Hello, everyone. It's Thursday, and we are back again. And we are the dynamic trio that we are today.
Well, that's that sounds better. I was gonna say the, what was it? The, gruesome threesome? Absolutely not. Yeah.
The dynamic trio. That sounds horrible. I like that. Yes.
Okay. Oh, heavens. Yes. It's lovely to have you on this Thursday of Holy Week 2025. Yes, I hope you're enjoying Holy Week so far.
I hope you are having the time to reflect on what it means to you, what it means for us as mankind, and, the promise that it holds and the gifts that it is to us and what it means to us particularly as Christian believers. I hope you are able to set some time aside just to reflect on just the events of this week and the lessons that we can learn from it from everything from Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and the shouts of hosanna hosanna, and and just that, passage in itself is packed full of symbolisms. You know, Jesus on a on a colt, so not even like a full donkey, like a a baby donkey. You know, Jesus and then riding into Jerusalem so majestically and being welcomed as a king and and people shouting hosanna, but then, you know, things just kinda go, I suppose, from a human perspective, downhill from there. The week just seems to go downhill from there right up until, essentially, he's killed, and then the the the victory that is resurrection Sunday.
So I think if if you are able to maybe just set some time aside and and, and and just reflect on one one incident throughout this week, whether it's the last supper or, you know, when he sends his disciples ahead into Jerusalem to find this upper room and and how they find it. And and it's just so when you think about it, only it could only have been divinely orchestrated. And I think, you know, hopefully, we can set some side some time aside to just pick one just one because it's it's packed full of symbolisms and meaning. So if you can just pick one event of this holy week and, reflect on it and what it means to you and and, the lessons that are in there. But for for ourselves, we are going to, lead by example and pick one.
So I've decided I say that very dictatorially because I think I just decided this on my own and the other ladies just kinda went, okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Who would you argue with her?
We must be We didn't we didn't get a chance to vote. She will be obeyed. We did. We did. We did.
We did get a chance to vote, but we knew not to disagree with her. Right? Exactly right. You can have every color as long as it's black. As long as it's black.
Exactly. That was it. We could do any topic as long as it's this one. Yep. There you go.
A little autocratic self came out there. But Yes. But I think I think it's a good one because I was thinking about it the last couple of days, and I just think, so we're going to settle in Matthew chapter 26 today, and we're just going to look at Jesus predicting Peter's denial, How Peter rebuffs him, and then how Peter actually goes on then to do the very thing. Mhmm. He swears on his life he wouldn't do.
Yep. I've been, you know, I was thinking about I I thought about the washing of the feet, which is another brilliant one. Maybe we might pick that up at some other point. But, you know, the last supper, the betrayal, the kiss in the, you know, the garden the the Garden Of Gethsemane, the prayer, the wonderful, wonderful, powerful prayer, the actions or the inactions of the disciples as they fall asleep, and then, you know, the soldiers bursting in. There's so much that goes on.
It's like, if it were an action movie, this would be, like, mind blowing. Right? It's very action packed. Literally, scene after scene would be filled with symbolism. There's healing.
There's forgiveness. There's that betrayal. And the betrayal just it's so sneaky that it's done with a kiss even though it's, like, from one of his best friends. And it's like, if this were Hollywood, like, Hollywood couldn't have done this any better. Like, God is the actual best storyteller, and it's not just a story.
Yeah. Like, he makes it come true. And I think that's what's wonderful about this. It is a true story. Like, they read it as a piece of fiction.
Like, it actually happened. Mhmm. So we're going to settle on this particular one because, hey, why not? I think sometimes it can be a bit glossed over. So it'll be good to just sort of have your thoughts, have a bit of a a chat about it, and see what you what you all think.
So it's Matthew 26, and it starts at verse 31 through to 35, and then it picks up again at 69 all the way through to 75. So if I start from Matthew 26 verse 31, it's my my Bible has it in a little section there, and the title is Jesus predicts Peter's denial. It says, then Jesus told them, this very night, you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. Peter replied, Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.
I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, this very night, before the cock crows, you will disown me three times. But Peter declared, 'Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.' And all the other disciples said the same. Then we pick it up again in verse 69 where Peter disowned Jesus. So if you read, you know, if you read the the story, a little bit happens. Jesus is the, Jesus goes to Gethsemane, then the betrayal happens with a kiss, then he's arrested, then he goes before the Sanhedrin, which, you know, the the high priest is there, trying to judge Jesus as only they they will, attempt to do that.
