What Jesus Did! 'The Third Denial' — John 18:26-27

Saturday, November 14, 2026

[After Peter's second denial of Jesus,] one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?" Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.
— John 18:26-27 NLT

Key Thought

Three strikes and you're out. That's true in baseball. That's also true under some of the laws in the United States. It is not true with God's grace. Regardless of what you've done or how many times you've done it, you are not too broken to be restored. Jesus will confront Peter about his three-fold failure. However, each time Jesus will affirm his value and call him back to useful service. [1] Sin - failure at our most important commitment, our commitment to God - is horrible. It brings all sorts of problems into our lives. However, sin does not have the final word in our lives: God's grace does. Jesus died for sinners - for you and for me! Our sin does not disqualify us from being used by God if we will repent and let holy God remake us into someone fit to serve! So don't give up if you have struck out repeatedly in your walk of faith. Jesus reclaimed Peter, and he can reclaim you!

[1] John 21:15-17.

Today's Prayer

Holy God and Father, please don't let my sin steal my faith away from your transforming power and grace. I believe that you can remake me and empower me beyond my failures and my moments of unfaithfulness. Grow me and mature me so that those moments occur less and less frequently. Raise me up to be your loyal, useful, righteous, and faithful servant. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

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1 Related Resource by Heartlight

A Good Ending
Article by Tom Norvell
We don't have to live in the mess of our mess up! Tom Norvell reminds us that as far as failure goes, Peter pretty much leads the way, but he also leads the way in turnarounds and being called back to significant ministry.

Illustration

Illustration of John 18:26-27 NLT — "Didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?"

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About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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