Crucified upside down

Devotional

One of the character traits I most admire about the Apostle Peter is his transparency.

According to early tradition, the Gospel of Mark was based primarily on Peter’s eyewitness testimony. In Mark 14 we read of one of Peter’s greatest failures, a story he obviously shared with Mark and, through him, with the world.

It begins with Jesus’ warning to his disciples in Mark 14:27, “You will all fall away.” Peter responded: “Even though they all fall away, I will not” (v. 29). Jesus assured him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times” (v. 30). But Peter was convinced that Jesus was wrong: “He said emphatically, ‘If I must die with you, I will not deny you’” (v. 31).

Of course, we know what happened that same night as Peter denied his Lord three times (Mark 14:66–72).

Fast-forward to Jesus’ resurrection. He has appeared to his disciples, Peter included. He has shown them his crucified and risen body, then he came for his fallen disciple beside the Sea of Galilee where the fisherman had lived his life and made his living. John 21:15 says, “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’”

Jesus repeated his question three times, and Peter gave the same answer three times. Then Jesus warned him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go” (v. 18). John explained: “This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God” (v. 19).

The story ends with this: “And after saying this he said to him, ‘Follow me’” (v. 19b). And Peter did.

This fallen and now-restored disciple preached the first sermon in Christian history at Pentecost in Acts 2. He and John were used to heal a man lame from birth in Acts 3 and to preach to the crowds that responded in amazement in Acts 3–4. He would stand before the Sanhedrin with incredible courage and grace in Acts 4–5. He would be used in miraculous ways across the Roman Empire and write two epistles that are part of our New Testament.

Then, according to early tradition from a letter known as 1 Clement, the time came for him to die as Jesus had predicted: “Peter, who because of unrighteous jealousy suffered not one or two but many trials, and having thus given his testimony went to the glorious place which was his due.” In his work titled Ecclesiastical History, the early historian Eusebius records that Peter “was crucified head-downwards; for he had requested that he might suffer in this way.”

When God’s people truly “turn from their wicked ways,” like we read in 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Lord restores us to his kingdom purposes and redeems even our failures for his greatest glory and our greatest good. Peter is proof.

today’s devotional is written by Jim Denison