The Mocked Savior

Intro

Byron story of regrets

The Wrong Place

While Jesus had just stopped the violence from escalating among the disciples and mob, he was arrested and led away to the High Priest house

During this building up of going to the cross, we have seen Jesus give his disciples important information about what would happen

In the parallel account in Matthew 26:31 “31 Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”

So Jesus expected the disciples to flea, and run, and that is why he did his best to allow them to escape, and run they did

John tells us in John 18 that Jesus asked the Guards to allow the disciples to leave, and so they did!

So what gets Peter in trouble is that he should not of even following Jesus at all! He should of ran home to his wife or ran to his brother’s Andrew’s home or something

So in trying to be a ‘good disciple’ or trying to live up to the standard he placed on himself by declaring in front of all the disciples that he would never betray Jesus, he sets himself up for failure

He becomes the very embodiment of Ps. 38:11 “11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance.”

So being the wrong place, it also places him father away from Jesus, since he cannot go within the High Priest’s house, or he might get strung up as well!

So by not listening to what Jesus tells him will happen, and fighting against it, it results in him disassociating himself with Jesus, and that starts the moment he follows instead of fleeing!

Peter was woefully ill-prepared for what is about to transpire for him, as he also had Satan wanting to shift him like wheat, and he was sleeping instead of praying

Now it is not enough that Peter was just trailing behind, he then goes into enemy territory

They were in a courtyard and they made a fire, showing that they would be there a while!

He went from trailing some distance behind, to standing in the courtyard, to sitting among ‘them’ that is the group of people that transpired to arrest Jesus

It is when he puts himself here that he sets himself up for the denials!

The Wrong People

So since Peter has ended up in the wrong place, away from the Lord’s will, he ends up worse off because he is surrounded by people that are against Jesus

So first we see a young slave girl peering across the fire, trying to grasp who this stranger is!

He would of been wearing different clothes than those of the servants, and certainly the servants would of known those who often come to the house of the High Priest

So Peter is forced into the horns of the dilemma because the people around him are not his people, will he say YES! I am a disciple of the man on trial, or will he deny it?

How easy is it for us to simply dismiss Peter as falling short of God’s desires, but would any of us really done anything different?

He was in the wrong place, in the worst time, with no backup, we tend to give into peer pressure!

He could of easily been brought into the trial as an accomplice or had a trial of his own set up!

So Peter says, Woman I don’t know him!!! which is the first denial

Peter who had boldly proclaimed that he was ready to go with Jesus to prison and even death denies that he was with Jesus at all!

Then some time passes

This means that Peter’s denials are not simply reactive, but there is time for him to think and process about what he has done, and what he is doing!

So the next denial is a man sitting in the courtyard see’s Peter and says “You are one of them too!”

Now if you notice the denial goes up in what is at stake, the first one was simply “You know Jesus” but this one is “You are one of the Disciples!”

So Peter has already denied knowing Jesus, but now he denies knowing his brothers and says “MAN! I AM NOT!”

Then when we scroll up in our Bibles, we see Jesus says in Luke 22:32 “32 But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.””

The very brothers he was suppose to turn and strengthen, he was denying

There is about an hour that passes, time to think, time to realize, yet Peter did not realize what he had done yet, and so is still around the courtyard of Jesus’ trial

Then another person insists that they know Peter was part of Jesus’ posse, because of his accent!

When we meet someone from even Kentucky, which borders southern IL, we can pick up some of that southern drawl

Then if you go to the deep south you have things like cajon creole spoken in the Bayou

So Galilee was known for a distinct accent that gave Peter away!

Yet, this denial also ups the ante more!

Peter was a Galilean, and Galilee is where Peter was called to follow Jesus, so what Peter is doing here is denying his entire ministry

It was in Galilee on the shores of the Sea of Galilee that Jesus called him to follow, and Peter left everything to follow Jesus

It was there that his name was changed to Peter

It is Peter denying everything about his identity as a Christ follower, he throws it aside by saying

Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!

The other gospels tell us he actually curses about being a follower of Jesus

It is while Peter is still uttering these words, and the curses about not knowing Jesus that the roster crows

It says that immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed

The Wrong Perspective

Peter had the wrong perspective the entire time, he was ill prepared for attacks of Satan, and set himself up for failure

He ended up in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and wrong people, and with the wrong perspective

Peter’s perspective shift came not from the rooster, but from immediately when Jesus, in the middle of his trial looks up and sees Peter

In the middle of this mock trial, Jesus was in control, and he knew exactly where Peter was the entire time, and so he looked at Peter

That gaze immediately brought forth Peter’s memory of what Jesus said would happen, his denial!

That night starts running through Peter’s mind!

