What can we learn from how Jesus forgave Peter?
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Kids Talk About God
By Carey Kinsolving
“If I messed up like Peter, I’d probably hide under my bed and hope Jesus didn’t notice,” says Ella, 10. “Or maybe I’d bring him cookies first. Then, I would apologize.”
That might have been tempting for Peter, too. After all, he had denied knowing Jesus three times on the very night Jesus was arrested. He had bragged about his loyalty, then ran scared when it counted. And now, here was Jesus risen from the dead looking Peter in the eye.
In John 21:15-19, we find one of the most beautiful pictures of grace and restoration in the whole Bible. Jesus doesn’t bring up Peter’s failure directly. Instead, he asks a simple question: “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?”
Three times Jesus asked. Three times Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” It wasn’t just repetition. It was redemption. Jesus was undoing the three denials with three affirmations.
“Jesus gave Peter a chance to say ‘I love you’ as many times as he had said ‘I don’t know him,’” says Caleb, 11.
Jesus didn’t shame Peter. He didn’t say, “Told you so.” He didn’t ask, “Why did you blow it?” Instead, he gave Peter a path back through love.
When someone wrongs us, we often want them to squirm. But Jesus doesn’t play that game. He restores with purpose.
Each time Peter answered, Jesus gave him a command: “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” “Feed my sheep.”
“Jesus wanted Peter to take care of people and not feel like a loser,” says Emma, 9.
Yes! Jesus didn’t just forgive Peter. He recommissioned him. He gave him a mission. That’s how grace works. It not only wipes the slate clean. It gives us a new direction.
Peter was sad when Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Maybe it reminded him of his failure. Maybe it felt like a test. But Jesus knew what He was doing.
Jesus was doing heart surgery, not to hurt Peter, but to heal him. He wasn’t rubbing in the guilt. He was rubbing it out.
God never motivates us by guilt. He wants us to live under the umbrella of His forgiveness. He wants us to live in full freedom as His beloved children.
Christian apologist Norman Geisler once wrote, “God doesn’t use people because they are perfect. He uses them in spite of their imperfections.” Peter is proof of that.
Author Charlie Bing wrote: “God’s grace restores believers who fail, not because they deserve it, but because that’s what grace does.” That was true for Peter, and it’s true for us.
Then Jesus said something strange. He told Peter that in the future, someone else would dress him and lead him where he didn’t want to go. John tells us this was a prophecy of how Peter would die a martyr’s death.
Why mention that now? Because Jesus was calling Peter to follow Him, fully knowing the cost. And Peter would. The same man who denied Jesus would later preach boldly, lead the early church and give his life for his Lord.
“Jesus didn’t just forgive Peter. He trusted him again,” says Sophia, 10. “That’s amazing.”
Yes, it is. That’s grace. That’s Jesus.
Think About This: Jesus forgives not to make us feel worse, but to set us free and to call us back into God’s plan for our lives.
Memorize This Truth: “Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep’” (John 21:17b).
Ask These Questions: What does Jesus’ forgiveness mean for me? How can I share that kind of grace with others?
“Kids Talk About God” is designed for families to study the Bible together. Research shows that parents who study the Bible with their children give their character, faith and spiritual life a powerful boost. To receive “Kids Talk About God” twice a week in a free, email subscription, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org/email.
