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Though he didn't know it,
But most certainly was,
From the beginning,
Peter walked the
Road humble.
Having fished all night
catching nothing,
The weary fishermen
heard Jesus say,
"Lower your nets
for a catch!"
And to the breaking,
fish filled their nets.
When Peter saw this
He fell at Jesus' knees,
Saying, "Lord!
Go away! I'm
a sinful man."
From the bow of their
wind-battered boat,
Seeing Jesus
walking on waves,
Peter called out, "Lord!
let me come too."
And when Jesus said,
Peter stepped out,
and to Him walked,
But as fear overtook,
near His feet, and
sinking fast,
he cried,
"Lord, pull me up!"
Near a grove of olives
a throng did hear,
"I am the Living Bread,
of Me you must eat,
and My blood drink!"
Aghast, and in retreat,
some surely retching,
Would-be believers
did so scatter.
But when Jesus asked,
the twelve, "You too?"
It was Peter who answered,
"Lord! You alone
have the words
of eternal life."
Silent were the miles
before Jesus broke
The news of His death.
As clear as could be,
He said it was why
to earth, He came.
But it was Peter who
took Him aside,
Saying, "This will never."
Then, looking at Peter,
but far past,
Jesus commanded,
"Get behind Me,
Satan!"
The sacrificial dinner
had finally come,
No longer prophecy,
the time had arrived,
"I will be betrayed,
one will deny me,
the rest will scatter,"
Jesus announced.
Again it was Peter
who boldly claimed,
"No one will touch You.
For You, I will die!"
Three times Peter
would instead lie.
In the dark outside
the midnight court,
when the rooster
crowd a third time,
The weight of not
staying awake,
drawing blood,
And three times denying,
Peter fell thrice,
first to his knees,
then to his palms,
and last his face,
Crying full in his
emptiness.
For Peter, it mattered not
Jesus was again alive,
for his heart was still
dead.
To reach past the numb,
he fished as he had so
many times before,
He knew that road well,
but Jesus had quite
another in mind.
A beach breakfast fire
would do the trick,
And Peter's love would
fire once more in the
Embers of forgiveness
as God's grace put
him back walking
On the road humble.
Luke 5:8 (Isaiah 6:5)
Matthew 14:24-33; 16:13-18
Matthew 16:21-23; 26:20-35
Matthew 26:69-75
John 6:51-69; 21:1-17 |