What if I had stood up for Jesus with the servant girl

What if I had not denied my brothers to that man in the courtyard

What if I had not renounced my very identity of Peter by denying that I am a Galilean that follows Jesus!

Can you imagine the soul crushing gaze that would have had on Peter?

It caused him to go outside and weep bitterly, from the depths of his being, regretting everything he had done!

But there are two other groups that also have wrong perspectives

The first is these men that are holding Jesus, blindfolding him, blaspheming him, and saying ‘Prophesy!” “Who hit you!”

Yet, Jesus had just proven to be a prophet with Peter, a real authentic prophet, yet for it he was blasphemed and beaten

What is interesting is that these people are really pulling back what Satan tempted Jesus with in Luke 4.

In that temptation Jesus was told, “throw yourself down from the Temple, for the Angels will protect you”

Yet Jesus said, do not test the Lord!

Yet here Jesus does not answer to the provocation, nor give into the making himself right, but suffers silently as our sacrifice

Luke 4 tells us the Devil had departed him for a little while, but we know certainly the Devil was at work here!

The other person is Judas

I can’t help but see the correlation between Judas and Peter

Both betrayed Jesus, both were extremely remorseful

Both were influenced by Satan in some degree to do what they did, but where they differed was their response to Jesus

Judas allowed the guilt of Satan to overwhelm him, but Peter allowed the grace of God to sustain him!

That gaze from Jesus brought back not only the denial, but also that Peter would turn back and strengthen his brothers

It is pro that it only took Peter a gaze to break his heart of his sin, to help him realize he is a sinful man just like he had on Luke 5 at his calling on the beach

Peter needed this trial to help make his character into what God would use, that pain of denial and joy of restoration found in John 21 is what drove Peter to preach at Pentecost

It would change him from an impulsive follower to a repentant and wiser disciple, the person Christ would build his church on

I think God would of restored Judas as well, but Judas never gave God that opportunity!

Application

Jesus is going to the cross, and yet in the midst of that he still cares for Peter

Jesus goes to the cross for us, and cares deeply for us when we are bound in our sin

Yet the story does not end in condemnation of Peter, it results in him exalting Jesus on Pentecost

It is Peter that Jesus builds the church upon on Pentecost

It is Jesus that Peter restores personally

See the pattern in Scripture

Abraham has an illegitimate son and lies about his wife being his wife twice!

The swindler Jacob becomes the father of Israel and one who wrestled with God

Joseph goes from arrogant, spoiled son, to the one that saves the lineage of Jesus

David the murdering adulterer, a man after God’s own heart and Jesus’ great grandpa

The book of judges is filled of people that are deeply flawed, yet God uses them

Then the New Testament we see Paul do a 180

The point is that God has never dealt with perfect people, he has made imperfect people into His people!

Do you ever betray Jesus?

I do! I chose to sin over obedience!

It causes me look at my own life, and my own experiences

We all have that point when Jesus cuts us through the heart like Peter experiences here,

And when we all experience the great pain of failing Jesus, we have to check ourselves, do we throw ourselves on God’s grace like Peter or self-hatred and shame like Judas?

Each of us will fail God and hear our own crowing rooster, calling us back to repent

Satan will tell you you have destroyed your life that it is over

That is not God’s message, the wake up call of the rooster is also our chance for restoration!

The Question is not do you betray Jesus, but how do you react to your betrayal, your sin, your treason against God.

Only God can convict you of your sin

Our sin grows and spreads like a poison. As it grows our coverups have to get more convoluted

The time to get a grip on sin is at the beginning before it spreads its cancer in your being, and best yet is kill it before it begins

Confess your sin and your desire to sin to God, and ask his help to avoid the pitfall that come to us

We can make sure that we do not end up in the wrong place with the wrong people and wrong perspective

Don’t give into shame

Cast yourself onto the grace of Jesus

We must be like Peter, and remember the word of the Lord!

That word of God tells us things like this

Ps. 51:17 “17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.”

1 Jn 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

What kind of God can forgive those who blaspheme?

Only the kind of God who willingly suffers in order to save the blasphemer

Only the Lord Jesus is so full of love and mercy that he makes a way for those who dishonor him, so they might share in his honor!

Jesus knew Peter would fail, and the weakness of Peter

He places himself in that position of rejection that he might able to help us with our own rejection struggles

Our deepest betrayals and denials against Jesus, are no match for his grace-infused, mercy-inducing, blood-bought forgiveness

Are you weak? Christ is stronger

Are you unable to stand in the hour of temptation? Run to Christ who defeats your temptation

Do not stand on your own strength

Fall into your weakness and into the might arms of God

Weakness is an invitation to trust Jesus with what we cannot trust ourselves with: our souls