Betrayal and Denial
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning! Welcome to CHCC. As we continue our way through Luke’s Gospel, we have come to the night of Jesus’ arrest. Chapter 22 has so far covered the plot to kill Jesus, the Last Supper in the upper room between Jesus and His disciples, followed by a dispute amongst the disciples about who is greatest, and a foretelling of Peter’s denial.
Last week we studied the passage of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. And in that prayer, Jesus makes two requests to the Father. The first: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.” This request reveals the very real humanity of Jesus. Up to this point we have seen a fearlessness and a steely resolve from Christ as He “set His face toward Jerusalem” to take the cross. But here with the weight of everything at stake, Jesus is in agony; sorrowful even unto death. And in His distress, He asks God to remove the cup of the cross if He is willing. The weight of what Jesus experiences here is something far greater than any other human has faced. It is not just a physical death that awaits Him, but also the weight of all humanity’s sin upon His shoulders. It is the wrath of God’s judgment that also awaits Him. So that is Jesus first request.
The second, ultimately, is Jesus’ greatest desire. He continues in His prayer: “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). In other words, “Father, but regardless of my initial request, if Your will is for me to take the cross and bear the weight of all sin upon my shoulders, and to die for the sake of man, then I will do it.”
Jesus’ prayer shows us, in turn, how we are to pray; with humility and obedience. It also reveals to us that prayer is not just content. Prayer is a process of relationship with God. It draws us closer into the heart of God.
What we also see in this prayer is that there is purpose in suffering. Jesus’ suffering was not without purpose. It was for the sake of mankind—to pay in full the penalty of our sin. And it was in the Father’s will. R.C. Sproul said:
Those who understand God’s sovereignty have joy even in the midst of suffering, a joy reflected on their very faces, for they see that their suffering is not without purpose.
R. C. Sproul
And ultimately, Jesus’ prayer reveals the love of the Son and the Father for humanity. Jesus’ love is revealed in the willingness and determination to take the cross; The Father’s love revealed in the willingness to give up His own Son for our sake.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
And this is where we pick up our study through Luke’s gospel. Jesus in the Garden with the disciples, praying and preparing for what is to come. And while He is in the midst of this time of prayer, Judas—along with a group of people—come to arrest Jesus. If you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn with me to Luke 22, as we begin in verse 47.
PRAY
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
Last week I mentioned how, to some, this moment in Scripture seems to suggest that everything has spun out of control. The evening began beautifully in the Upper Room—a moment Jesus “earnestly desired.” But then Judas leaves the company to do what we just read. The argument between the disciples of who is greatest begins. Jesus shares with Peter he will deny Him. Then the disciples misunderstand the words of Jesus that calls for them to be prepared and ready to face harsh judgment in post-resurrection life as His disciples.
This is followed by Jesus’ agony and distress in the Garden as He prays to the Father that this cup of the cross would pass from Him. Yet, He remains steadfast in His desire above all else to do the will of His Father.
Now we come to Jesus’ arrest, where a servant of the high priest loses an ear in all the hubbub. Some take this as evidence that God is not sovereign, which means He is not in control of all things. H.G. Wells, the author of the Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the World among many other books, made this very argument.
He gave the example of a great stage production that is directed by God. The curtain rises, the set is in perfect condition. The actors are in their perfect positions. Everything is going according to plan until the lead actor takes a spill and thus knocking over a chair. In turn, that chair knocks over some of the scenery, which then brings the whole of the set to come tumbling down on all of the actors. Meanwhile, God is running this way and that behind the scenes, giving orders on the fly, doing all He can to bring everything back to order. But He is unable to do so. H.G. Wells, thus concludes, “He is a very little, limited God.”
And seeing everything just as it has happened—from infighting to this betrayal—it would seem as if everything is falling out of order and into chaos. Did the stage production get out of control here? Was everything falling apart? Or was there a greater purpose and plan going on here?
