Recovering from a Fumble

Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75
Acts 2

There’s 20 seconds left in the first half of the game, and the home team is down. The quarterback steps back, ball in hand. He senses someone coming and in a panic, he fumbles the ball. A player from the other team recovers it and runs down the field to score a touchdown. With his head hung low, the quarterback makes his way to the locker room.

After a talk with his coach, the quarterback returns renewed. He performs better in the second half than in any other game. He throws with accuracy and runs with speed. He leads his team to victory and is carried off the field. He didn’t let the fumble of the first half stop him from winning the game.

Peter is a lot like this quarterback. In Matthew 26, we see Peter at his lowest point. Just hours after Jesus has been arrested, Peter has denied Him three times in public – a virtual spit in Jesus’s face. When the rooster crowed, Peter remembered Jesus’s words and began to weep, realizing what he had done. Peter, up to this point, was a model follower of Christ. He was chosen by Jesus to become a “fisher of men,” he recognized Jesus as the Christ and he was the only disciple with enough faith to join Jesus for a walk on the water. How could he ever recover from such a fumble?

Fast forward to Acts 2. Jesus has ascended to Heaven and the disciples are worshipping together. Others around them, wondering what’s going on, begin to deduce that they are drunk. Peter steps up and begins to preach to the crowd. He shares the Gospel and 3,000 people were saved! Those 3,000 shared the Gospel with others who shared the Gospel with others. And the cycle continued until someone eventually shared the Gospel with us, leading us to Christ! Can you imagine if Peter had not recovered from his fumble?

We all fumble in life – no one is perfect aside from God. What’s important is how you get back up and recover – repent, ask God for forgiveness and forgive yourself. Imagine what you can do once you recover from a fumble!