Peter’s Denial: A Conversation with the Fisherman
This is a fictional conversation created to provide a reflective look at Peter’s experience and emotions surrounding his denial of Jesus. While inspired by the biblical account, this dialogue is a creative interpretation meant to deepen our understanding of God’s forgiveness and restoration.
When I look back on that night, the night I swore I’d stand by Jesus no matter the cost, my heart feels both heavy and full of wonder. I thought I was strong, bold, and unwavering. I had even told Him, “Even if everyone else falls away, I will not!” (Mark 14:29). It felt true when I said it. I believed I would follow Him anywhere, even to death.
But I didn’t know what was waiting in the courtyard that night. I didn’t know how much fear can make a person act in ways they can’t imagine. It started when I saw the others—people who were whispering, casting glances. The fear crept up slowly, like the chill of that night, chilling me to the core.
When a servant girl looked at me and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” I heard myself saying, “I do not know what you mean” (Matthew 26:69-70). My words surprised me. I tried to brush it off, hoping no one noticed the fear in my eyes. But I could feel something shift inside me—a crack in my resolve, a hesitation I hadn’t felt before.
Moments later, someone else pointed at me, insisting that I was one of Jesus’ followers. The words came out of my mouth quickly, “I do not know the man!” (Matthew 26:72). The second time felt worse, but by then, the panic had taken over. I felt trapped between my fear of being found out and my shame at denying the One I loved so deeply.
Then, for a third time, another voice, almost accusingly, said, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” With cursing and anger, I didn’t know I had, I shouted, “I do not know the man!” (Matthew 26:73-74). And in that instant, the rooster crowed. Just as Jesus had said, before the rooster crowed, I denied Him three times.
It was like a stone dropped in my chest. I remembered His words and felt the weight of what I had done. I had denied my friend, my teacher, my Lord. I left that place, stumbling in the dark, the sounds of that courtyard echoing in my mind, and I wept bitterly. I thought of Psalm 51:17, a verse I had learned as a child: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” I was broken.
Heartbroken, I carried that shame for days. Each time I remembered His face, I felt both the love He had shown me and the pain of my own failure. But Jesus is not like any other. After His resurrection, He found me by the Sea of Galilee. I thought He’d never look at me the same. But He looked at me with the same love and asked, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” (John 21:15). I answered, my voice shaky, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He asked me three times, just as I had denied Him three times, and with each answer, He told me, “Feed My sheep.”
In that moment, He didn’t just forgive me. He restored me. He reminded me that despite my failure, He still had a purpose for me. I am convinced that His love is unbreakable, even when we fail Him. To anyone who’s fallen, who feels they’ve turned their back on Christ, know this: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). I know now, nothing—not even our worst failings—can separate us from His love. As Paul later wrote, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
If you feel like you've failed Him, take heart: His forgiveness knows no bounds, and His love is unwavering. Just as He came to me in my lowest moment, He will come to you, ready to restore you and renew His purpose for your life.
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“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.”
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I am the author of two books: Embracing God's Wisdom: A Journey of Faith and Reflection and Embracing God’s Wisdom: Paul’s Commands for Victorious Living. Both are available on Amazon.