SUPREME AUTHORITY AND CONTROL
Throughout Luke’s gospel, one of the central thematic elements told throughout is the power and authority of Jesus Christ. We see this from the promise to Mary of the Messiah that would come through her womb. We see it throughout Jesus’ ministry—from the bold confrontations of the religious leaders, to the countless healings, to the calming of storms, and the feeding of thousands. We’ve seen it in three resurrections! From Lazarus, to the daughter of Jairus, and the son of the widow from Nain. Each giving us a glimpse of His power and might and authority over all things.
And so it is with that continual evidence that Luke presents to us that we can look at this moment—even though it seems as if everything has been thrown into chaos—and understand that God remains in total control of the situation. Even in His death He is in control.
Let us take a look once more at the opening verses of this passage.
While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Interestingly, Matthew and Mark’s accounts of this moment describe the kiss.
And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him.
The wording that Luke uses, “to kiss,” in the Greek is the very same word for “to love.” How gut-wrenching this moment. Jesus offered love and friendship when he dipped the morsel in the common dish and offered it to Judas in the Upper Room, and Judas returns the gesture with a mocking sign of love to Jesus. This very gesture has been dubbed as the “kiss of death.”
But even still, in such a disgraceful act of betrayal, Jesus once more reaches out to Judas—ever desiring His heart. Jesus’ question is a combination of foreknowledge with an appeal for repentance: “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
In a way, Jesus challenges the sign that Judas chooses. “Couldn’t you have chosen another way to point me out to the arresting officers?” As the Scottish Minister, Alexander Maclaren wrote:
Thus to the end Christ seeks to keep him from ruin, and with meek patience resents not indignity, but with majestic calmness sets before the miserable man the hideousness of his act.
Even in the heart of His arrest, Jesus continues to seek the lost. And what comes next, further reveals Jesus’ control and authority in the situation.
Earlier Jesus told His disciples, Luke 22:36 “He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”
And you may recall their response. I believe they may have responded in pride—although they completely missed the point—they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords!”
And it seems that one of those very swords was in possession of Peter, as he is the one who cuts off the ear of the servant.
Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
Peter having one of the swords shouldn’t come as a surprise, for it was Peter hours earlier who boasted to Jesus, in Luke 22:33 “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
And his actions here certainly prove He was serious.
And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
Part of me wonders if Peter was the one to ask the question, and then before Jesus could respond, took matters into his own hands. On one hand I can appreciate Peter’s commitment here; he seems like the kind of guy you would want in your corner.
There was a soldier that served under George Washington by the name of “Mad” Anthony Wayne. It is recorded that he said to Washington, “General, I’ll storm hell if you the plans.” This seems like the same mentality of Peter, except for the part that he didn’t listen to any plans here.
Unfortunately, what Peter does gives ammunition to Jesus’ detractors. With Peter’s assault, they could now claim that Jesus had an armed group of followers preparing for war. They could claim that when they were challenged, one of Jesus’ followers attacked the authorities.
While I will admit that Peter’s action showed courage, it was also equal parts foolish. As theologian David Gooding states:
Peter’s reaction was natural, the all-too-natural reaction of mere human nature, unprepared by prayer.
Remember, just moments before the arrest, Jesus called for His disciples not once, but twice, to “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
How often does our fallen nature and human tendency—one that is unprepared by prayer—get us into trouble?
Had Peter simply prayed for wisdom, no doubt he would have reacted differently in this moment.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Prayer is so crucial in our daily lives. It draws us into the heart of God, it brings us into His will, and it also draws to us His wisdom in times of need. I love what Charles Spurgeon says of this:
Young people, you must pray, for your passions are strong, and your wisdom is little.
Charles Spurgeon
However, while the situation was now teetering on a dangerous precipice, Peter’s action allows for us to witness the control and command that Jesus continued to have of the situation even though He was being arrested and would soon die upon the cross.
But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
Jesus’ question to those arresting Him speaks directly to His prophetic words earlier that evening—that He would be numbered with the transgressors. There is a sad irony to this moment. They could have—just as Jesus stated—taken Him at any point in the temple. But they didn’t because they feared the people. So they are acting like the lawless ones—transgressors. And Jesus’ words challenged the legality of His arrest.
