Escorted from the Canyon of Guilt#
I should not be shocked and horrified that I have failed, Jesus isn't! ~ Brennan Manning
To feel guilt is no tragedy; to feel no guilt is.
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:61-62)
When the apostle Peter saw Jesus looking at him from across the courtyard he was flooded with guilt.
Had Peter not felt the guilt in the courtyard, he never would have proclaimed the grace on Pentecost.
Please note there are two fires in the Peter story. The first is the fire of denial, but the second is the fire of discovery. The first fire was built by men, the second was built by Christ.
At the first fire Peter denied Jesus. At the second, Peter confessed Him. (See John 21 for Peter's restoration by Jesus)
What took Peter from one fire to the next? How did he journey from the fire of denial to the fire of discovery?
In between the fires are two events: the tears of Peter and the cross of Jesus. Both are essential.
If Peter had shed tears and not seen the cross, he would have only known despair. Had he seen the cross and felt no tears, he would have only known arrogance. But since he saw both, he knew redemption.
It took Peter only one distracted week to meet Jesus for breakfast. Invited to eat at a hot beachside fire after a miserable night with his mates Peter's impulsivity 'lived again'.
Mingle the tears of the sinner with the cross of the Savior and the result is a joyful escort out of the canyon guilt.#
Even when you have let Jesus down, He won't return the favor - He won't let you down.
You may well be chastened by recrimination, but Jesus still loves you unto restoration.
#Today's SoulSnack is reproduced from Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991), P170