Remember
the digital alarm clock? When I was in high school, its annoying BEEP-BEEP-BEEP
was the dreaded signal that started my day.
We had a “radio” setting, but I tended to ignore that --- or sing to it
in my sleep. (Think K.C. & the
Sunshine Band.) Today, the digital alarm
clock has thankfully been replaced by the alarm app on my phone, and I can
awaken to the pleasant sound of “fog on the water”, “gentle spring rain”, or “midnight
picnic”.
In my somewhat
distant history, on a mission trip to Romania, I was introduced to nature’s
alarm: the crowing rooster. Not my favorite. You don’t get to tell the rooster what time
you’d like to be aroused from your jet-lagged sleep. No sir.
The rooster crows just before the sun rises. Literally.
It’s dark. And he doesn’t quit
until breakfast is served. Ugh. Not crazy about the unsolicited wake-up call.
The
rooster turns up in the Gospel this week.
Mark 14. The story of Peter’s
denial of Jesus puts the rooster center-stage.
Well, at least “left-of-center.”
It was, for the Apostle, a monumental wake-up call. (If you have not read the story, take a
minute and read Mark 14!)
Hundreds,
if not thousands of sermons have been written on this scene. It is described in each of the four Gospels,
which gives it a certain amount of import.
There is, obviously, much to be learned here. Let’s focus on the rooster.
In a
nutshell, here’s what happened:
·
Jesus had warned Peter that he would deny their
association three times before the
rooster crowed twice.
·
Peter scoffed at His prediction, strongly
declaring his allegiance to His friend.
·
After the arrest of the Savior, Peter followed
the crowd to the courtyard of the High Priest, where Jesus would be on
trial.
·
While the trial was going on, Peter did,
indeed, vehemently dispute any association with the accused (Jesus).
·
The rooster crowed once after his first
denial.
·
And again, after the third time that Peter renounced
Jesus.
The
crow of that rooster must have resonated as loudly in Peter’s ear as if he were
standing in the bell tower of a church steeple.
For a moment, time stood still as the reality of his failure hit
Peter. One can only imagine the shame
and disgrace that washed over him as he considered his treachery.
What
is remarkable about the crowing of that rooster is that even the animals open
their mouths (beaks?) at the command of the Sovereign King of the
universe. That particular rooster, far
from signaling the rising of the sun, signaled a watershed moment in the life
of the Apostle. It was the ultimate
wake-up call.
Two
things happened simultaneously with the rooster’s crow:
1) Peter
felt the weight of his sin…he recognized the seed of wickedness in his own
soul. For months, years, Jesus had been
teaching, admonishing, illustrating, warning.
Peter did not get it. Only his desperate
failure would expose the sinfulness of his sin, beginning the transformation
that would remake this hot-headed, prideful boor into the great Apostle on whom
the church of Christ would be built.
2) At
the very moment of the second “crow”, Jesus was being escorted through the
courtyard. At that moment. Who made the rooster crow? The Sovereign King who moves the vast machine
of the universe for His own purpose and glory, and for our eternal good. King Jesus, the unlikely Hero of this story,
was being led as a captive through the courtyard. When the rooster crowed, He
lifted His head and looked directly into the eyes of His failing friend.
This
was not “the look” that a disapproving father gives to his wayward son across the
dinner table. It was not a look of
reproach. Or anger. Or condemnation.
It was
a look of compassion and mercy. In that
moment, Jesus forgave Peter…and Peter knew it.
It was this look that would forever mark Peter’s life and ministry. Having faced the wickedness of his own soul,
Peter remembered the Lord’s words and turned to Him. Despairing of self, he found hope in Christ.
Read
the story. Peter is a different man
going forward.
That
rooster. You have to wonder if, forever
afterward, when Peter heard the unsolicited wake-up call of the crowing rooster…if
he silently rehearsed his eternal gratitude for that blessed early morning remembrance. The crowing rooster would ensure that Peter
would never forget the unfailing faithfulness of the Savior.
It’s
worth asking ourselves: is the rooster crowing?
As we consider this Sovereign King who moves the vast machine of the
universe for His own glory and purpose, how is He using the circumstances of
our lives…desperate, heartbreaking, disappointing, painful or blessed, peaceful
and full of joy…to transform us into a more glorious likeness of His Son? Pay attention. Even the unsolicited wake-up call is for our
good. Amen?
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