THE LORD LOOKED
／Thomas H. Woo
According to St. Luke's Gospel: After Peter had denied the Lord for
the third time, and the cock crew, the Lord turned and looked upon Peter.
And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto him;
"Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice." And Peter went out
and wept bitterly.
The Lord was in great danger at that time, yet He still cared for
His disciples. Among the noisy soldiers, He still heard Peter's denials
and the cock's crow. Then He turned to look at Peter from the other
side of the crowded courtyard. It was an intensive look, so intensive
that Peter not only felt it but it also penetrated his heart and made
him go out and weep bitterly.
How did the Lord look at Peter? The Lord should have looked at him
severely with scolding words: "Didn't you say that you were ready to
go with me, both into prison and to death? How can you watch me suffer
like this now and deny me?"
The Lord could have looked at him sarcastically with mocking words:
"Didn't I tell you that you will deny me three times before the cock
crows? You never take my words seriously. Do you believe me now? Aren't
you ashamed of yourself?"
The Lord however was very tired of such agony. He didn't look at
Peter sadly with pleading words; "Aren't you feeling sorry for me? You
are the big brother of the twelve. Shouldn't you go and gather the other
ten for defending me? Or, at least, find Judas, the betrayer and beat
him up to teach him a lesson."
Peter would not go out and weep bitterly if what he read from the
Lord's look were like the above words. Only the look of love can pierce
a person's heart and make him feel touched, grievous, self-denial and
repentence.
The Bible often mentions that God's eyes look all over the world.
One reference even says that God gazes upon you. So many people think
that God as a private detective, finding fault with people all the time.
They only fear Him without peace and joy. Please consider God's love
as that of a nanny who watches over a two-year-old child. The child
doesn't know anything yet and likes to run around and touch everything.
The nanny can't leave the child alone for one second lest the child
gets into trouble and danger.
May you feel the Lord's look all the time. In His love, you'll have
no worries. Under His light, you'll have no fear.
