Come Follow Me 2023
Gospel Living

Peter made the same mistake three times!

05/31/23 | 1 min read
But he didn’t let it define his future.

Shortly before His arrest, Jesus told His apostles that they were going to be “scattered” (Mark 14:27). Peter couldn’t believe it. Why, he was willing to die for the Savior! He would certainly stick with His Lord.

But then Peter denied knowing Him. Not once, but three times!

It happened when Jesus was arrested and taken to the high priest, which we will be reading about over the next few weeks. Peter, waiting outside in the courtyard to see what would happen, was asked three different times if he knew the man who’d been arrested. Three times he said no.1

When Peter realized what he’d done, he wept bitterly.2 It must have been one of the lowest moments of Peter’s life. For three years Peter had enthusiastically followed the Savior, defended Him, and declared his loyalty to Him. Now, whatever his reasons and motives, Peter had betrayed His Master.

But, thankfully, we know the story doesn’t end there! The Savior forgave Peter, appearing to Him and other apostles after His resurrection. Peter became the leader of the Savior’s Church. In a few weeks, we’ll study the book of Acts, which is full of Peter’s teachings and testimony.

Peter’s failure that one night, even repeated three times, wasn’t enough to ruin his relationship with the Savior!

What can we learn from this? Perhaps one is that we all make mistakes sometimes. And we never have to be defined by our past. But most importantly, no matter your past, the Savior is waiting for you with open arms. He loves you! He offers His help. He loves you!

Peter's Pep Talk

Imagine you were giving encouragement to Peter after these mistakes. What would you say? Write a similar message to yourself that you can read the next time you make a mistake.

NOTES
This is part of a series of posts about the weekly “Come, Follow Me” scripture readings. Find the full lesson here.
1. See Matthew 26:74.
2. See Luke 22:62.


Comments
0