And then Peter disowning Jesus happens in the courtyard. So it starts, now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. You also were with Jesus of Galilee,' she said. But he denied it before them all. 'I don't know what you're talking about,' he said.
Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, this fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.' He denied it again, with an oath, 'I don't know the man!' After a little while those standing there went up to Peter and said, 'Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.' Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, 'I don't know the man!' Immediately a cock crowed. Then Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, 'Before the cock crows you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly. That was I mean, I find that just I find that humbling, but I also find it really emotional. Mhmm. Because Peter Peter is like I mean, let me start with with you, Groom, actually, because when you read this I know we kinda, you know, we it's a well known tale when you're growing up, isn't it?
Is it the it's it's it comes as part and parcel of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It's a well it's a well known tale, but when you read this with, I suppose, fresh eyes this year, what jumps out at you here? I think I don't know if my eyes are really fresh on this, but I suppose it's it's the thing that, you know, Peter was probably a bit too confident of himself. You know, there are times when we think that there are things that we would never do that you just don't know.
You know? Different conditions will reveal things about you. And I think in a sense, Peter probably shocked himself, you know, because he was very confident in his relationship with Jesus and what I think he meant it with all his heart when he was saying that. Obviously, right, when you're under pressure, what you you think and the reality. And I think he just went into a very human mode of self preservation.
You know? I wouldn't even condemn him because I couldn't say for certain what I would have done in that position. Mhmm. That's the reality. It's a very human thing, and I think even Jesus knew that.
And it's interesting that Jesus didn't particularly never really held it against him. Right? Because perhaps he just saw that deep down, we see from his remote that, you know, deep down, he loved Jesus. He just had a weak moment, and, you know, he had a very human moment. What is interesting to me, though, is that he actually denied Jesus with that, oh, to begin with.
And Jesus had preached that we shouldn't swear. So, like, it's like almost everything went out of the window. Right? Under pressure. These things that he had he just like, things are really unraveled.
And, you know, to me, it's just what pressure can do to you. Right?. And how in your own human strength, even with your best intentions, you can't really make it because we see a very different Peter after the resurrection. So something made a difference there, and that was the power of But I also think I think Peter fancied himself as quite close to Jesus because isn't isn't Peter the one who asked Jesus who Jesus loves more between him and, is it John or is it James?
Jesus, Peter asked Jesus, and then Jesus says, like, what business of it is yours? What's gonna happen to him? Right? Like, Jesus says to him. Yeah.
What business of it is yours? More and more. It's possible. Maybe he thought, oh, I'm I love Jesus more than the others. Right?
Which is a dishonesty. But, honestly, I I can relate to this thing because there are times where you think, oh, I would never do x, y, and z. But then something happens, and I would lie to you. I've had business where I I surprised myself. I said, no.
I didn't know I was capable of that. So I think for me, the lesson I learned is that we should never be too confident. We should never be so confident in our own goodness because, you know, certain conditions will reveal things about you that will shock you.
I think for me, this is the lesson that I take out of it. And just to to lean on God more. Yes. You don't want to ever leave Jesus. Right?
But I think for me personally, I think I need the strength of Jesus to not leave Jesus because there is no guarantee that, you know, in my own strength or that the right conditions you hear it even today, right, where people are told to deny Christ or die. It has to take that very strong conviction. And I really think this is my personal opinion. I might be wrong.
But when we read about the matters, you know, if you're from a Catholic tradition, you know all about matters. I really think it's impossible to be mattered without the help of God because your natural human instinct is to run away from danger. That's yeah. I mean, you're right. It does reveal it does sort of point to us to say don't rest on your laurels.
Don't don't think just because you think that you've got it figured out. It's almost that thing if, you know, you gotta work out your salvation. And I know that that can be a bit of a controversial verse for some people who don't understand what it means, but it's just the case of you gotta work at it. Don't just think, oh, because because I say I love him means I love him. You know?
Because I say I love him, like, I'll I say I'll never deny him. Doesn't mean that you'll never deny him because, like, you you will be faced with those situations where, you know, the storms will come. And the storms will come. And when they come, they will shake you to your very core. And and some storms might even make you say no.
