The Downfall of a Disciple

John 18:12–27 ESV

12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. 15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. 19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Today, we are looking at a very serious topic: “The Downfall of a Disciple.”

As I prepared this message, I considered giving a list of prominent Christian leaders who have fallen from grace over the past few years. But then I decided against it.

The list I had was heartbreaking. Yes, several decades ago, it was especially televangelists who made waves as their secret sins were made public.

But over the past few years, it seems like more and more Christian leaders have been found to have committed terrible sins.

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There are leaders on this list that I have looked up to - and you probably have, as well.

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It does not make sense to gloat or to act super-spiritual in the wake of their failures.

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We realize that, but for the grace of God, our lives might be a cautionary tale, as well.

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With this sobering reality, let us consider the story of Peter and his downfall as a disciple.

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As we have studied through the Gospel of John, we have known we will come to this moment. Finally, it is here.

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Led by Judas Iscariot, a huge band - possibly several hundred strong - of Roman soldiers, temple guards, chief priests and Pharisees, arrested Jesus, bound him, and led him away.

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Interestingly, they first led Jesus to Annas, who was not the current high priest, but was a former high priest.

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Annas was a former high priest, from ad 6 to 15, who had been deposed by Pilate’s predecessor, to the chagrin of the Jews for whom the high priesthood was traditionally a lifetime appointment. In the intervening years, no fewer than four of Annas’ sons held the office, and Caiaphas, the current official appointee, was a son-in-law.

Milne, B. (1993). The message of John: here is your king!: with study guide (p. 256). InterVarsity Press.

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And so, we begin to see very nakedly the corrupt political culture of the Jewish religious elite. Annas was the power behind the priesthood. To some degree, we must imagine that Caiaphas was a puppet, a figurehead, for the real political power of his father-in-law.

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Is it too much to imagine that Annas ordered Jesus to be brought to him so that Annas could gloat in the capture of his enemy?

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It is also quite possible that they took Jesus first to Annas to allow time for the Sanhedrin to assemble to hold court with Caiaphas. At John 18:24 we see Annas sending Jesus to Caiaphas.

It is quite likely that Caiaphas’ courtroom was just “down the hall”, so to speak, from Annas - that both Annas and Caiaphas were located in the same complex.

John does not detail the proceeding before Caiaphas that the Synoptic Gospels do. Instead, John only shares about the questionning of Jesus by Annas.

Jesus answered in John 18:20-21, pointing out that he had said nothing in secret, and asked for witnesses against him. Jesus’ answer pointed out the illegality of what the Jews were doing.

As one commentator writes:

This is the only question the Jewish establishment puts to Jesus during the trials in this Gospel. He must be wondering if Jesus has been fomenting revolution. If this is meant to be a trial, then what Annas is doing is illegal.

Jewish law provided strict safeguards for the accused;

These safeguards of the Jewish law were a precursor to our Fifth Amendment rights here in the U.S. today.

they could not be asked questions that would incriminate them, and the case had to be established by witnesses which the accuser must bring forth, none of which Annas has done.

Fredrikson, R. L., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1985). John (Vol. 27, p. 255). Thomas Nelson Inc.

One of the guards struck Jesus, apparently thinking Jesus was being arrogant. But Jesus’ point was valid. If they didn’t have witnesses against him, they had no reason to arrest him. Then, Jesus was taken to Caiaphas.

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While all of this drama happened inside Anna’s quarters, another drama unfolded outside.

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It is in the drama outside that we see the downfall of a disciple described in riveting detail. Let us look at this story of Peter more closely to see how he fell spiritually and the lessons we can learn from his example.

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In the Garden of Gethsemane, after striking Malchus with the sword and being reprimanded by Jesus, Peter fled, along with the rest of the Eleven.

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But at some point as Peter ran in terror, his senses must have come back to him. Jesus, his rabbi, the Messiah had been arrested! And Peter had sworn up, down, and sideways, and crossed his heart - that he would not betray his master.

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So Peter stopped, and turned back and followed Jesus and the murderous mob from a distance. John writes that another disciple also followed Jesus.

This disciple’s identity is kept secret, but scholars typically agree this must have been the “beloved disciple” - John himself.

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John 18:15 explains that John was known to the high priest, so he entered with Jesus. Some believe John may have been related to the high priest.

Others suggest that the high priest vacationed near the town where Zebedee, James and John’s father, operated his fishing business. The thought is that the high priest typically bought their fish and had developed a good friendship with John’s family.

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Peter had no such connections to the high priest, so he stopped outside at the door. But in all the excitement and commotion, John did not forget his friend. John spoke to the servant girl and asked her to allow Peter inside.

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Can you picture that moment? In the darkness outside the gate, Peter rested against the wall. All of a sudden, he heard voices and the scratching, rasping of the gate hinges.

