You see them sometimes in Africa (well, other places, too). When the rains water the thirsty ground, little seeds sprout and then the tumbleweed becomes a big plant.
The rains stop, and the big tumbleweed gets dry. Soon the tumbleweed’s root snaps, and the wind tosses the big almost-light-as-a-feather weed everywhere, this way or that. It has nothing to hold it, nothing to tie it down to the root that once caused it to grow. Sometimes when you’re driving down the highway, this huge tumbleweed sails across just in front of you, to lodge helplessly up against some fence. It’s world famous for being blown this way or that!
No matter how hard the wind blows, a healthy plant just stays put where it grew up. Then when the wind finally stops, it just stays there happy.
People young and old have a problem with wind blowing—standing alone when the crowd around them is blowing the wrong way. Peter had that exactly same problem. The crowd around him were blowing against Jesus, laughing and ridiculing Him. Peter felt alone. He wished he could just mingle in with the crowd; he didn’t want to be laughed at. Why did he feel so alone? He had separated himself from Jesus.
Peter became a moral tumbleweed, tossed by the wind of this fickle crowd of godless people. That’s when he made that awful mistake of denying Jesus three times. He didn’t really want to do it, but it was because he had cut himself off from his root.
He didn’t know it, but the whole world was watching him—the Father in heaven, all the holy angels, too (they were crying, I am sure), and we. Peter was wrong to feel like he was alone against a great crowd of people. All the good people in the world were standing with him, and all the holy angels, too.
But he didn’t believe that. When he denied Jesus, he separated himself from all those good people and holy angels.
Someday you will think you’re alone in school, in your classroom, or even at church, or in a Bible study class. You won’t be alone. It looks backwards, but it’s true: those who deny Jesus are the small group; those who are loyal to Him are the far bigger group watching you.
All this time He has been strengthening you so your “root” will go down deep into the earth. Then when the wind blows, yes, if even a hurricane blows you, you will stand firm! And then you will be so happy!
In the great kingdom of heaven in eternity, you will someday meet Peter face to face. He will not try to hide anything; he will tell you honestly that he had denied Jesus in a weak moment. But he will shake your hand and he will thank you for learning from his mistake, since you stood up firm and free, not afraid of the crowd, and stood loyal to Christ!