Comeback Kid

Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Matthew 16:18

The life of Peter testifies to the fact that mistakes don’t have to be fatal. Peter was someone who was always failing forward. When he failed, he didn’t let his mistakes push him further away from God. In a period of 24 hours, Peter rebuked Jesus, went to sleep in the last prayer meeting Jesus would ever have, chopped a guy’s ear off in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then cursed and denied that he knew Jesus. But despite all of these failures, Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church,” and “the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” 

 

There was something special about Peter. He had a comeback spirit. He didn’t allow anything to keep him from Jesus. On one occasion while everyone else was content to sit on the boat, it was Peter who saw Jesus out walking on the water. He was so determined to get to Him that he got out of the boat. Peter said (paraphrased), “Even if I have to do the supernatural, I have to be near Jesus.” It was his passion. 

 

After Jesus was crucified, Peter lost all hope of God ever using him in ministry again. He went back to fishing, and while he was on his boat, he spotted Jesus. He instantly threw off his coat and dove into the water, swimming over 100 yards to get to Him because he loved Him so much. 

 

When Jesus spoke to Peter for the first time after everything that had happened, he didn’t ask Peter, “Why did you deny me when I needed you the most?” He asked him, “Do you (still) love me?” He just wanted to know if Peter still had the passion for Him that he had seen so many times in the past. Jesus never brought up his past but simply wanted to know if Peter still loved him.

 

Jesus doesn’t care how much or how badly you have failed. He only wants to know today if you still love Him. God knows your heart. Jesus knew that Peter meant well. He had a lot of maturing to do, but when he chopped off the guard’s ear, he meant well. He was just trying to protect Jesus. When he was warming his hands by the fire and was recognized as a follower of Jesus, he returned to stay near Jesus. The rest had fled. Peter knew he was endangering himself by being there and ended up denying that he knew Jesus. However, he was only in that position because he loved Jesus so much that he followed him. 

 

Jesus looked past Peter’s failures and saw his heart. He saw a heart that burned with love for Him and desired to be near Him. Jesus also sees your heart today. Don’t allow the enemy to tell you that you’re not worthy and that you should just give up. Don’t ever lose your comeback spirit.