No. You don't know Jesus. You know, when when some storms come, they might even make you think go with the way of the world and deny Jesus, and and and denying Jesus doesn't necessarily have to be as openly as Peter said, I don't know the man. It could be subtle things. It it could be just subtle Yeah.
Forming the way of the world or or breaking the law or or committing sin or, you know, even just committing adultery because you think no one's watching or taking a bit more of the petty cash than you really need or than you really signed out just because you think you got away with it. And it could be little just subtle things. And isn't it just amazing that we really do delight Jesus every day because sin is We do. Rebellion. Yeah.
We do. And you know what what you mentioned? I mean, now, for example, right, we find ourselves in situations where we, as Christians, you know, it's difficult. Getting more difficult to be vocal about biblical beliefs and all of the stuff. Right?
And like you said, it could be just something like that where you find that, you know, your views on sexuality or marriage, you can you don't really easily air them. You don't really stand by them and defend them. And that doesn't mean say to people you're sinners, blah blah blah. You're a divorcee. You're a sinner.
But just being able to say, okay. As a Christian, this is what I believe. Sometimes, even that is hard because, you know, even in the nicest way sometimes when you put it as a Christian, you will still offend people. Right? And I think somebody once said to me that the gospel will offend whether you like it or not.
So I think for me yeah. Personally, I just pray for the courage to be able to you know, if you're faced with that situation. Because people can put you under pressure in very subtle ways. Even this thing you're talking about, you know, doing something dodgy financially. You know what I mean?
I know somebody who's been through that at the workplace where she was, you know, in a very subtle way as to falsify the financial situation of the company so that they could get a grant. And she was very brave. She said, no. This is against my beliefs. I can't do it.
And she ended up losing her position. I didn't renew her contract Mhmm. For no reason. So there was a consequence for her. She ended up pretty much losing that position.
And for so for people, it might not be that easy because you're thinking of your children, this, that, and the other. So I think it's just also trusting god that he will be with you even if it comes to that because I think we have to get to the mindset where we're we're ready for the worst. Right? And we're ready for, you know, the slight comments where people might say, oh, you're good in two shoes. You wouldn't even just doctor documents a little bit.
And, you know, you have to think who do you fear more, man or god? And I say that to myself because there are times when I clearly haven't feared god. I'm not going to lie. And it's it's we thank God for the holy spirit. Right?
Because if you're still in a place where you feel that conviction like Peter, where you you you do something at work, maybe you say something, you join a conversation that you didn't really have to join, or you pretended to believe in his fans that you know did that you don't believe in. When you go back on your own and you feel that that thing you had, you're like, oh my goodness. I shouldn't have done this. You repent immediately. You ask us for the courage and keep falling moving.
So you build it up because sometimes it's progressive. Because the worst thing is to get to that day when you're still that remote anymore. If you get to that stage, you're in trouble. Right? When sin It means you're not hearing the whole breathing you.
But then Yeah. Then the problem. When when when sin when your conscience doesn't prick you when you sin, then you're in trouble because that means you've wandered far away from God, too far where you're not picking up the signals anymore. And it's almost like, you know, if you have, like, a an antenna and if you're close to the lowest and you're sinning, the antenna is going. It's picking up the signals.
It's going. You're sinning. It's going red. As you wander a little bit further away from the main hub, the signal gets weaker, and and you might find yourself sometimes where when you're so far away from from the center, you don't even pick up those signals anymore to the point where you see them and you think twice as well. Or even justify it.
I mean, you hear some of the crazy doctrines that people who present themselves as men or women of God justify, and yet just like what? But you've just actually defined what's going on, Destiny. It's really the product of the sheer conscience. Because sometimes I listen to what people stand on the pulpit and preach. You're just like, what?
Where is this even remotely in the bible? You know? Mhmm. That's their own their own doctors. But but gee, let's let's send to you this this I know you've you've preached on this before, but when you when you you read this open declaration of love, open equally open denial.
Peter doesn't do things half half measures, does he? Like, he goes around. He's like, I will never I will never leave you. And then he's like, I don't know. What are you talking about?
