March 3, 2024: I Have No Idea What You are Talking About - Michael Hidalgo

So many of us believe we have done something God could never forgive. We’ve gone too far. We’ve done too much. We’ve made too many mistakes. But if it is not true of Jesus it is not true of God. What we learn from the life of Peter is no one is beyond the forgiveness of God.

Jesus tells his disciples they will all fall away, but Peter insists he is wrong! Jesus responds to him with a prediction. “You will deny me three times tonight.” Peter again insists Jesus is wrong. But, as it turns out, Peter is the one who is wrong. Forget about the fact that Peter just turned his back on his friend at the moment of his sentencing. Forget about the fact that Peter was a coward. Those things are true … but Peter, as a disciple was supposed to long to be noticed as disciple of his rabbi. Instead, when noticed, he rejects it.

And what does Jesus do? He looks right at him when it happens (according to Luke). Then he is marched to his death. But the he comes back from the dead and speaks again to Peter. “Do you love me, Peter?” Jesus asks three times. Peter, replies three times, “Of course!!” Why three times? Because that was the number of times Peter previously denied Jesus. But that’s not the end of the story, is it?