Peter denied Jesus—but Jesus did not deny him grace
Daily Scripture
1 Peter 3:14-17, 5:10
1 Peter 3
14 But happy are you, even if you suffer because of righteousness! Don’t be terrified or upset by them. 15 Instead, regard Christ the Lord as holy in your hearts. Whenever anyone asks you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it. 16 Yet do this with respectful humility, maintaining a good conscience. Act in this way so that those who malign your good lifestyle in Christ may be ashamed when they slander you. 17 It is better to suffer for doing good (if this could possibly be God’s will) than for doing evil.
1 Peter 5
10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
“Peter added, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Jesus followers can lead the way in helping to restore civility to a deeply divided nation…. I cannot moderate my definition of grace, because the Bible forces me to make it as sweeping as possible. God is ‘the God of all grace,’ in the apostle Peter’s words.” *
As we study the gospels, Peter emerges as the most outspoken of Jesus’ disciples (for good and, sometimes, for ill—cf. Matthew 16:21-23). Pastor Hamilton wrote of one key question Jesus asked, “And who was the only disciple courageous, brash, or foolish enough to offer an answer? Simon Peter.” ** It’s no surprise that near the end of his first letter, it was Peter who described the God he loved and served with the superlative phrase “the God of all grace.”
- Peter knew all about God’s grace. After brashly insisting he could face anything with Jesus, even if the other disciples failed (cf., Mark 14:29), he repeatedly denied even knowing Jesus (John 18:15-18, 25-27). Yet, as we read last week, Jesus gave Peter the chance to undo his triple denial in the presence of the other disciples (cf., John 21:15-19), and again called Peter to serve. How do you think that experience echoed in Peter’s mind as he wrote “the God of all grace”?
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Accept God’s grace? Then show it to others. “Christians are supposed to stand out as distinctive, but when we do, and are mocked or criticized for it, we are tempted to mock and criticize right back–and then we are… behaving just like everyone else!… if Christians ‘give as good as they get’… they are colluding with the surrounding world, just as surely as if they went along with immorality or financial corruption.” *** Peter quoted “Seek peace and go after it!” (Psalm 34:14). How can God’s grace help you share your faith with “respectful humility”?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I’m so thankful for your all-inclusive grace. Help me remember all the ways I’ve needed (and still need) your grace when I want to exclude someone else from grace. Amen.
GPS Insights
Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe serves as a Couples Small Group co-leader & Men's Group Leader, while volunteering in a variety of other capacities at Resurrection. He and his wife, Doris, first met in a Resurrection Single Adult Sunday School class in 1997 and were married in what is now the Student Center. They are empty nesters with 2 college-aged sons, Matthew and Jacob.
With the Kentucky Derby this past weekend & the Indianapolis 500 on the horizon, I’ve been perusing a variety of “articles” referencing the history of racing. Two articles stuck out to me this week as I was considering Peter’s emphasis on grace.
(Associated Press) Kansas City, Kansas – 2024 A.D. “The Amazing Race” will be held this weekend at the Kansas Speedway. The Grand Marshal will be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – celebrity-actor.
The goal of the race is to traverse as many laps as possible on a limited supply of fuel. The driver’s MPG (Miles Per Gallon) is the focus of the race, since it will dictate how many laps can be driven.
Mitt & Sue Bishi, longtime attendees of the racing event, lamented that the strict limit on fuel dramatically impacted the race. “It would be amazing to see these talented drivers really be able to perform in the clutch. If only they could operate on cruise control, it’d be awesome. But they can’t, because they don’t have any confidence in their fuel supply. One can only imagine the joy on their faces if they weren’t in a constant panic about each & every transmission slip & could face every upcoming lap with hope & peace.”
(Ancient Papyrus) Jerusalem 62 A.D. “The Amazing Race was held this weekend at the Jaffa Race Track. The Grand Marshal was Peter “Cephas – The Rock” – celebrity-Disciple.
The goal of the race was to traverse as many laps as possible on a limited supply of grace. The driver’s MPG (Mistakes Per Grace) is the focus of the race, since it will dictate whether the race concludes successfully or ends with the driver over-heating.
The race is infamous for the strain it causes drivers as they try to maximize their mileage without making any gaffes. Miss Chievous, a female driver of some renown, stated, “It’s impossible to drive a perfect race. There are so many opportunities to goof up or get in the wrong lane, you wind up exhausted.”
Longtime fans realize that, ironically, the more experienced drivers who have grown in their faith actually require more & more grace, to the point they become grace guzzlers before the race concludes.
At a press conference after today’s event, Peter/Cephas announced that next weekend’s race would operate under a very different set of rules. “Each driver will be provided an unlimited supply of grace. They won’t be able to store it up but will be able to refuel & get a tune-up as often as needed to maintain their ability to compete. Every driver will be able to race with complete confidence that any errors of commission or omission will be offset by a ready supply of mercy.”
All the drivers applauded the change in rules, noting that they could face the challenges of the race with hope & peace. Driver, Clem N. Cee, stated, “Grace is so essential to a life well-lived, not just for our own needs but to even be able to interact with those around us. This is a huge game-changer. Knowing our tanks will be full of grace, the next race is going to be a record-setting event. I can’t wait.”
This race with its new rules will be re-branded as “The Amazin’ Grace.”
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Yancey, Philip. What’s So Amazing About Grace? Revised and Updated (p. 18, 84). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
** Hamilton, Adam. Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple (p. 65). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.
*** Wright, N. T., Early Christian Letters for Everyone (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 78). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
