It wasn't just Judas who betrayed Jesus - Peter did too.
After promising to die with Jesus, he denied him three times when the going got tough. All his words - all his bravado - all his grand gestures crumbled away as the cock crowed.
But Peter wasn't like Judas - perhaps because he knew Jesus in a deeper way. Peter had got it wrong before, and Jesus had stuck with him. His mouth had got him into trouble more than once. He had even seen Jesus on the mountain shining like the sun, and spoken pure drivel in the presence of God - but Jesus stuck with him.
Even so, I bet that Peter's joy at the resurrection was still tempered by the sadness that comes from failure. His joy at seeing the risen Lord slightly blunted by wondering if he had screwed it up just one too many times...
Then Jesus came to them by the lake - a distant figure on the shore. He called to them to let down the nets on the other side of the boat, just like the first time Jesus called him. And the nets almost burst with fish - just like before. Peter knew it was the Lord.
And as Jesus called Peter's name, I wonder what went through Peter's mind?
"Simon Peter" said Jesus, "do you love me?" Three times Jesus asked and three times Peter replied "Yes Lord - you know that I love you".
Peter knew what Jesus was doing. He was taking him back to the night before the cross - back to the courtyard of the High Priest's house - back to those awkward questions, "Aren't you one of his friends?"
Yet as Jesus took him back to that night, he also took him back into his heart - the heart of love and forgiveness - the heart of unconquerable hope and trust. And three times Jesus responded, "Take care of my sheep".
When we get it wrong (and we all do) the temptation is to run away, not to face the God we have betrayed. But running away never solves anything. It is in the sticking around that we discover the depth of Jesus' love for us. And as he helps us face what we have done, as he calls our name, so he makes us whole.
Pieces - by Red
I'm here again
A thousand miles away from you
A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am
I tried so hard
Thought I could do this on my own
I've lost so much along the way
Then I see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole
I've come undone
But you make sense of who I am
Like puzzle pieces in your hand,
Then I see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole!
I tried so hard! So hard!
I tried so hard!
Then I see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole
So you can make me whole
A thousand miles away from you
A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am
I tried so hard
Thought I could do this on my own
I've lost so much along the way
Then I see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole
I've come undone
But you make sense of who I am
Like puzzle pieces in your hand,
Then I see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole!
I tried so hard! So hard!
I tried so hard!
Then I see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole
So you can make me whole
To view the other Soundtracks for Holy Week follow the links below:
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