The Friends of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury

Author:Karen Kingsbury
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Howard Books

CHAPTER 5

Peter, the Betrayer

. . . And Jesus, the Friend Who Forgives

Jesus was alive, that's all Peter could think about. He had seen the Master twice now. But both times Jesus had appeared in a group setting—to all His disciples. There had been no time for Peter to pull Jesus aside and talk to Him one-on-one. Which really weighed on Peter. After all, things hadn’t exactly ended well between him and Jesus. Those days when Jesus was in the tomb had been the worst of Peter’s life.

Since that beautiful Sunday morning Peter had longed for a deeper moment with Jesus, a chance to clear the air. A way to express his remorse and recommit himself to the purpose of the Master. Jesus had told them they would be fishers of men. But what were they supposed to do? How should they begin?

Peter couldn’t picture walking into Jerusalem, finding a corner in the Temple courts and just speaking out. He’d be arrested and put to death as soon as he mentioned the name of Jesus. Which was fine, actually. Peter was willing now. He really was. Jesus was the resurrected Lord. The Messiah. Savior. The one all of Israel was waiting for.

But Peter didn’t want to make a move without knowing exactly how Jesus wanted him to proceed. And since Jesus hadn’t been around in the last few days, Peter needed to get back to work. Make a little money. So as night fell Peter was doing the one thing he still knew how to do.

He was fishing.

The Sea of Galilee was calm that night. Sitting with him in the twenty-five-foot boat were Thomas, Nathanael, James, John and a few other disciples. They’d been fishing for three hours, but they hadn’t caught a single fish. Not one.

Peter stared at the distant horizon. “I wish Jesus were here.” He breathed deep, filling his lungs with the salty night air. “He could tell us what to do next.”

“He must have a plan.” Thomas stared at his hands. He rubbed his wrists. “I’ll never doubt Him again.”

“Yeah.” Peter uttered a sad chuckle. “Me, either.”

The boat danced lightly on the calm swells. They were all fishermen, but since meeting Jesus, Peter and the guys were different. They were still a rough-looking group. Still strong and smelly, still the worst dressers around. But their words were different now. Kinder. More thoughtful. Same with their tones and actions.

It was easy to see the difference, especially out here on the Sea of Galilee. This was where it had all begun, here on the distant shore. Peter was nearly thirty now—and strong as ever. Strongest of the guys. He pulled his empty nets from the water, dragged them across the deck of the boat and buried them in the gentle swells on the other side.

He had first met Jesus after a dismal night of fishing, a moment like this. Every fish in the Sea of Galilee had eluded them. The water had been calm then, too. Peter stared toward the shore and he could see it all playing out again.

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