… and Peterfeatured
In this post, I’d like to share a particular light that God showed me a couple of months ago regarding the apostle Peter denying Christ three times. Have you ever wondered why the Lord Jesus used a rooster to remind Peter of his denial?
It is interesting how some animals express certain attributes such as bravery, love, faithfulness, and many others. What if God created animals, each with certain qualities, so that we can learn from them certain spiritual lessons?
The Impulsive Peter
If we were to choose one of the twelve disciples to represent the majority of us, that would definitely be Peter. He was impulsive and possessed a natural boldness, which was eventually exposed by the Lord. The gospels provide a glimpse of Peter’s fluctuating emotions and thoughts. Very few of us would be represented by the apostle Paul, with his vast capacity to apprehend the depths and riches of Christ.
Yet the Lord Jesus sovereignly chose Peter, just as He chose us! We need to be encouraged by the Lord and realize that He does not make mistakes. It is a fact: we have been chosen by the Lord despite our weaknesses, and He longs to use us, but we have to go through a similar process such as the one Peter did.
Peter Exposed by Lord
“But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are saying. And instantly, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times. And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Luke 22: 60-61).
While the Lord Jesus was being questioned and insulted that cold night, Peter was nearby out in the courtyard, warming himself near a fire close to others that recognized him. These accused Peter of being associated to Jesus, but he denied it three times, and the rooster crowed! What a way of being exposed. He had previously said, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you” (Matthew 26:35).
Are we believers also like Peter? We deny Him when we refuse to wake up a bit earlier in the mornings to spend time with Him, when we refuse to witness to someone, or when we choose not to call or text someone that He has placed in our hearts. May the Lord Jesus embolden us to be like a rooster!
Why the Rooster?
Earlier this year I asked the Lord, “Why did you choose a rooster to remind Peter that He would deny you three times?” I should clarify that I have chickens and a rooster, which has given me the opportunity to observe their behavior. As the days went by, it dawned on me how bold the rooster is. He is not afraid of me or my children (seen below), or strangers; it persistently stands on guard and in front of people to protect its flock of chickens.
My black rooster sacrifices itself by allowing the chickens to eat first and pecking at the tortillas and vegetables into pieces for them, while making little sounds to get their attention.
Perhaps roosters are a bit naive or they are about the bravest animals ever conceived by God. They will fight a cow, a raccoon, a bobcat, a turkey, and many other animals. Trying to hold one of its chickens will cause the rooster to immediately charge you. Of course, the chances of it winning against a much larger person or animal is minimal, but you still have to admire its bravery and love for its flock!
Searching videos on YouTube on roosters fighting animals I found this one, but there are others:
Roosters are brave and willing to die for their flock, fighting even against much larger animals. It sacrifices itself to make sure its flock eats first. These God given attributes were expressed by the Lord Jesus at the cross: Boldness and Sacrifice.
It’s as if the Lord Jesus used a rooster’s crow to tell Peter, “You are not bold and you are selfish; yet, I intend to make you bold and willing to sacrifice for the ‘flock’.“
The Rooster’s Morning Crowing
Throughout much of human history, when humans didn’t have alarms, I imagine that people used rooster’s morning crow as a natural alarm to wake them up. It’s interesting to note that a Japanese group of scientists discovered that roosters have an internal biological clock that causes them to crow at roughly the same time, no matter how the external light stimulus looks.
Could the Lord have sovereignly chosen the rooster with its crow, boldness, and ability to sacrifice itself to show us a pattern? Perhaps the Lord Jesus Himself “crows” to us in the morning to cause us to spend time with Him in the mornings. This way, we are emboldened and are willing to live a life of sacrifice as we shepherd God’s “flock.”
Peter in Resurrection
After the Lord Jesus imparted Himself as the Spirit to Peter, he was not afraid of denying the Lord and even willing to witness Him with boldness, as seen in Acts 4:13: “And they beheld the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated men and laymen, they marveled and they recognized them, that they had been with Jesus.”
That is definitely a new Peter, willing to sacrifice himself for the love of His Lord, even unto death.
How was Peter martyred? According to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs referring to the way the apostle Peter died: “in which he was crucified, his head being down, and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was, he said, unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord Jesus” (page 9).
Allowing His Life of Sacrifice to Grow in Us
These are are definitely chaotic times with many societal, financial, and moral changes. May the Lord Jesus continue to gain a group of people with a spirit of martyrdom who are willing to live in resurrection for Him and His church. May He bring us into maturity through our failures, just as Peter experienced, so that we can express Him properly.
Please like and share. I’d love to hear your comments. May the Lord be the brave one through us and gain what He desires in and through us!
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