All of us have heard the term, temporary insanity. It is a criminal law defense that may be used by a defendant who has been charged with a serious crime. Some famous cases you may know include Andrea Yates, Lorena Bobbitt, and Jeffrey Dahmer. If we tell the truth about ourselves, we too have encountered temporary insanity moments. Think about it, your parents told you not to go to someone’s house and you went anyway not realizing that drugs were being sold at that place. What about that time when you snuck out of your parent’s house to go to a party or to see a boy or a girl…. “Temporary Insanity”.

     Well, Peter had a “Temporary Insanity” moment. Matthew describes in chapter 26 verses 69-75 Peter’s denial as predicted by Jesus. Verses 69 and 70 tell us, “Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, ‘You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.’ But Peter denied it in front of everyone. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said.” Then another denial came in verses 71-73. After that in verses 74 and 75, Peter denies knowing Jesus for the third time and weeps bitterly when he hears the rooster crow.

After Jesus had redeemed Peter, he testified in 1 Peter 1:18 and 19, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”

     Despite any previous instances of “Temporary Insanity” that we may have experienced, it is important to acknowledge that God has the power and willingness to bring each of us redemption.