Peter straightened himself and stepped away from the wall and toward the door. Peter saw John and the servant girl’s heads poking out, looking for him. John nodded to the girl and she beckoned Peter to enter.

John must have turned away to go on back inside the building as Peter entered the courtyard outside.

Suddenly, as Peter brushed past the girl at the door, he heard her speak.

John 18:17 ESV

The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” …

Can we imagine that Peter answered without hardly thinking about his answer?

The girl’s question was framed to get the answer she wanted to hear: “No.”

In a lot of ways, the girl’s question is much like those questions we ask ourselves as we come into church: “How are you doing?”

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“Fine.”

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It doesn’t matter if you have a splitting headache. It doesn’t matter if you fought with your kids or spouse half the way to church. It doesn’t matter what happened the past week.

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“I’m fine.”

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John 18:17 ESV

The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”

How does a disciple fall?

1. Hiding in the shadows – John 18:15–17

C’mon, seriously! This was only a little white lie, right?

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Peter was desperate to know what would happen with his Master. Surely, it only made sense to keep his identity secret so that he could be close and stay in the loop.

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Notice, however, the striking statement Peter made. Throughout John’s Gospel, we have seen Jesus repeatedly say, “I am…”, identifying himself as the Son of God.

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Now, Peter answers, “I am not” - disidentifying himself with the Son of God.

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How does a disciple fall from grace?

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So often, it is this step that Peter took right here - hiding one’s faith. Some hide their faith by not clearly identifying themselves with Jesus before others.

Some hide their faith by engaging in secret sins. They live a double life. In certain settings they are Christians; in other locations, they enjoy the pleasures of sin.

Like Peter, the excuses for this secrecy are many. They won’t be accepted by people in their school, their workplace, or elsewhere. They might even think that they can be a secret agent for Jesus.

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"If you are a secret disciple, believing without confessing, either your secrecy will destroy your discipleship or your discipleship will destroy your secrecy." -Alistair Begg

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As we continue to study a disciple’s downfall, notice, secondly, Peter

2. Warming [himself] at the enemy’s fire – John 18:18, 25

John 18:18 ESV

Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

Picture the scene with me. Peter had leaned up against the wall surrounding the high priests’ complex, shivering in the cold. Then, John got the servant girl to allow Peter in.

When the servant girl asked if Peter were Jesus’ disciple, Peter must have ducked his head and muttered, “I am not.” Still hanging his head in shame and for fear of being recognized, Peter scanned the courtyard.

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A large bonfire burned brightly in the center of the area. People were gathered in clumps, talking quietly. Some rushed to and fro at the outside edges of the scene taking care of various chores or business duties.

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Peter must have felt out of place, standing by himself just a few feet in the gate. Slowly, nonchalantly, Peter sidled toward the fire. Those around the fire barely looked up at him as they sought soak in the warm rays.

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Various ones were talking about this false prophet the priests had arrested. “I hope he gets what’s coming to him,” one said, “we’ve had enough of these charlatans misleading the people, getting their hopes up, causing trouble for our leaders with the Roman government!”

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Others were telling jokes at Jesus and his disciples’ expense. Others griped and complained about all the tourists crowding the city for the Passover festival. Others countered, talking about the record revenues the Temple was gathering in taxes and the purchase of sacrificial animals.

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This is all my imagination, of course. But I’m sure you’ve been part of or at least near to a group of people in a setting like this - onlookers of real life - offering all kinds of commentary but avoiding any real responsibility.

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But the point is that Peter had joined this crowd of unbelieving onlookers, doing his best to blend in and not be noticed.

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This is the pattern of the disciple who falls from grace. Afraid of standing out from the world, they join in on the dirty jokes, the profane stories, the unserious banter - life lived only for the moment with no real thought of eternity.

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Such a person wants to fit in instead of standing out - whether that is a group at a party, or the workplace, in groups online, or being part of the hangout at the local diner or at the neighborhood park.

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James 4:4–5 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

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The Christian does not belong to the world and does not fit in the world.

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With that said, let us make an important clarification or two here. Being a friend of the world is talking about compromise with the world’s values - losing our identity and being consumed by the world.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be witnesses to the world. In order to be effective witnesses, we must be in the world. We need to make friends in the world for the purpose of leading them to Christ.

As we consider this point about the disciple’s downfall, we are NOT saying that the Christian must live like a monk, separate from the world. Rather, we are to live in the world, but not be of the world!

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The problem - the downfall of the disciple - happens when we seek to be subsumed by the world because we are afraid of the world’s response to us as true followers of Jesus.

The problem comes when we adopt the speech, the mindset, the values, even the dress, and the mannerisms of the world.

