In Mark’s writing, we see that he often tells part of a story, then jumps to another story, only to come back and complete the first story. This story is a continuation of the discussion that happened in 14:27-31. The irony of this story is that Peter has emphatically stated that he would die for Jesus and never fall away, yet he denies Jesus so easily! It is not before Pilate or the Sanhedrin that Peter denies Jesus, but rather before the one of the servant girls of the high priest! Jesus stands firm through the cross, but Peter can’t even handle the scrutiny of a teenage girl!
It would be easy to leave Peter here in the mud, but what we see in John 21 is that after the resurrection, Jesus completely restores Peter. In one of the great stories of grace, Peter goes on to be one of the most influential leaders in all of Christian history. In fact, extrabiblical history even tells us that Peter eventually faced his own cross, choosing to be crucified himself as opposed to renouncing Christ. In the same way, as we face our own failures and times where we have been ashamed of Jesus, let us not hold the shame over our heads, but may we come to Jesus with great faith in his grace and healing power. God is truly not through with us yet!
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