Biblical Places Spiritual Spaces Gethsemene & En Galli Cantu Church

 Remember Peter, the prideful disciple, who boasted that even of the other disciples abandoned Jesus, he would always be faithful?

And Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.’ ²⁸ But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

 ²⁹ But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.”

³⁰ And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that  this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” ³¹ But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” Mark 14:27-31

The door of the Church of En Galli Cantu, built on the site of Caiphas' house.

Here is the moment that Jesus tells Peter he will deny him three times before the rooster crows.

What Jesus foretold happened a few hours later as Jesu was being questioned by the High Priest and Peter was standing with John by the charcoal fire outside Caiphas’ house.

Then the slave-girl who kept the door *said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself. John 18:17-18

⁷¹ When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and *said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.”

 ⁷³ A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.”

⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.

⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.     Matthew 26:71-75

The statue depicting the moment the rooster crows.

Peter had failed miserably. He was a broken man who remained silent throughout the next days, even when Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection. Peter was so ashamed that he decided to lay down his calling, and go back to his former profession of fishing.

¹ After these things Jesus  manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. ² Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter *said to them, “I am going fishing.” They *said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

“I am going fishing” is in the Present Infinitive tense.

It means continuous or repeated action. Peter, because of his shame of denying and cursing Jesus, has decided to abandon his call "To fish for men" (Luke 5:10-11) and return to his former profession- catching fish.

Fishing in the harbor of Tiberias, Sea of Galilee

⁴ But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ So Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” ⁶ And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. ⁷  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
⁹ So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread.

The word charcoal fire is the same word used to describe the fire that Peter was warming himself outside Caiphas’ house the night he denied he knew Jesus and curse him.

Jesus wanted Peter to make the connection to that moment.

¹⁰ Jesus *said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” ¹¹ Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

¹² Jesus *said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus *came and *took the bread and *gave it to them, and the fish likewise. ¹⁴ This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

In Biblical culture, you only eat with your friends. Jesus was sending a cultural message to Peter: “In spite of your denying that you knew me, we are still in the same relationship as before, we are friends, and nothing has changed about your calling.”

¹⁵ So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you  love (agapao) Me more than these?”

Was Jesus referring to Peter’s fishing buddies, or the 153 fish flopping around in the baskets?  Since Peter had decided to abandon his calling and return to something comfortable and profitable, I think the answer is obvious to John, who is telling us this story.

 He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love (phileo) You.”

He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 

¹⁶ He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love (agapao) Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love (phileo) You.”

 He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

¹⁷ He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love (phileo) Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me? (phileo) ” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.” John 21:1-17

Jesus ask Peter if he loves him because of who he is, not what can be gotten from the relationship (agapao). Peter responds that he loves Jesus like a brother (phileo), a relationship with benefits for both parties.

Jesus repeats the question, and finally the third time Jesus asks Peter “Do you really love me like a brother?. Peter is grieved that Jesus calls him on his unwillingness to love him in an unconditional manner.

Yet the message is clear: “Peter, you have a calling, and in spite of your failures, the calling remains, now forget your old ways and profession, and let’s do something incredible together that will last for Eternity.”

Principle: Even in the deepest hole of failure, Jesus gives us opportunity to pick up our calling.