But yeah. I mean, when when you've taught on this in the past, what what sort of messages have you, or applications for life today, have you shared with with with people that or believers so that we can we can learn? How would this speak to us in our walk today, in our lives today, especially around Holy Week as we consider the events of of leading up to Good Friday, which is essentially tomorrow. Never say never. Seriously.
Yeah. Yeah. We this was you know here what in verse 31, Peter, you know, sorry, verse 33, Peter, you know, he was boasting that he loved Jesus more than all men. And then in verse 35, I'll never leave you. I'll die for you.
Yeah. Many people have been martyred before us. And there's gonna be many ahead of us that are gonna be martyred as well. And this all happened, like, before the before the moon before the dawn. Right?
This Yes. But but within several hours, really, wasn't it? And you I do often wonder just what was going through Peter's mind when he denied him. Why did he deny him? And you know, now I I actually read this yesterday and I was praying to God about it yesterday that yeah, Lord, I know I tell people I will never deny you, but a push really comes to shove.
I'm asking you for the strength and my faith that I'll never deny you. Because the way things are going in the world and in The UK, we could be a face you deny him or die. Now I know a lot of people are going to say, okay, I can deny him. But then I can repent and come back again. But you're still going to die because the people are giving you that ultimatum are going to say, well, you weren't faithful to your God, you're not going to be faithful to my God, so they're going to kill you anyway.
And we know that the enemy knows that if we deny Christ, then we're going to go to hell. So never say never, but never deny Christ. You know, stand your ground. I I heard testimonies, stories, and read accounts of things of missionaries being in, you know, the jungles and things. And, well, in fact, there was one through the war years that, missionaries in Japan.
Pardon me. And, they made him dig two graves, one for him and his wife. And, they told him to hit his wife over the head with a shovel to kill her, and she refused. But one of the soldiers did it. And they were gonna cut out his tongue.
And he asked for a request and he started singing. Praise to God. It didn't cut out his tongue. And he was able to come back and give that testimony about it. So that is wonderful faith.
So it is we need to have faith like that to be able to stand firm on the foundation of Christ. And that's hard, isn't it? Like like you say, literally, people could turn. I think when when we were doing our our women of the bible series, we did Job's wife, and things could turn as they did for Job. He lost his his his children, he lost his property, literally within a very short period of time.
He was, afflicted with sickness like like you've never heard before. But he stood firm, and I think, like you say, gee, it's it's it's not unfathomable that these things will happen. And his wife, you know, says to him, curse god and die so that you may, you know, you may be relieved of some of these afflictions. Mhmm. And that is a real temptation, isn't it?
Right? That is a real temptation when we are going through afflictions, and we are going through the storm, and we're going through hardships. But there's connection there to curse God and be done with it. Exactly. But isn't it lovely that God knew that Job wouldn't do that?
He told Satan, yeah, you can do anything to him except kill him. Because God knew Job wouldn't turn from him. And, yes, we're this is Maundy Thursday. This is the night of the Last Supper. Because last night of Passover, for for Christ.
And he introduced the holy communion and things to us. And it is very emotional this week, but we should be getting this emotional every week of the year, not just this week. Any of the scriptures that we're reading, they should be filling us with that just pure passion, really. Yeah. And strengthening our faith.
Like, the only way to strengthen our faith is read the word of God and stand in the word of God. And you I'll put my hands up. I am the world's worst. I really am.
Right. I'm gonna go to bed tonight, and I'm gonna get my Bible, and I'm gonna read at least three chapters of something. I'm aware of I'll see a piece of dirt or something in the stairs and think I'll need to brush that up. Go get the little broom and everything and do that. Then I'll go into the bathroom and see something else needs done.
Do that. Then I might get a phone call or something like that. And before I know it, I haven't picked up my Bible to read. I let other things take, you know, precedence over everything. I, like everybody, I make mistakes.
I sin. That's that's a sin by not reading our Bible every day. So we do need to really start our faith more, get more strength. Nobody wants to move it. And never say never and never deny Christ.
Never. Yeah. That's a good one. Never say. Yeah.
I think pray for the strength that you don't when the time if if that time comes. But, yeah, you just I think if I'm one of those, you know, my big fears as a Christian that if I was ever put in that situation, would I have the courage to stand up? To stand up. Yeah. See, I think for me as well, like, Peter's contrition is really heartfelt, I think.
