I hate roosters.
No, seriously. I hate them.
You may be wondering how it’s possible for someone like myself (city born and bred) to know a thing about such a farm animal. Well, let me tell ya…
I used to live with a friend in downtown Flint. There we were, in the murder capitol of the U.S.A., five minutes away from the University of Michigan campus, surrounded by ancient buildings, clubs, stores and expressways… Yet, somehow, we managed to find ourselves in the one neighborhood in the entire city with a rooster. And this wasn’t just any rooster.
He did, indeed, crow at the respectable time every morning. But that wasn’t it. I’m not sure if he was blind, disabled or just blissfully unaware, but that stupid rooster crowed in the afternoon, evening, and even the middle of the night—whenever he felt good and ready to do so, I guess.
For months, I dreamed. I dreamed of picking up a Red Ryder BB gun and shooting that thing Ralphie-style straight in the eyeball. I’m not even gonna lie to you: I prayed… every night. I prayed that it would fall off the roof with malfunctioning wings. I prayed that they’d sell it or give it away. Shoot, I even prayed that they’d eat the stupid thing—anything to put me out of my misery. But every day, it crowed. Every day, its voice sounded in my ear. With every sunrise—every dawn—came the dreadful screech of the rooster.
Quite a while ago, Hannah asked me what has turned out to be probably one of the greatest questions I’ve ever heard: What did Peter think about roosters?
You see, everybody loves Peter: the passionate, impulsive disciple who was willing to speak out, step out and even act out whenever an opportunity presented itself. When so many others walked away, it was Peter who made the decision to stand by Jesus regardless of the majority, bluntly stating, “to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, it was Peter who drew his sword and cut off the right ear of the high priest’s servant. It was Peter who cried out to Jesus, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” (Matthew 26:33).
It’s easy for us to talk about Judas and his betrayal. This was, after all, a man who had walked, talked and been discipled by Jesus Himself, only to betray Him for a few pieces of silver… But what about Peter? He, too, had walked and talked with Jesus. And while it was Peter who stood by him when everyone else walked away—while it was Peter who walked out onto the water and literally fought for His Lord and Savior—it was also Peter who denied Him:
“Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.”-Matthew 26:69-75
He saw the multitudes fed, the demons cast out, the lepers cleansed and the sick made whole. He experienced the miracles, signs and wonders. He witnessed the power. He had a calling, an anointing and a promise. He knew exactly who Jesus was; yet, when the Lord needed him most, Peter denied him.
I can’t imagine the state of absolute guilt and depression Peter must have experienced between the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. I can’t even fathom how he must have felt, crushed beneath the weight of such a devastating mistake.
Of course, in hindsight, we know that the Lord forgave Peter. As a matter of fact, when Jesus was resurrected, the angel gave specific instructions to the women who had come seeking His body: “Go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee” (Mark 16:7).
Hear that: Tell His disciples and Peter… They put emphasis on him! In other words, they were saying, “Go ahead and tell everybody, but make sure you tell Peter. Yeah, he made a mistake, but he isn’t an outcast. He hasn’t been forgotten. He is still the rock that’ll build the church. He still has a purpose. He still has a ministry. God isn’t finished with him yet!”
God had forgiven him and given him a wonderful testimony of mercy and grace. But do you want to know what I find interesting?
God never silenced the roosters.
Peter was forgiven, sure, but he was never immune. I imagine Peter was awakened many nights by the screeching of the rooster. Every morning, it called out to him, reminding him of the time he denied the almighty God—reminding him of the biggest mistake of his life.
Some of us, like Peter, are imperfect. We’ve taken the bumpy road, denied God, fell flat on our faces. For some, the fall has been slight. For others, it has been borderline catastrophic.
No matter the force behind it, we’re all guilty of mistakes. And, like Peter, we find out every day that although the past may be forgiven, we oftentimes cannot escape it.
Every day, Peter dealt with the guilt and shame brought on by the cries of the rooster—his past. And just like him, nearly every day, we deal with the guilt and shame—the sometimes humiliating ramifications—of our past decisions.
I’m not sure what the rooster is in your life. For me, it changes every day. Some days, it’s the alcohol on the shelf in the grocery store. Other days, it’s the thoughtless comment—the joke gone too far that ends in someone else’s hurt.
Again, I’m not sure what your rooster is… But I wanted to let you know today that no matter what form it possesses, you must silence it.
If Peter had allowed the crow of the rooster every morning to debilitate him in a state of misery and self-pity, he never would have operated in the calling God had placed on his life. He never would have healed the lame man or broken the antiquated religion that hindered the gospel in Acts chapter 10… And he certainly wouldn’t have preached 3,000 souls into the kingdom.
Peter had to learn to silence the roosters in his life, and you must do the same.
Let go of your stumbles, mistakes, failures and shortcomings. They have all been forgiven, and choosing to dwell on them will hinder every work God wants to do in your life.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”-Romans 8:1
Let go of the condemnation. Let go of the guilt. Let go of the shame. Let go of the rooster in your life.
Let go of the past.
You’re a new creature in Christ, and He’s going to do a new thing through you if you’ll let Him.
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