God Is Faithful Even When We Are Not

Introduction

This last week at Alpha (Tell what it is and encourage people to come), I heard a story that I thought was so appropriate for text this morning.

After an exhausting day of forced labor in July of 1941, the prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp lined up for evening roll call, only to discover that a prisoner was missing. Immediately, guards and dogs began the hunt for the escaped inmate, a man from Block 14.

The Nazi SS captain, Karl Fritsch scrutinized each prisoner and, one by one, removed from the ranks 10 condemned men. They were to be put in a starvation bunker to be punished for the escaped prisoner. One, Francis Gajowniczek (Guy OWN Neat SEK), a Jewish sergeant in the Polish army, sobbed uncontrollably, wailing, “My poor wife! My poor children!”

It was then that prisoner #16670 stepped out of line and walked toward Fritsch—a brave move, given the machine guns aimed at him. When Fritsch demanded what “this Polish pig” wanted, the man removed his hat and quietly said, “I would like to die in place of one of these men.”

That prisoner was Maximilian Kolbe, a 47-year-old Franciscan priest who convinced the Nazi commander that an old, frail priest would be a better choice than the young, distraught husband and father.

A whole month went by and most of the men had died, but Kolbe survived to when they injected him with poison and he passed soon after.

Forty-one years after Kolbe’s death, the first Polish pope, John Paul II, presided over Kolbe’s canonization as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. A quarter of a million people crowded into St. Peter’s Square in Rome on October 10, 1982, for the official ceremony. And who was there, none other than Francis Gajowniczek (Guy OWN Neat SEK).

Since that day in 1941, Francis had given himself to tell others of the sacrifice of Kolbe and what he had done for him.

Gajowniczek, who died in 1995 at the age of 94, later recalled that fateful day in 1941: “I could only thank him with my eyes. I was stunned and could hardly grasp what was going on. The immensity of it: I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me—a stranger.”

A stranger voluntarily offers his life for another. What we see this morning is the beginning where God places himself taking the punishment for which He didn’t deserve, the light of the world, that as John said early in the gospel, this light… this light was the life of man. (John 1: 4)

If you have your Bibles, would you turn with me to John 18:15-27. If you are able, would you stand with me as I read God’s Word this morning.

This is the Word of the Lord. Let us pray.

You may be seated.

Darkness

vss. 15-18

For the Bible nerds this morning, there are some treats that I find very interesting and helpful in understanding what is happening in our text.

Right off the bat in our text we see an ABA pattern that John is leading us into. This is a very poetic approach to our text this morning. We’ll see “Darkness”, “Light”, and then “Darkness” and there is an emphasis that John wants us to feel, understand, and bring us into the chaos of the moment.

We see Peter following Jesus along with another disciple.

We don’t know who this other disciple is… John is vague.

What we do know about them is that they are a disciple (not necessarily an apostle), they knew the high priest, they had access to the courtyard to be close to Jesus.

Bible Nerd alert: In conversation this week, I believe it was Pastor Josh who floated out the idea that this could possibly have been Joanna. We see Joanna in Luke 8:3 “Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others who were supporting them from their possessions.” and we also see her at the tomb the day of the resurrection in Luke 24.

With Joanna as the wife of Chuzza, Herod’s HR officer, it is very likely she would have met or been in proximity of Caiaphas and the family.

This relationship could have been utilized to get close to Jesus being examined in Caiaphas court yard.

This is most likely the same woman that Paul mentions in Romans 16:7 (Junia- Roman name) who is “well known-noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles”. JOHN OR JOANNA???

Peter is invited in by this other disciple. The servant girl watching the door looks at Peter and thinks she recognizes him, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He denies Jesus.

If you are just joining us, a quick recap of the previous night.

Jesus had the 12 disciples with him in the upper room participating in the passover seder. It was here he instituted the new covenant the bread and cup, the forgiveness of sins and the clothing the believer in the His righteousness.

Jesus foretold that Peter would deny him three times.

In talking with them all about leaving soon… and so they were to love each other. That was their marker, that was the identifying factor, that they love one another.

Peter asked where Jesus was going… John 13:36-38 ““Lord,” Simon Peter said to him, “where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” “Lord,” Peter asked, “why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus replied, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly I tell you, a rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.”

Other gospels have Peter being boastful saying, “they may deny you, but I won’t”… it’s a moment of crisis, insecurity, not knowing what the future is going to hold, and what they all hold dear is being threatened by uncertainty.

