Changed by the Cross

When we remember the cross, we naturally think about what happened to Jesus. We should also ask what His death and resurrection are doing in us. Is our gratitude growing? Are we becoming more willing to confess Him and serve His people? Peter’s story helps us ask those questions honestly. He speaks with great confidence, fails painfully, and then receives a renewed call from the risen Lord. The Savior he loves has more for him to do.

At the supper, the disciples argue about who is greatest, and Jesus teaches them about service (Luke 22:24–34). Peter insists that he is ready for prison and death. Jesus knows the weakness Peter does not yet recognize and warns him about denial. We can see ourselves there. Strong feelings and sincere promises do not make us as ready as we imagine. We need to listen to the Lord, depend on Him, and give His warnings more weight than our confidence.

Later, Peter sits near a fire in the high priest’s courtyard and denies knowing Jesus three times (Luke 22:54–62). The rooster crows, the Lord turns toward him, and Peter remembers. He goes out and weeps bitterly. We should read that account with compassion and humility. The point is not to stand above him. It is to recognize how easily fear can expose our weakness and how much we need the courage to acknowledge Jesus when doing so costs us something.

John 21:9–19 brings us to another fire, this time beside the sea after the resurrection. Jesus has breakfast with His disciples and asks Peter whether he loves Him. With each answer comes responsibility: care for My sheep. Love has work to do. Peter is also told that following will involve sacrifice. The Lord is giving him more than relief from a terrible memory. He is calling him to a future in which devotion becomes steady, costly service to others.

Look at the life that forms around the risen Lord in Acts 2:41–47. Those who receive the word are baptized and continue in teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. They praise God and care generously for one another. Peter now helps lead people toward the Savior he once denied. He will still need correction, but the change is real. Failure need not be the last thing said about someone who returns to Jesus and keeps following Him.

Bring that hope into your remembrance of the Lord. Ask what His sacrifice is changing in you. Perhaps you need to confess a wrong, speak more readily about your faith, or give practical help to a brother or sister. Gratitude should reach those places. If weakness has recently become painfully clear, receive the correction and return to faithful action. The Savior died and rose again. Love Him enough to accept the responsibility He places before you today.