And and I think sometimes, like we were saying before about, like, sin not really grieving us sometimes, I think sometimes, especially in the world that we live in today, sin can be so trivialized. Because, essentially, what Peter does is he sins. Yes. He denies Jesus, but we do that every time we sin. Every time we sin, we're rebelling against God.
But if we see Peter's reaction to sin to his own sin, that really should be how we feel every time we sin. And I can't say that I have that level of there's some sins that grieve me more than others, but really all sin is equal before before God. And and all sin grieves God in the same way. There's no, you know, hierarchy of sin as far as God's concerned. But Peter realizes what he's done.
And not only that. I mean, how many times have you have you sinned deliberately or in deliberately, and then in that same moment, recall a a bible passage about what you've just done? Like, it just comes to your mind, and you're just like, the the holy spirit is just holy spirit, man. What you've done there, man. It's wrong.
And then sometimes we try to justify it. Sometimes like I know I'll be sitting there trying to have a conversation with with the Holy Spirit going, yeah I know you said that in the Bible, yeah, but you don't really understand what happens right now, like I have to do this. I love that. I love how God can be so you know, God must look at us and just take one I'm just saying we're just She was just saying because you're so sorry. You don't understand.
Like, I'm all in the way God doesn't understand. But, like, you know, you can force out. And Yeah. You know, and it's Sometimes your force just gives a bit of you. Yeah.
You're there trying to justify what you've done, and you're like, god. You're not gonna be upset. You just feel that emotion, like, because you're so emotional about whatever it is. So for example, let's say somebody said something to you. Right?
And the urge if you speak with it to you is to really give it back to them. Like, it takes God to shut your mouth because there are times when I'm like, and I just say then then after because that thing is at the tip of your, like, person back. You really want to do it. And it takes do it. Your bible verse that says to not be in person.
Exactly. So it takes the holy spirit to say, calm down. And when you calm down, you're still for me, like, I can still be agitated. Right? And then maybe, like, half an hour, I'm like, okay.
Yeah. Actually, you're right. Mhmm. Because you're right. As soon as you do that thing, you feel bad.
As soon as you do it, you just Mhmm. I think the voice is like, I will send I will make you I will convict you in the book just so and it's a good thing because sometimes you know what? You remember how bad you felt the last time you did something like that. So when you if you're faced with another incident, you think, oh, I don't wanna feel like that again. I just don't want to be in that place.
Mhmm. Yeah. And I think, you know, I think Peter's every time we sing, we should have the same reaction that Peter has. Peter weeps. Peter goes outside.
So he takes himself away from from the temptation. He takes himself away from people. He takes himself away. He goes outside. And it says in my version that he wept bitterly.
And so he he's he's aggrieved. He's so contrite that his his repentance is so heartfelt. And and this world this word weeps is it's it's more than crying. It's more than No. Sobbing.
It's the soul wrenching Not just pain. Wrenching. Yeah. Like, you can weep even without crying. Like, you can just Yeah.
Like, when your soul is in peace, it's that sort of deep level repentance here. And and I think this is what God calls us to do. Yeah. If we repent from that place where we're weeping, where we're where we're so aggrieved by our own sin that we repent. And and and the grief is just so raw that we weep bitterly at the foot of the cross knowing that that's where, love and justice and mercy meet because we know that that's the only place.
But for us to get there, we need to be able to recognize how serious our denial of Jesus is. We need to get to the place. And I think maybe that's why God vibed with David so much. I think David had this same sense of contrition. I think David was a gangster.
Like he was an adult and he was a murderer. As far as I'm concerned, the guy was not even a good dad. Right? And up until Solomon came, the guy was just he was just like that. But I think David's heart of repentance was what Peter displays here.
David's sin Mhmm. Grieves him. Like, when you talk about when you read some of the Psalms and even some of the Lamentations and you see how David felt about what he had done Yeah. And David was also 51. Oh my goodness.
And the the but David was also aware of what he deserved, and he was also aware of the mercy that God has shown him. And he was also very aware of the fact that God didn't give him what he deserved. Like, he was enjoying mercy that he didn't even deserve. And I think, you know, that's perhaps one of the reasons why David vied with God so much. And God was like David was a man after his own heart because David understood the weight of his sin and David understood the penalty for his sin, but David also appreciated the mercy and the grace that he'd received because he knew he wasn't deserving of it.
