The Disciple Who Kept Showing Up
God’s grace after failure is one of the most breathtaking themes in all of Scripture, and nowhere does it shine more clearly than in the story of Peter.
Key Scripture
“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’ Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’ The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.'” John 21:15–17
Reflection
Peter had done the unthinkable. On the night Jesus needed him most, he had stood by a charcoal fire in the courtyard of the high priest and denied knowing his Lord — not once, but three times. Each denial was a hammer blow, and the rooster’s crow that followed must have felt like a verdict. By any human reckoning, Peter’s story as a disciple should have ended there, swallowed up by shame and disqualification.
But Jesus had other plans. In John 21, after the resurrection, we find the disciples back at the Sea of Galilee — back to fishing, back to the familiar, perhaps back to wondering whether everything had simply fallen apart. Jesus appears on the shore, restores them with a miraculous catch, and then, beside another charcoal fire — the same detail John is almost certainly including on purpose — he turns to Peter. Three denials. Three questions. Three commissions. Jesus is not rubbing Peter’s face in his failure; he is methodically and tenderly dismantling it. Every “Do you love me?” is a chance to replace a denial with an affirmation, and every “Feed my sheep” is a reinstatement of purpose. This is what grace looks like when it gets its hands dirty.
What is so remarkable here is the sequence. Jesus does not wait for Peter to produce a thorough account of his repentance, to demonstrate sufficient growth, or to earn back a place at the table. The reinstatement comes first. The purpose is restored before Peter fully understands what has happened inside his own heart. That is the stubborn, initiative-taking nature of divine grace — it moves toward us while we are still working out our own brokenness. God does not place his call on hold whilst we get ourselves together. He calls us back into purpose as part of the process of healing us.
Perhaps you find yourself by a metaphorical charcoal fire today — somewhere familiar, carrying the weight of something you deeply regret. A season where you failed someone you love, walked away from what God asked of you, or simply crumbled under pressure. The enemy would have you believe that your worst moment is your final chapter. But the risen Jesus walks to the shoreline of your ordinary life, calls you by name, and asks not “How could you?” but “Do you love me?” That question is not an accusation. It is an invitation. And buried within it is everything you need to begin again.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you that you are the God who comes looking. I confess that I have stumbled — sometimes in ways that have deeply grieved me and, I know, grieved you too. But I am humbled that you did not discard Peter, and I trust that you have not discarded me. You know all things; you know that I love you, however imperfectly. Restore my sense of calling today. Remind me that your purpose for my life was spoken before my failures were committed, and it stands firm long after them. Give me the courage to rise, to receive your grace without arguing against it, and to feed the people you have placed around me. In your name, Amen.
Today’s Action Step
Take five minutes today to write down one area of your life where shame has convinced you that God’s call no longer applies to you. Then read John 21:15–17 aloud and, where Jesus says “Feed my sheep,” insert your own name. Let the words of restoration land personally — because they were always meant to.
Has this reflection encouraged you? Share it with someone who needs to hear that God’s grace after failure is real, and leave a comment below telling us what God is speaking to you through Peter’s story.