The Road Humble

Having fished all night
     catching nothing,
The weary fishermen
     heard Jesus say,
"Lower your nets
     for a catch!"
And to the breaking,
     fish filled their nets.
When Peter saw this
He fell at Jesus' knees,
Saying, "Lord!
Go away! I'm
     a sinful man."

From the bow of their
     wind-battered boat,
Seeing Jesus
     walking on waves,
Peter called out, "Lord!
     let me come too."
And when Jesus said,
Peter stepped out,
     and to Him walked,
But as fear overtook,
     near His feet, and
          sinking fast,
               he cried,
"Lord, pull me up!"

Near a grove of olives
     a throng did hear,
"I am the Living Bread,
     of Me you must eat,
          and My blood drink!"
Aghast, and in retreat,
     some surely retching,
Would-be believers
     did so scatter.
But when Jesus asked,
     the twelve, "You too?"
It was Peter who answered,
     "Lord! You alone
          have the words
               of eternal life."

Silent were the miles
     before Jesus broke
The news of His death.
As clear as could be,
     He said it was why
          to earth, He came.
But it was Peter who
     took Him aside,
Saying, "This will never."
Then, looking at Peter,
     but far past,
Jesus commanded,
"Get behind Me,
     Satan!"

The sacrificial dinner
     had finally come,
No longer prophecy,
     the time had arrived,
"I will be betrayed,
     one will deny me,
          the rest will scatter,"
Jesus announced.
Again it was Peter
     who boldly claimed,
"No one will touch You.
     For You, I will die!"
Three times Peter
     would instead lie.

In the dark outside
     the midnight court,
when the rooster
     crowd a third time,
The weight of not
     staying awake,
          drawing blood,
And three times denying,
Peter fell thrice,
     first to his knees,
          then to his palms,
               and last his face,
Crying full in his
     emptiness.

For Peter, it mattered not
     Jesus was again alive,
          for his heart was still
               dead.
To reach past the numb,
     he fished as he had so
          many times before,
He knew that road well,
     but Jesus had quite
          another in mind.
A beach breakfast fire
     would do the trick,
And Peter's love would
     fire once more in the
Embers of forgiveness
     as God's grace put
          him back walking
On the road humble.
 

Luke 5:8 (Isaiah 6:5)
Matthew 14:24-33; 16:13-18
Matthew 16:21-23; 26:20-35
Matthew 26:69-75
John 6:51-69; 21:1-17