"Travesty!"

 "Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice." (John 13:38 KJV)

  "Mephilbosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, "Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?"" (2 Samuel 9:8 NLT)

 Matthew Henry's take on this, is that Jesus was most likely smiling at Peter, while He said, "Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake?" To which, I agree; and will also suggest, that His smile was transformed into a stern look of sympathy, as He proclaimed, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice." 

 Hopefully we can come to grip on the real object that is taking place with this conversation, because it is not about the weakness of the man, but about the grace of God, in spite of man's weaknesses! What is grace? In the larger scheme of things, it is getting something that you do not deserve, as the story goes! 

 But, in a relationship with the Lord, who knows more about us, than we know about ourselves, grace is taken to a whole new level; one that acknowledges a friendship that is given, despite what we might do in the future! Talk about a travesty of justice! I can't help but think about that song, "Grace Got You," by MeryMe. 

 The look that I see Jesus giving Peter, is the same look that He gave him when that cock crowed, as He gazed upon Peter from across the courtyard. Not that Jesus was judging Peter with His gaze, but was, (oh, my goodness,) letting Peter know it was so, just as He told him, it was so. Picture Jesus looking at Peter, as He was being persecuted, taking a moment to acknowledge a friend... 

"He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love towards those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens and the earth. He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die." (Psalm 103:10-15 NLT)