PETER’S FALL—A BLACKBOARD TALK

You may get before the children a good picture of Peter’s life by the use of a simple line drawn upon the blackboard, pinning upon it at intervals various objects to symbolize the different stages of his career. Tell how he was a fisherman when Christ called him to become his disciple, and draw a little section of the line, pinning upon it a small net to represent Peter’s fishing-net, or possibly the picture of a boat. As you go on in the story, draw the line constantly rising, pinning upon it a picture of water in a storm, to bring to mind Peter’s walking upon the waves; a piece of bread, to remind the children of the feeding of the five thousand, in which Peter helped; a bright circle of gilt paper or a picture of a mountain, to stand for the transformation scene, at which Peter was present; a block of stone (to be attached by means of a string), to represent Peter’s great confession. At this point the line has risen very high, but give it a sudden downward turn, representing a precipice. Peter has fallen. He has denied his Lord in that terrible scene in the courtyard at the trial.

But Peter did not stay down at the foot of the precipice very long. See! his line begins to rise again. Pin upon it the picture of a fish, to represent that breakfast by the seashore with the risen Lord, his searching question, thrice repeated, “Lovest thou me?” and his thrice repeated command, “Feed my sheep,” “Feed my lambs.”

And Peter did do this. He became the boldest of all the disciples. No more denying Christ for him! As the line rises, tell about the great miracle of Pentecost, representing it by a tongue of scarlet; then tell about the deliverance from prison, representing it by a little chain broken in two; and then finally, at the very summit where the line runs off the board, place a cross upside down, since Peter, as it is said, suffered the same cruel death as his Lord, only he insisted on being crucified with his head down, thinking it too much honor to be crucified just as Christ had been. Peter fell terribly; Yes, but with Christ’s help he rose grandly, as with the same help, we also may rise out of all our sins.