After the Resurrection: Peter’s Battle with Failure and Hope

In our daily 3-minute meditations, we focus on what happened after Christ’s resurrection. The Lord Jesus told the disciples that He would meet them in Galilee (Matthew 28:10). So, after the second Sunday, when the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) ended, they began an eighty–mile journey north to the Galilee region of Israel. Imagine Peter's feelings as he looked forward to this meeting with the resurrected Christ. He must have struggled with his denial of Jesus. The Lord knew Peter's heart and made sure he received the invitation! When the angels at the empty tomb appeared to the women after the resurrection, they specifically mentioned Peter, saying:

But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you (Mark 16:7; emphasis added).

No one enjoys facing their sins or mistakes. However, confrontation can be one of the most loving acts a person can do for others or receive themselves. The Lord told Mary Magdalene to tell Peter that He would see him in Galilee, which I am sure was very unsettling for the brokenhearted disciple. We have all experienced moments when we had to confront our failures. The enemy of our souls makes us believe that we are completely defeated and unworthy, and our poor self-image can hinder our spiritual growth and effectiveness.

Satan knows that when we rise from the dust of our sin, we will emerge having learned more about God's grace and our need to rely on Christ. Our thankfulness deepens, and our failures strengthen us. We become humbler and more dependent on God's grace. How we respond to our failures determines where we go from there. We are called to fail forward and continue walking with Jesus.

When the group of disciples finally arrived at the Sea of Galilee, and while they waited for Jesus to come to them, Peter returned to what he used to do in his younger days:

“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing (John 21:3).

It is quite possible that Peter was under spiritual attack, and that the enemy of his soul was accusing him of his threefold denial of Christ. This is speculation on my part, but I cannot help but think that Peter was contemplating returning to fishing for a living. In my younger years, I worked as a commercial fisherman on England's East Coast. For someone who has lived near the sea or worked as a seafarer, there is a sense of peace in returning to the coast after some time away. It can be the calming sight of waves washing up on the beach, the beauty of the shoreline, and the aroma of fish at the harbor. All of these must have been too tempting for Peter, and all the fond memories of good times likely flooded back to him. Interestingly, we rarely remember the hard times when we are tempted to go back — only the joyful ones.

We are never truly spiritually fulfilled by going backward. When the children of Israel faced tough times on their journey to the Promised Land, they wanted to turn back to Egypt, but that was not an option (Numbers 14:1-4; Deuteronomy 17:16). When I felt God calling me to leave my well-paying job in commercial fishing and follow Him, I left our nets and cleaned windows to make a fragile living. It was a difficult time, but I couldn’t go back. The Lord had been preparing me for many years before I began serving full-time in ministry. There were moments I considered going back to my work as a fisherman, wondering if I had made the right decision. If I had returned, I don’t believe I would be doing what I am now. It was time for me to leave my nets behind. The trouble with going back is that we often influence others to follow us, as was the case with Peter that day: six others went with him. We all impact others with our lives—some more than others—but when our influence causes others to regress, it’s never a good thing. We are called to keep our eyes on Jesus and walk this life of faith. Let’s discuss more about Peter’s restoration in tomorrow’s meditation. Keith Thomas

Taken from the Bible study in the Gospel of John: 42. Jesus Reinstates Peter

You may also enjoy watching the YouTube video, "Why Did Jesus Have to Die?"