The Rooster Will Always Crow!

Roosters have had a place in society for thousands of years. In America, they often bring thoughts of farm life in days gone by.  One imagines being awakened by their shrill crows long before the rising sun, thanks to their internal “clock.” The visitor to Key West, Florida, can watch roosters adorned in blue, green, and red feathers, brought to the island by early settlers for food, roam freely around the key.  These birds  have also been the image on weather vanes dating back to around the 9^th century in Europe and often adorning churches of that time, a symbol of Peter’s betrayal of Jesus…

Yes, even in the bible there is a place for the rooster! How hard it must have hit Peter when that ancient rooster crowed early on the morning after Christ’s death. Perhaps before that moment Peter had been able to ignore the truth of his own denials of his Lord, but once that rooster crowed, he could no longer deny his sin. We are all like Peter, often believing that our sin can stay hidden. But the bible warns the reader that no sin will  remain hidden:

For I am closely watching you, and I see every sin. You cannot hope to hide from me.  Jeremiah 16:17

Attempts at hiding our sin will never work. The proverbial rooster will eventually crow, bringing unwanted attention to our actions. But thankfully, we can all experience the same precious forgiveness that Peter did in Mark 16:7:

Now go and give this message to his disciples including Peter: “Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!”

Jesus included Peter by name as one of His beloved disciples after He rose from earthly death. He wanted Peter to know that He loved him and saw his sorrow and repentance over his sin. He does the same for each of us when we seek forgiveness. The rooster will always crow, but he does not have the final word!