John 18:25 ESV

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”

The gospel of Matthew adds a little more color to this story:

Matthew 26:73–74 ESV

After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed.

Jesus had called Peter to leave a life of fishing to fish for men.

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Now, Peter returned to that rough, profane former identity of living for Self instead of Jesus.

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As we continue looking at a disciple’s downfall, we see the final step for Peter…

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3. Crumbling under pressure – John 18:26–27

As Peter cursed and denied being a disciple of Jesus, apparently he got louder and louder, attracting the attention of others.

John 18:26–27 ESV

One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

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Can you imagine how terrified Peter must have been? Here was a relative of Malchus, the man Peter had struck with the sword. This man had been part of the mob arresting Jesus.

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He had seen Peter!

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He had watched Peter attacking Malchus with a sword!

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He could put Peter in prison! Peter could be tried for attempted murder!

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Peter became even more intense in his denial of Jesus.

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Immediately, a rooster crowed.

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Some commentators suggest that the rooster’s crowing was not a special incident - just out of nowhere - but rather, that it was the time when roosters would typically crow in the morning - somewhere between 3-5 a.m.

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Here, at the darkest part of the night, Peter, having failed to pray for God’s power, living by his own wisdom and strength, doing his best to save his own skin, choosing safety over loyalty, denied his Lord a third time.

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John in his gospel does not saying anything more about Peter’s denial of the Lord that night. John does include the beautiful story of Peter’s reconciliation with Jesus on the shore of the lake sometime after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

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So John leaves us to wonder how Peter must have reacted when he realized his downfall as a disciple.

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Luke’s account does give us more detail.

Luke 22:60–62 ESV

But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

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This detail helps us to feel Peter’s agony for denying his Lord. But the gospels are truly silent about what Peter did next.

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We have no record of Peter at Jesus’ crucifixion. He was not there when they buried Jesus, either. We finally find Peter on the third day with John and other disciples.

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So we are left with our imagination, wondering what Peter did when he was faced with his denial of Jesus.

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Can you picture the tears he wept?

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Can you see his agony and grief as he pictured in his mind what was happening to his Lord?

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Can you see how he must have hid in shame and regret?

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What causes the downfall of disciples? In Peter’s story, we see a typical progression.

First, the disciple hides in the shadows. He hides his faith in public and he may also hide secret sins from not only the public but especially the community of faith.

Second, the disciple warms himself at the fire. He does his best to fit in instead of standing out from the crowd. This adoption of the world’s values and stanards may happen publicly - or even privately - but this person begins to seek the world’s approval instead of God’s.

Third, the disciple crumbles under pressure, choosing safety over loyalty.

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These are the typical actions, the steps of a disciple’s downfall. But how or why does a disciple fall from grace?

Big Idea: A disciple falls by denying Jesus.

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How did Peter fall from grace? He denied his relationship with Jesus. Peter was not just being secret with his faith. Peter was not merely compromising some of his convictions to fit in with the crowd. Peter was not merely denying being Jesus follower because the pressure was too intense.

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Peter was denying his relationship with Jesus.

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Three times, however, publicly and emphatically, he had said it—‘I am not with Jesus, I do not know this man.’ In the moment when Jesus had needed him most, Peter had turned his back on him and walked away. That darkness also lingers. How many Christians live with a continual sense of failure because of their inability, or unwillingness, to stand clearly for Christ in their public lives! Like Peter, we find ourselves drawn step by step into ever deeper compromise until existence is a continuous denial, and worship with God’s people on a Sunday, instead of renewing and invigorating us, serves only to underline the hypocrisy of our lives.

Milne, B. (1993). The message of John: here is your king!: with study guide (p. 260). InterVarsity Press.

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Fortunately, this night in the high priest’s courtyard was not the end for Peter. John’s gospel ends with Jesus’ extending grace, love, and forgiveness to this disciple who fell so hard.

This is the gospel - the Good News - of Jesus: no matter how badly we’ve sinned or how far we’ve fallen, God loves us and offers forgiveness and restoration if we will confess our sin and renew our trust in him as Lord and Savior.

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Thank God for His grace!

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This incident from Peter’s life is a wakeup call to us. No matter how spiritual we may be, the enemy of our souls desires to trip us up, trap us, and destroy us.

Secret sins ARE serious! Socializing with the world can lead us to compromise. We must value loyalty to Jesus over our personal safety.

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But the real point is: in each of these cases, we are asked to choose - will we value a secret sinful pleasure or our relationship with Jesus? Will we value the friendship of the world or friendship with God? Will we seek personal safety or choose to be loyal to Christ?

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As the Holy Spirit speaks to us today, may we confess any sin, any slippable of Christian character. May we recommit ourselves to live fully surrendered to the will of God.