You never know how you are going to react in the moment of an intense situation. We idealize it sometimes as we play through scenarios in our head… but it is not until you are in the moment that you know how you’ll react.

Home Depot shoplifter

Student choking on candy

Dog got hit by a snowboard that cut his leg and major vein.

Peter was confident he knew what he would do… but we start to see him crumble in this moment.

Back to our text...

John is sure to set the scene for us so that we feel it, we understand a little bit of what they are going through… it’s cold. There’s a fire. Those who are wanting Jesus put away are warming themselves by this fire. Peter joined them. Peter was warming themselves by the fire.

Light

vss. 19-24

As the light of the fire is piercing the darkness and providing warmth… there is the Light of the World being questioned by those who are motivated by the prince of darkness.

In verse 19 we see that the “high priest” questioned Jesus. Then in verse 24 Annas sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas the High Priest. Bible Nerds unite! If we read the OT, the law appointed the High Priest for life to minister to the Lord and the people. By the time we reach Jesus and the Roman occupation, the Romans have a heavy influence as to who is the high priest. It is a politcally powerful role that the Romans try to leverage. Josephus (Jewish historian) tells us that Annas was the High Priest preceeding Caiaphas. He is referred to as the High Priest as he has held that office before even though on this day, Caiaphas is the High Priest. (it adds to the feeling of chaos and frustration)… according to the law, this examination, arrest, and inquisition was illegal.

The disciples are a threat as much as the teacher. They are in jeopardy as much as Jesus is.

Jesus is quizzed about his disciples and his teaching.

That’s standard practice. If, today, they catch someone they think is a terrorist leader, they want to know exactly what he’s been saying and teaching, and who his closest associates are.

Jesus won’t give them any help with finding his followers, but when it comes to his teaching, he is hardly going to start giving them a résumé of everything he’s said over the past two or three years. Nobody in a hastily convened night hearing would be in the mood to listen to parables, and much that he has said can only be said that way. They weren’t ready for a careful explanation of the ways in which the kingdom of God both is and isn’t coming, the difference between the normal revolution of Jesus’ contemporaries and the radically different revolution he was pioneering. Go and ask the people who heard me, he says. They’ll tell you.

The slap on the face goes with Peter’s slicing off the servant’s ear. Violence has begun, and will escalate from here. But, already, Jesus has begun to take the rebuke that his follower had earned.

Wright, T. (2004). John for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 11-21 (p. 108). Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

Darkness (but there’s hope)

vss. 25-27

We quickly transition back to Peter. Brought back into darkness.

Peter is still standing and warming himself. Amongst those who stand in opposition to Jesus, aligned with those wanting to silence Jesus.

A second denial… John 18:25 “Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.””

A third denial… Then, another servant of the high priest recognized Peter saying… John 18:26-27 “One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.”

When Peter heard the rooster crow… immediately the words of Jesus resonated in his ear…

I am reminded of Psalm 1 when I read this account…

Psalm 1:1-2 “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.”

Do we see the progression… “walk”, “stand”, and “sit”

I’m grateful for these accounts that we can read and be brought into this space to see what happened.

None of us are above this. All of us have the proclivity to find ourselves like Peter, dazed, confused, scared, warming ourselves by the enemies fire, walking, standing, sitting amongst them.

We’ll have to leave John here… but what I want to encourage us with, if that is you… read ahead, know that Jesus seeks after Peter. Jesus restores Peter.

Peter is faithless, but God remains faithful. He remains true to what He said. He loves Peter, He will come after Peter, He will bring Peter in.

He loves you, He is pursuing you, He will bring you in. He did this so you and I can know Him, to know Him is to love Him.

We may find ourselves in good times, praise the Lord. In those times where we lose faith, where we are faithless, where we feel we are unloveable for what has happened, this is where we remember what Jesus did for us that we might have a relationship with Him.

When we give our heart, our allegiance, our will to Jesus, we become born again. We turn from our old ways and are living a life that is governed by Him and His word. It is in this that His light brings life and understanding. His word illuminates our path, His joy becomes ours, and we begin to reap the fullness to be had in this life.

Surrender to Him today. Recommit yourself to Him today. Walk in the full assurance that in Him is life.

And while we leave our text this morning with the darkness creeping in… the light will shine once more into the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.

Let’s stand

If you need prayer…

Let’s pray