Jesus Understands fear, loneliness and

Failure.

After Peter had failed

Jesus turned around and looked

At Peter with love.

Sometimes I hear these words no one loves me or understands me. We all want to be understood and forgiven for our mistakes. There is one who understands us all without any Judgement.

His name is Jesus. His friends walked out on him when he needed them the most. Even though Peter had denied Jesus three times. Jesus did not reject Peter. Jesus accepts us and his mercy is endless.

Jesus has great compassion. There was a plot to arrest Jesus and have him put to death. Sadly, this came from the religious people of his day. Jesus said to his disciples, “I will be arrested tonight and sentence to death and you will all flee.” How alone Jesus must have felt at that moment that his close friends would disown him! Jesus experienced that extreme feeling of loneliness.

Peter turned to Jesus and said, “Lord I am ready to be arrested and die with you”. Jesus looked at Peter and said, “Tonight you will say three times that you do not know me”.

“Lord that will never happen,” replied Peter. Jesus said to all his disciples, “Pray so that you will not fall into temptation because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Jesus went to the mount of Olives and knelt down to pray, “Father if you are willing take this cup of suffering from me but yet it is not what I want but you want.” At that very moment an angel of God came and strengthen Jesus. That was a moment of total submission by Jesus to the will of God his father. The tension and the struggles were real there for Jesus.

Jesus saw prayer as being a necessity. He said to his disciples, pray so that you will not fall into temptation. It appears we do not give prayer the importance Jesus gave to it. Pray connects us to God and his supernatural strength. Prayer is a connection for a divine intervention. The disciples of Jesus had not seen the importance of prayer and were sleeping when they needed God to give them strength to overcome temptation.

Jesus was in anguish and restless. He could only find comfort in prayer. Have you been there when you are feeling restless? Jesus knows how it feels. He understands your loneliness and restlessness! He turned to God in prayer for comfort.

Judas had agreed to betray Jesus. He came with a crowd to arrest Jesus. The disciples of Jesus wanted to stop him from being arrested. One of men drew out a sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers.

“Put the sword your away. I could call thousands of angels if I wanted to do it”, said Jesus. Jesus touched the soldier’s ear and healed it. Amazing compassion from Jesus to heal an ear of the Roman soldier in such a confrontational situation.

Jesus was arrested and Peter followed at a distance. Peter sat with a crowd of people. A servant girl looked at Peter and said, “This man was also with him.” But he denied it, “Woman, I do not know him”, Peter replied very angrily.

A little later someone else saw Peter and said, “You are one of them.” Peter replied, “I am not”. After about one hour later, another person said, He is one of them.” Again, Peter immediately said, “I do not know what you are talking about.” As he was speaking the rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him and broke down in tears. This was real repentance and humility.

After Jesus rose from the dead. He appeared to Peter and his disciples. Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each time Peter replied, “Lord you know I love you.” This was the moment of reconciliation for Peter to his relationship with Jesus.

Peter and Judas had both failed Jesus. Peter was able to come back to Jesus while Judas committed suicide. Peter was a broken man but he sought the forgiveness of Jesus.

Failure can either drive us away from God or nearer to him. When we fail it is not easy to accept ourselves. Judas couldn’t accept himself after his failure and committed suicide.

The key to accepting ourselves is to understand that God accepts us in our failure. Jesus came to save sinners and not perfect people. Jesus does not judge us in our failure! (The story of Jesus and Peter is found in Luke: 22:54-62)

Dear Jesus

You welcome me even in my failure

You look at me with love in

your eyes.

Amen.

By harbajan (servant of Jesus).

4^th March 2026.