Mark 14:66-72

As we finish chapter 14 we finally come to the passage about Peter denying Jesus 3 times.

I had thought about including this into the lesson last week, but there would have been too much to cover in one night.

While the Lord is being mocked and abused, Peter was in the courtyard below, trying to escape detection.

(Trying to follow Jesus without being seen or noticed following Jesus)

So let’s dive into chapter 14:66-72 tonight...

READ Mark 14:66-72

The contrast between Jesus’ trail and Peter’s denial.

Something that should be covered right off the bat is the interesting weaving of stories between the obedience of Jesus to the point of death on a cross, and the denial of Peter.

We see Jesus willing to obey God the Father in whatever is needed. Show’s His relationship with the Father through obedience and action.

And we see the human nature’s unwillingness to publicly pronounce in something that is against the the flow of everybody else.

Now people will often look at this story and give Peter a very hard time. Which yes He is the one denying, but at least he’s around to deny! Many of the other disciples are MIA (Missing in Action) during this account.

This again shows us that mere profession is not enough.

And what I mean by that is the reality of your faith will be shown through the reality of your action.

You may balk at this statement.

You may say, well Dayton I don’t have to earn my salvation.

Jesus gives His saving grace freely. You’ve said I can’t earn my salvation. And you would be right.

But it’s interesting how we ask from Jesus what we don’t ask from anybody else.

Who else within our lives do we allow to say to us… I LOVE YOU while not requiring action to back that up?

Who else?

Maybe the only people we allow that from are baby’s or toddlers who know no different.

If somebody says

I love you and

i’m committed to you,

we then automatically require them to back that up with action, or else it’s fake. It’s all merely words UNTIL we witness them showing that in what they do.

Don’t come to me saying that

you love me,

that you care for me,

that you’re going to always be here for me

without backing that up with your action.

I think we all in this room at one time or another have been hurt by people who will do that to us.

We often ask of Jesus to allow us to do just that.

Well He should just believe me that I love Him.

He knows my heart, He knows my intentions, He knows I love him.

What do we call that in human relationships?

Fake.

On May 12th, 2012. I confessed my love and commitment for my wife and set myself on this journey of figuring out how to continually love my bride and show my commitment to her.

And it’s been just that. I can’t love her like I did 10 years ago. We’re both different. We’ve both changed for the good. We continually figure out ways to show that.

Now, does she know I love her?

She knew it from the very first time I said I love you.

But the reality of my love has been show constantly from the reality of my action.

Just like ourselves, Jesus requires this of Those who say they are HIS.

James 2:14–26 ESV

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

The Denial

The reality of the situation here is that Peter at least stays somewhat close to Jesus.

This is something that none of the other disciples did.

But again, I can’t just say to my wife… well i’ve been around you. We’ve been under the same roof. I’ve been here at this house every single day...

His love for Jesus was overcome by fear of being identified with Him.

And for most of us, that reality is true as well at some time.

NOW,

the word “below” suggest that Jesus’ trial was held in another upper room. The various rooms of the high priest’s palace were apparently built around a “courtyard”.

That’s the setting we find ourselves in.

Scripture says that a mere servant girl of the high priest comes over, see’s Peter warming himself and says, “You were with the Nazarene.” But Peter denies this saying “I neither know or understand what you mean.”

He walks out into the gateway and a rooster crows for the first time.

The fact that Peter is intimidated by a little servant girl makes his conduct even more reprehensible.

We also see in v. 67 that Peter is warming himself by the fire, which shows Peter at this point to be more worried about his comfort than with the fate of Jesus.

In this first instant, Peter tries to evade the question by claiming ignorance, by claiming that he did not even understand what the girl was talking about.

We see after this a certain amount of escalation in the denials of Peter.

The first denial, Peter claimed he did not understand what she was talking about.

The second denial, she purposefully follows Peter to through the gateway, and accuses him of being one of the disciples. And again Peter straight denies that.

The third accusation doesn’t come from the girl but from several person’s. In the book of Matthew even referring to his accent. This time Peter swears that he did not even know Jesus. And scripture says that he “began to invoke curses on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.””

In a since, Peter here is saying, “May God curse me if I know Jesus. I do not know Him.”

Mark 14. The Denial of Peter (14:54, 66–72)

If Judas is excluded, Peter’s denial represents the greatest failure of the disciples. It is recorded in all four Gospels. There is no attempt to cover up. The very man who confessed Jesus at Caesarea Philippi (8:29) later denied him three times.

True Repentance brought on by the Word of God.

After this, the rooster crowed a second time.

Luke 22:61 says that Jesus looked at Peter when this occured.

The words of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times, along with the look from Jesus awakens Peter of what He has just done.

What follows this is grief, shame, tears, deep regret for what has been done.

It was not the crowing of the rooster that convicted Peter; it was the remembering of Christ’s words! It is always the Word of God that penetrates the heart and brings about true repentance.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

TO FINISH THIS UP...

We cannot judge Peter or any of the other disciples too severely, we need to examine our own lives.

How many times have we denied the Lord and lost opportunities to share the gospel with others?

Do we like Peter, talk when we should listen?

Argue when we should obey?

Sleep when we should be praying?

Fight when we should submit?

Peter at least was sorry for his sins and wept over them, and the Lord did forgive him.

After His resurrection, Jesus had a private meeting with Peter (Luke 24:34); then Jesus helped Peter make a public confession when He met with the disciples in Galilee (John 21).

The good news is that God always opens a way for repentance, forgiveness and restoration to God’s service.