Failure (Luke 22:54-62)

My Cup Runneth Over Pics

The Western “Wailing” Wall

A view of the Western or “Wailing” Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It is the only known remnant of the Second Temple and the most revered site in Judaism.

A Model of What it was Like

Close-up of model of how Jerusalem is believed to have looked in 66 CE showing that the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall) of the Temple Mount was the wall closest to the temple itself.

Distances...

It was asked, how far apart are these valleys?

The Passage

Luke 22:54–62 NLT

54 So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. 55 The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. 56 A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” 57 But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!” 58 After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. 59 About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 62 And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

QUESTIONS

++1. What jumps out?

++2. This week’s passage says that when Peter heard the rooster crow, the Lord looked straight at him. What sort of look do you think Jesus gave Peter?

++3. Do you think Peter was sincere when he said he wouldn’t turn away from Jesus? Why or why not? If he was not sincere, why did he say it? If he was sincere, why did he fail?

++4. Why do you think Peter denied Jesus only hours after saying he’d die for Christ?

++5. Peter went on to become a great apostle after his great failure. On the other hand, Judas hanged himself in the aftermath of his moral failure. How can we make sure our own failures make us stronger in our faith instead of pushing us away from God?

In the Background

There are a couple of things running through the background

The prediction from Jesus that Peter would deny him while Peter said that he would DIE with Jesus...

Peter cutting off the guard’s ear (trying to fulfill his gusto, so to speak - but also highlighting that death is NOT on his mind, but fighting is...)

Mark 14:27–31 NLT

27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.” 30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.

Luke 22:31–34 NLT

31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” 34 But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

Luke 22:47–52 NLT

47 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?

John 18:10–11 NLT

10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”

Failure

Have you ever failed at something?

Have you ever failed at something you were CERTAIN you would NOT fail at?

My Sophomore year and the Project

Jesus said

Luke 9:23–26 NLT

23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

Also remember...?

Matthew 10:32–33 NLT

32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

Peter did EXACTLY what Jesus said NOT to do...

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 5. Peter’s Denial (22:54–62)

The word “deny” (arneomai, v. 57) is used in the NT as the polar opposite of the word “confess” (homologeō). We are to confess (i.e., acknowledge) Christ but deny ourselves (i.e., disown our private interests for the sake of Christ; cf. comment on 9:23). Peter here does the reverse. He denies Christ in order to serve his own interests.

Peter did the opposite of confessing Jesus

Peter denied Jesus, denied knowing him, denied being a follower of Jesus, and claimed he WAS NOT a disciple...

Matthew and Mark even say that Peter called down curses on the others and maybe even Jesus himself

Matthew 26:74 NLT

74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.

Matthew 26:74 NASB95

74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.

Doing the Unthinkable

Not just failure, but doing the very thing he SWORE he would never do

We say, “I would NEVER do that!!”

And then, you NEVER never live you’ve nevered before...

As soon as you say, “My child would NEVER do a thing like that.” He your child comes nevering like he has never nevered before...

But, it’s not just our children. It is ALL of us. We ALL have done things we thought we would not do.

We are ALL sinners

Romans 3:23 NLT

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

And we read passages in the New Testament and say, “ I would NEVER do that...”

Galatians 5:19–21 NLT

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 NLT

9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

I would NEVER… and then your friend gives you the drink

and then you meet that special guy/gal

and then, in order to be well thought of at work or school

and then, to get the contract and bid

and then, well she paid attention to me, or he noticed my new shoes

And then you find yourself angry, or sad, or anxious, or unhappy… and this just helps to take the edge off, or it helps to make me feel better...etc...

And then that which you said you would NEVER do you found yourself doing...

What do you do THEN

Luke 22:62 NLT

62 And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

Luke 22:31–32 NLT

31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

1 John 1:9 NLT

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Acts 3:19 NLT

19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Confession = An act or process of admitting or acknowledging one’s wrongdoings, faults, or sins, whether to God or another person.

Repentance = Repentance is the act whereby one turns from his or her sin, idolatry, and creaturely rebellion and turns to God in faith.

Turning back, repentance, is what the Gospel invites us to do.

Peter is a great example for us

He failed, but when face to face with his failure he had remorse and CHANGED!

He didn’t cut himself off from the group

Maybe discuss peer to peer support...

Judas in his remorse would take his own life

Matthew 27:3–5 NLT

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” 5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

BUT!! Peter, in his remorse, allowed Jesus to look at him with the caring eyes that called him to repent. THEN, he returned to the others.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 5. Peter’s Denial (22:54–62)

In telling how the Lord looked at Peter (v. 61), Luke uses the word John used (

They too probably shared their own denial of Jesus (after all, they all did FLEE when Jesus was arrested). And, then they could encourage Peter to walk the lifestyle of repentance.

CONCLUSION

We have all failed at times in our desire to be fully committed followers of Jesus.

Maybe it has been blatant denial.

Or, maybe it has been denying the way of the cross that Jesus calls us to. We have, at times, placed self comfort and self idolatry in the way of Jesus.

From the Pastor’s Resource...

It’s easy for us to point to Peter’s failure and think, I wouldn’t do that. After all, he failed Jesus in the exact way Jesus said he would, mere hours after Jesus’s prediction. It seems pretty silly to us today. The problem is—we’re just like Peter. We make big promises to God and fail to fulfill them. You might even be sitting there right now, promising God you won’t fail in a certain area of your life anymore. I want that to be true. God wants that to be true. But if we’re honest, we’ve made promises before, and we still fail. Maybe we lose our temper or give in to temptation. Maybe we ignore the nudging of God’s Spirit when we see someone in need. Jesus sees and knows all of that—but he still looks at us with love and compassion. When we mourn our sin, confess, and repent, life with him is waiting for us.

Where will you go from here today? If you’ve sinned this week, how is that shaping you? Have you repented? Are you turning away from that life to something better? Today, choose to follow Jesus with all you have, leaving behind what’s come before.

May we seek forgiveness, repent, and confess again the Power of The Forgiveness of Jesus, who would forgive even a sinner like me!

BENEDICTION

Matthew 24:13 NLT

13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

2 Timothy 2:13 NLT

13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

Matthew 10:32 NLT

32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.