And I think Peter gets to that place here, where he just goes outside and he weeps. And I think if we can get to that place where sin grieves us this this badly, then we are we are kinda in tune with the Holy Spirit. And I I'm not saying go around bashing people on the head with the Bible. I'm not saying go around coughing out every single sin that you see. I'm not saying just turn your family Christmas and Easter dinner or lunchtime into like an episode of Coronation Street or EastEnders.
No. That's not what I'm saying. You can be grieved and and be aggrieved in your heart and pray for people. You don't need to tell everybody what their sin is. You don't need to label every single sin you come across twenty four hours a day.
Because if that were the case, then I would say take out the plank from your own eye before you go out taking out the specks from people's eyes. So Amen. Start with yourself. I think let your sin grieve you this much, and let your sin be the driving force. Let the weight of your sin and the weight of your rebellion be what takes you to the cross.
Let that be what takes you to sit at the foot of the cross. Because only when you recognize the gravity of your sin and the depravity of your, of your human nature, Only then can you appreciate the gift that is the cross. Only then can you appreciate the death of Christ when you know that you he's really dying for your place. And you see this as well with, like, siblings. Like, you have even, like, sometimes with, like, best friends growing up, when someone takes the fall for somebody else.
Like, you know, like, sometimes with siblings, like, somebody does something wrong. Right? And then the parents come in and there's a there's a punishment to be had. And they these kids know that that punishment is gonna come down, like, for real, for real, for real. Right?
Now, normally, the one that wants to protect the other one would step up. Even if they're innocent, they will step up and be like, I did it. Like, let me take the punishment for that even though they know they didn't do it. But then what you also find is that the person that they're covering for becomes so grateful. You see it play out.
I see it even in mine. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. That other sibling that they've just, like, taken the punishment for, all of a sudden, that sibling's like, I'm gonna, like, do your laundry. I'm gonna clean your room.
I'm gonna do your chores for the next thirty years. Like, I'm gonna be indebted for you because you took the whooping that I deserved. Right. Yeah. And that's essentially what happens with Christ as our older brother as as, you know, he he steps up to the plate.
The the the punishment that we deserve, he takes it. And and so when you appreciate that you he got the whooping, literally he was beaten for our transgressions. Right? When you appreciate that he got the whooping that we deserved, then you can only you gotta do what that guy wants, man, for the rest of your life. You just gotta you've got to go in there and and live for him.
You've got to live for him. You've got to do things his way. And I know that is kind of oversimplifying it, but if, you know, when I'm talking to kids, this is sort of how I put it and say that they understand this concept of Christ dying for us and taking the punishment for us. And if you have kids, or young ones, maybe this is an analogy that you could consider using because I find kids understand that a lot better. Just that kind of, you know, their best friend or sibling stepping up to the plate and taking up the punishment for them and how they felt when that happened and, and just that gratitude that they felt and that relief that they felt because they didn't get that punishment.
And I think that that can only happen when you, when you fear the consequences of what you've done. That child is only believing because they're scared of the punishment. And they and and they know the gravity of what they've done. And which is what I think Peter is very aware here. But but before we sign off, I think it's also important to see, Let's just flick over to John because Jesus reinstates Peter before he goes, doesn't he?
And I think Mhmm. Let's not leave Peter hanging because Peter's not an altogether bad guy. Right? He and Jesus were vibing. Jesus reinstates him.
And so in in John 21, I think this is part of the one I alluded to earlier. John 21 from verse 15, it says, when they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these? Yes, Lord, he said. You know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my lambs.
Again, Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you truly love me? He answered, yes, Lord. You know that I love you. Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.' Then the third time he said to him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me?' He said, 'Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep.' I tell you the truth, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted.
But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, follow me. And if you read the rest of it, you know, you'll you'll you'll find out the the conversation between Peter asking Jesus who he loves more between him and and John and and Jesus giving Peter very, very lovely telling off, as I like to call it. But Jesus reinstates Peter.
Jesus acknowledges Peter's heart, and I think this is important for us. I think it's important that we we sort of end here because, contrition and repentance with that comes reinstation reinstation. With that comes the fact that we are reconciled to God. Jesus the story doesn't end on Good Friday. No.
