To amuse themselves, they slap Jesus around and spit in His face. But the moment the cock crows, Jesus forgets His pain and remembers Peter.

Jesus had predicted his fall and repentance: When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32).

As always, the Lord makes the first move. While Peter is making the worst mistake of his life – for the third time – Jesus turns His sullied face toward His fallen disciple.

The next move is up to Peter. Will he turn to the Lord? Or will he turn away in despair?

The story invites us to visualise the look on Jesus’ face in that appalling moment of human failure. Close your eyes and do that now. What do you see? Reproach? Disgust? A black face? A glaring I told you so?

The Gospel doesn’t say. But it offers a hint. On their first meeting, Jesus looked intently at Simon and named him Rock (John 1:42). Now, Jesus looks at him again in that same piercing way (Luke 22:61).

Both of these verses use the same Greek word for look, which means to gaze with penetrating insight.

By repeating that gaze, Jesus apparently means to remind Peter, not of his wretched sin and failure, but of his high calling and destiny. Thou art Rock.

Church authorities support this view: The Lord looked mercifully on Peter, says Augustine, leading him to repentance.

The gaze of Truth entered Peter’s heart, says Leo the Great, inviting him to return to Jesus, trust in Him, and follow Him through suffering into victory.

And according to John Calvin, when Jesus turns His eyes on Peter, the power of the Spirit and the radiance of grace pierce his heart – his repentance begins when the Lord looks at him.

The spiritual life is a series of humble turnings to Christ. Turnings that diminish the ego and call forth the new self that is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:10).

If the Lord didn’t turn to us first, we would never be able to turn to Him. But as often as we fail, the Lord turns to us.

The gaze of God’s amazing grace invites us all to turn to Him again and again. Will you return as Peter did? Or will you turn away like Judas? Your move.

PrayerWatch

• Discipleship can be messy. It’s a long and narrow road paved with many trials and testings.
   
  Maybe someone has failed you big time and broken your heart. Perhaps it’s your spouse or your son or your daughter. The ones you love so deeply.
   
  Perhaps it’s your right hand man or woman. The one you hand-picked. The one you’re grooming for succession. Perhaps it’s a new leader you’re discipling. Your hopes are high for this young one.
   
  How will you respond to his or her epic failure? Your emotions are raw. You’re unable to shake off the initial shock and pain of that severe disappointment. Will you choose to forgive and look upon this person through Jesus’ eyes of grace?
   
  Remember, you have tasted His extravagant grace in your own failures. Will you give this person a second chance? Turn to the Lord. Journal your prayer. Let it be full of grace and truth. Welcome this person back to Jesus.
   
  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him’ (Lamentations 3:22-24).
   
• Imperfection is the prerequisite for grace. Light only gets in through the cracks (Philip Yancey).
   
  Perhaps you are the one who has failed the Lord. He’s looking at you now. Visualise His countenance. Can you see His gaze of grace?
   
  Grace means there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and nothing I can do to make God love me less. It means that I, even I who deserve the opposite, am invited to take my place at the table in God’s family (Philip Yancey).
   
  Pray: Lord, turn to me and be gracious to me (Psalm 25:16). Lift up Your countenance upon me and give me peace (Numbers 6:26). As I look full in your wonderful face, let me see, not only Your towering might and uncompromising justice, but also Your unchanging goodness, gentleness, and tender mercy.
   
  
• Research shows over and over again an unfortunate reality: Everyone remembers negative things more strongly and in more detail. We tend to ruminate more about unpleasant events – and use stronger words to describe them – than happy ones (Alina Tugend).
   
  Take for example the City Harvest saga. As unpleasant as it was, God’s Family – a community saved by grace through faith – must rise above all the toxic chatter.
   
  Pray: Lord, deliver us from evil. Your goodness and forbearance lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
   
  Forgive us our spite and scorn. We forgive City Harvest. We choose to move on. We choose to draw City Harvest closer to our hearts. We pray for City Harvest to emerge stronger and shine brighter than ever before.
   
  We believe all things are possible because of who You are: The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made (Psalm 145:8-9).

Read the devotional from Day 25, July 25: For whom the cock crows here.