The One Who Denied Him Is the One He Trusted
Daily Scripture
John 21:15-17; 1 Peter 5:2-3
When they finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter said, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus replied, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter said, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.” Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep.”
“Be shepherds of God’s flock among you, watching over them not because you must, but because you want to. Don’t do it for shameful profit but do it eagerly. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care but be examples for the flock.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Three questions, one for each denial. Jesus didn’t skip past what Peter had done in the courtyard, pretending it never happened. He walked Peter back through it, question by question, until the failure was fully faced and just as fully forgiven. Then he handed Peter a job. Not a probation, not a second-tier assignment. Feed my sheep. Years later, it’s Peter, of all people, writing to other leaders about how to shepherd well, drawing on the very failure that once seemed like it would disqualify him for good.
That sequence matters more than it might first appear. Peter’s authority to shepherd others didn’t come despite his denial. In a real sense, it came through it. He knew exactly what it felt like to fail someone he loved and be forgiven anyway, and that knowledge became part of what made him trustworthy to lead others through their own failures.
- Is there a failure in your past you’ve assumed permanently disqualifies you from investing in someone else? What might it look like to let that failure become part of your usefulness instead of your excuse?
- Peter shepherded others eagerly, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. Is there someone you could reach out to this week, not out of obligation, but simply because you want to help them?
Prayer
Merciful God, thank you for restoring Peter and trusting him with something real afterward. Forgive me for believing my failures have the final word on what I’m able to offer someone else. Give me Peter’s eagerness, a willingness to shepherd others not out of duty but out of love. Show me who you’re asking me to feed today. Amen.
GPS Insights
Matt Williams
Matt Williams serves as the Director of Marketing and Digital Media at Church of the Resurrection. A former college and professional baseball player, he loves talking about faith and sports, and maybe a little politics too, courtesy of his political science degree from Duke. Matt and his wife Kristin are the proud parents of four kids: Brayden (9), Ella (7), Connor (5), and Myla (2).
It’s my junior year as a college baseball player at Duke, and even though I’m working as hard as I can to be the best catcher I could be for that team, I made a dumb college kid decision and got a citation for underage drinking, a minor in possession ticket. It led to a two-week suspension from the program.
I know I’m not the only one who’s made a dumb decision or two in college, but that’s not an excuse. Knowing that didn’t make the next part any easier. Now I had to call my parents and tell them what happened.
I called my dad first. I still remember standing there with the phone, dreading it in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve had to make a call like that yourself. I wasn’t just telling him I got in trouble. I was telling him I’d embarrassed myself, embarrassed the program, and put something at risk that mattered to both of us.
My dad didn’t pretend it wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t skip past it. But somewhere in that conversation, underneath the disappointment I knew had to be there, I heard something that validated what I hoped for in that moment. I already knew my dad loved me. But hearing it confirmed right there, in the middle of my mistake, was different. The consequences were real. But so was he, still fully on my side, still fully my dad.
That’s what gets me about this passage. Jesus doesn’t let Peter off easy either. Three questions, one for every denial, until the failure is completely out in the open. He doesn’t rush past it to get to the encouraging part. But once it’s fully faced, he doesn’t hand Peter a smaller job or a probationary one. Feed my sheep. The whole flock.
I think that’s why this story from junior year has stuck with me all these years later. My dad’s response didn’t erase what I’d done. It just told me the failure wasn’t going to be the last word on who I was to him.
Maybe you’ve got your own version of that phone call. A moment you’re sure defines you more than anything you’ve done since. What if that moment isn’t disqualifying you the way you assume it is? What if it’s actually shaping you into someone who can sit with other people in their worst moments, because you know firsthand what it feels like to be loved through one instead of despite one?
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