The story ends on resurrection morning. The the resurrection morning and the reconciliation is the reason for that repentance. And and that that in fact, the story starts on resurrection morning. Our story starts on resurrection morning. Yes.
So I think it's important to know that it doesn't just end with Peter's contrition and Peter's repentance. It goes on, because Jesus reinstates Peter. Jesus reconciles with Peter, and and that's what essentially Jesus must do with us. Resurrection morning, he's gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us. And so I think it's important to know that our repentance doesn't just fall flat.
There is a benefit to our repentance. Our salvation comes through our repentance. There's something that we get by repenting. It's not just, oh, yeah. I said sorry.
Life goes on. There's there's so much more to be had. Just that reconciliation and being able to, you know, the the the curtain being torn and being able to approach the throne of grace, and that just brings us closer to God. And I think that's I think that's sort of a high to end up with because, yes Yeah. Definitely.
Peter says, I'm never gonna I'm never ever gonna deny you. Then he denies him, and then he's contrite. But Jesus accepts that. So when you say sorry and when you're truly grieved and when you truly repent, your your repentance will be accepted, and Jesus will reinstate you. And I think that's important because sometimes people you know, the Bible talks about we do not pray to a god who who doesn't have hands to to save.
We pray to a living god, and he's got hands to save, and he hears us, and he's a prayer answering God. And so and so I think it's important for people or anyone listening to know that your repentance doesn't just fall flat. God doesn't just go, yeah. He says sorry. Move on.
I'm not even gonna listen to you because you're gonna you're definitely gonna annoy me. Like, before the cock crows, the cock crows, he would have annoyed me again. He reinstates us. He reconciles us to himself over and over and over again. But also, like, Jesus was working on salvation and a route back to himself whilst Peter was denying him.
Like, Jesus was on his way to the cross to die for Peter even though Peter was busy denying him whilst he was on the way to the cross. Like, even that is just mind boggling. Like, k. You're gonna deny me, but I'm I'm still gonna die for you. Yep.
And he's already made up his mind to forgive him. How does he Yeah. That's the attitude. I think we have to remember that that's the mind of Christ for us. Mhmm.
Like, he has provided for salvation and reconciliation Even before we were born, like, he knew he he knows what we're gonna do. Yeah. From beginning of time, he knows we're gonna rebel. He knows we're gonna sin, and he's made provision for that. So whilst we are yet sinning, he has died for us so that we may come into a relationship with him.
And I think if we remember that about God's character, that's so reassuring. Like, he's not gonna get tired of you saying sorry, and he's not gonna get tired of you messing up. He he knows that you're going to do that, but he's made provision for that. And and with the help of the Holy Spirit, he's made provision for you to sin a little bit less every time. I think that reminds you better.
Or for your conscience to prick you a bit more each time. He's made provision for that. And I think as we go through this holy week, let's just remember the mind and the hearts of of the savior for us, which is that he has made that provision for salvation whilst we're busy kicking up against him. And he's not sick of you, and and he just wants you to come to him remorsefully and contrite and repent, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, promise to live a better life, and the Holy Spirit will help you. And that's essentially the story of this week.
It's it's our rebellion. It's our rebellion. It's our contrition. It's our repentance, and it's our reinstatement. That's the story of this week just played out in Peter in these few hours.
Yes. And to refer to Peter, he's not the only one who left Europe. No. Everybody else did that. He did.
Even John the beloved followed from a distance. But Peter was just a bit more vocal about it, and and so you know? Yeah. I suppose it's more dramatic because he he's the one who spoke up. Right?
But I maybe the others were like, maybe I already stand so that I'm more realistic. But also But I don't think that yeah. But if you're gonna put yourself out there, you you're gonna be called out. Well, yeah. You're gonna be called out.
But you know what is also very interesting is that when you read the restatement of Peter, it is almost it's very poetic because it's almost like Jesus uses words to wipe out what he said. Mhmm. First, he asked, do you love me? Three times. And then what is really interesting is that he then predicts the way Peter was going to die.
Remember Peter had said, I would die for you. Well, he ended up giving making Peter's words come to pass. Right? And then it's very interesting. I never really noticed, but he ends up saying follow me.
