (Luke 22:60-61), I really believe that the eyes of Jesus were full of compassion—and it hit the heart of Peter. We read here that he went out, and he wept bitterly (Luke 22:62)
John’s Gospel gives us the account of Jesus meeting up with Peter on the shore of the sea of Galilee, and Jesus kindled a fire (John 21:9)—not the enemy’s fire.
By the fire, Jesus said, Peter, come warm yourself here. It was beautiful. You know the story, Jesus asked Peter, “Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” Three times they had this exchange, for each of the times that Peter had denied Him (John 21:15-17).
Church history tells us this, whenever Peter would stand publically to preach the name of Christ and proclaim the Gospel, mockers would gather and they would begin to crow like roosters to mock him, to make fun of him, and to put shame upon him and upon the Gospel, but Peter never again shrunk back from preaching Christ.
The Scripture tells us in the book of Revelation that cowards will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven (Revelation 21:8). That’s why we need the Holy Spirit to empower us to be bold in our profession of faith for Christ.
