Love, Betrayal, and Restoration: Jesus and Peter as a Picture of Marriage
When we look at Peter’s relationship with Jesus, it mirrors the same highs and lows we often see in marriage.
Think of how Jesus first encountered Peter. He didn’t find him successful or thriving — He found him weary, sitting in a boat after a long night of fishing with nothing to show for it. No success, no breakthrough, just empty nets. Then Jesus stepped into his world and gave him a net-breaking miracle — so many fish that Peter had to call other boats to help. That moment changed Peter’s life. He left behind his boat, his job, his old identity, to follow the One who had awakened something in him.
That’s like a woman saying yes to a man who believes in her when she has no bag to bring. He sees her potential, invests in her, and gives her a future. Jesus didn’t just bless Peter with fish — He developed him into a leader, entrusted him with vision, and drew him into the most intimate places of His life: the Mount of Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and even the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter wasn’t just one of many; he was part of the inner circle.
In marriage terms, it’s like a man opening his world fully to his future bride. He’s bought the home, given her the ring, shared his secrets and dreams, and entrusted her with his heart.
But then comes betrayal. For Peter, it was denial. On the very night Jesus needed him most, Peter swore three times that he didn’t even know Him. For a man, that’s like discovering the woman you love has broken trust — maybe she’s still entertaining someone she swore was in the past, maybe it’s financial dishonesty, or maybe she simply didn’t show up when you needed her most. Betrayal cuts deeply because it’s not from a stranger, but from the one you invested your all into.
Most men would have walked away. They’d say, “I gave you everything, and you failed me — I’m done.” But Jesus didn’t treat Peter that way. After the resurrection, He met him on the shoreline and asked him three times, “Do you love Me?” — the same number of times Peter denied Him. Each “yes” became a healing balm for every “I don’t know Him.” Jesus wasn’t humiliating Peter; He was restoring him, reinstating him, and preparing him for purpose.
We see the same kind of love earlier in Scripture through Joseph, Mary’s husband. Imagine his position — the woman he loved is pregnant, and he knows the child isn’t his. Any man would feel betrayed. Joseph, being honorable, planned to put her away quietly. Most men would have walked away, and no one would have blamed him. But God stepped in and told him, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” Joseph chose obedience over pride. He stayed when most would have left, and in doing so, he aligned himself with destiny.
Both Joseph and Jesus reveal the heart of covenant love. Ephesians 5 calls men to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. That means covering her flaws, praying for her faith not to fail, restoring her when she stumbles, and preparing her to stand in her calling.
Covenant love is not weak. It doesn’t walk away at the first sign of betrayal. It restores, renews, and looks beyond present pain to future purpose. It says, “I see your blind spots, but I also see who you are becoming. And I will love you until you grow into it.”
That is the love Christ modeled with Peter. That is the love Joseph modeled with Mary. And that is the love God calls us to in marriage — a love that endures, restores, and redeems.
The question is, Are you ready to love like this?