Follow me is how he called his disciples in the first place. Mhmm. Mhmm. So it I I because people often say Peter didn't think of himself as a disciple anymore. Right?
He felt like he'd broken in. I really like the fact that Jesus said follow me. It's almost say come back. No. Let me say what I said before just so you know that you're really my disciple.
So I've never really noticed that also. Yeah. Yeah. He said that. So it's a very useful reinstatement.
Yeah. That's what God wants us to do. If you truly love me, feed my sheep, feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, take care of each other, feed the people of God, with love, with time, with money. Look after each other and look after the family of Christ, and follow him. Follow him.
Yeah. Yeah. Because that's what we're called to. Peter did his best, to be fair, when you read the the episode. You know, it wasn't easy.
He might fall sometimes with clash. But They clash. I think the restatement of Peter is such a wonderful kind of a for the salvation story. Right? You see played out on a micro level with him, how he, you know, like you said, he he's sorry for what he's done.
God reinstates him, and then he goes on with the power of the holy spirit to do all these great things. He falls. He gets back up again. He doesn't feel as, you know, bad as he did before, and he ends up really fulfilling what he said he he would do. Right?
Maybe he he he spoke with a very a shaky conviction initially. But, eventually, Peter was happy to die for Christ. And I think it's just nice for us to see that salvation played out in a very personal way in Peter's life. Like, he was genuinely saved. He denied Jesus.
He accepted Jesus. And then the holy spirit came in him, and he did all his things. That's what we're supposed to be doing. And, you know, it it's really taken this conversation for me to see it like that. Like you said, Denise, a story I've heard so many times.
But to look at it the way we have today it's amazing. It's just wonderful. Yeah. Yeah. Mhmm.
My autocratic self. It's it's not just all about betrayal. Because you know what's so funny? Last year, I remember Easter Facebook, all these memes about betrayal again. No.
It's about salvation. It's about salvation. It's not just a story of betrayal, but it yeah. It's it's a wonderful story about records. I need the heart of Jesus because I'll be honest.
I I had to ask myself, if I were Jesus, would I have taken Peter back? And I don't think I would have, if I'm really honest. So I think there is just something there about the heart of Jesus that I personally want to know more about and want to learn from. This is not always easy to let go of somebody who has hurt you so very deeply. I mean, Peter was it wasn't just a small denial.
It was a deep thing. Openly. Yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm a I'm a really should be doing what Jesus did.
You he did. He he received Peter back. But also, look at the other one, Judas. Jesus knew he was gonna pray. And Jesus ate it or Judas ate at the table with Jesus and all the others, and Jesus washed Judas's feet.
Yep. That's the worst part, you know. Two great stories. Two two two great things that we should be following. We really should be.
Yeah. Yeah. It's a wonderful story like you said, Sonia. I mean, it's it's really very traumatic. Like, this story is the height of drama.
I love it just for and if you're Catholic, you know tomorrow it's gonna be red, right, on Good Friday service. It's one of the best days to attend the Catholic church, but it is dramatized. It is so well done. So, thank you, ladies. It's been a lovely conversation yet again.
I hope people were able to learn something, about, you know, sin grieving us and the hearts of the Christ and the fact that he just wants us to follow him. But shall we pray before we say goodnight? Yeah. My heavenly father, we thank you so much for, the story essentially of salvation and and being called back into fellowship with Christ after rebellion and denial. We ask, Lord, that you would help us to to have the heart that was in Peter, but also to appreciate and know the saviour's heart for us and what he wants for us as his followers.
Help us, Lord, to, think on these things this weekend and beyond and to spread the good news far and wide, to be shining examples of of your followers and what it means to feed your sheep, look after your lambs, and just be there as as light and salt to the earth. We ask, Lord, for the grace and the power to do this. We ask for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, Lord, this week and always, all through our lives, this side of heaven, until we are called to glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you, ladies.
That was a wonderful discussion. Yes. It was Thank you, everybody, for joining. And Yes. Sharon was there in the chat.
Yes. Sure. I think Sharon joined. Yeah. Okay.
It was Sharon. Thank you, Sharon. Thanks, Sharon. Mhmm. He said put his mouth before putting his brain into gear.
That's what we love about Peter. Very human. Okay. Thank you, everyone. Good night, everyone.
Good night. Bye. Good night. I'm sure this is gonna be