He Learned Forgiveness From the Master

 Was Peter Beyond Forgiveness?

It is hard to imagine the depth of Peter's  pain as the morning broke and the events of the day unfolded.  How he must have reproved himself when Jesus died later that day after hours of torment!  Peter must have shuddered to think of how he had added to his Master's pain on what turned out to be the last day of His life as a man.  Deep though the abyss of his sadness surely was, Peter did nt give in to despair.  We know as  much because we soon  find him in  association with  his spiritual brothers  again.  (Luke 24:33)  No doubt all the apostles regretted how they behaved on that dark night, and they brought one another a measure of comfort.

 In a way,, we here see Peter in one of his finer moments.  When a servant of God falls, what matters most is not the depth of his fall but the strength of his determination to get up again to set matters right.  (Read Proverbs 24:16.)   Peter showed  genuine faith by gathering with his brothers despite his low spirits.  When one is burdened by sadness or regret, isolation is temping but dangerous.  (Proverbs 18:1)  The wise course is to stay close to fellow believers and regain spiritual strength.  - HEBREWS 10:24, 25.

Because he was with his spiritual brothers, Peter got to hear the shocking news that Jesus' body was not in the tomb.  Peter and John ran to the tomb where Jesus had been buried and the entrance had been sealed.  John, a younger man, arrived first.  Finding the tomb open, he hesitated. Not Peter, Though he was winded, he went straight in. It was empty!  - JOHN 20:3-9.

Next time: He Learned Forgiveness From the Master - Conclusion  if -Is Peter Beyond Forgiveness?

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