They came in the dark of night, when the city slept, under cloak and dagger—just like thieves—and were working outside the legal realm of conduct. Jesus’ question to them exposes their guilt.
But Jesus’ final words here depict the reality of the situation: But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
If we read this passage with a belief that this moment has slipped out of the authority and control of Christ then we understand that “your hour” only has a meaning as “earth’s hour” and “Hell’s hour” as R. Kent Hughes notes. But he also contends this is “heaven’s hour.”
Zechariah’s prophecy all the way back in chapter one spoke of Jesus’ purpose.
the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
And while many received the light and came unto Him with belief and faith, many did not—including these religious leaders. Their spiritual eyes were not healthy as Jesus spoke of in Luke 11…
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.
So this was “earth’s hour” as mankind took force to arrest and crucify the “Sunrise” that visited from on high. A moment that seems that perhaps darkness overcame light.
This was also “Hell’s hour.” The wording here by Jesus would even suggest this. “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
This is the same language used in other passages in the New Testament to describe the rule and dominion of Satan.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
But as we’ve been making our way through Luke’s gospel, we would do well to not forget that primary focus of Jesus’ power and authority being constantly brought to the forefront of the narrative. Ultimately, “your hour” is also “Heaven’s hour.” In Jesus’ prayer in the Upper Room, recorded in John’s gospel, Jesus acknowledges this hour has come.
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
In Luke’s recording of the Upper Room, he too recalls this as “the hour.”
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.
As R. Kent Hughes concludes:
As earth’s hour played out, Jesus’ captors freely exercised their own sinful impulses in his ritual murder. But at the same time it was Hell’s hour because they were acting as unwitting agents of Satan at his time of grand opportunity. But ultimately it was Heaven’s hour because Satan was but an instrument in God’s great plan for the salvation of the world. Satan was the unwitting stage manager for God, and every fall and humiliation he choreographed for Christ was actually a step toward our salvation. A very limited and little God? We think not.
In the midst of the chaos, Jesus remains in authority and in power. The cross is taken willingly.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
This is such a wonderful reminder to us that in the midst of chaos and confusion, in the middle of suffering and sorrow, God remains in full control.
Now this is just half of it. First we have a great betrayal. Next we read of a heartbreaking denial.
Peter’s Denial
Peter’s Denial
Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 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.
Peter is a colorful character in Scripture. No disciple is recorded speaking as much as Peter. No disciple was addressed by Jesus in Scripture more than Peter. With that, no disciple was reproved by Jesus as much as Peter. And no other disciple thought it their duty to reprove Jesus other than Peter! No disciple was so bold in their proclamation of Jesus and in their encouragement of Christ as Peter was. But possibly, no other disciple bothered Jesus more than Peter, too.
We may recall Peter’s response to the miraculous haul of fish, when he cried out to Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” He was someone who was profoundly aware of his sin and his need for forgiveness.
When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” It was Peter who quickly spoke up, saying, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”
And yet, just a few verses later after Jesus foretold of His upcoming death, Peter shut it down, telling Jesus, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
He was also the one who stepped out of the boat in faith to walk towards Jesus; and in the same moment also began to sink, crying out, “Lord, save me!”
One pastor stated:
When I think of Peter, I imagine a broad-shouldered, loud, extroverted, assertive man who is always sweating. Lloyd Douglas’s title The Big Fisherman captures him for me. He was a headstrong, unbridled hulk who was always getting into trouble and causing his Master plenty of the same. Sometimes we preachers use him as a homiletical whipping boy. It’s great fun to portray “God’s clod” slipping below the waters of Galilee! But we forget that none of us have ever walked on water!
He was certainly complex, and that is perhaps why many people relate to Peter so well. We see his highs and lows more than any character in Scripture. Certainly, as I read moments with Peter, I often think to myself, “Yep, I’ve been there. I’ve tripped up like that before, too.” But also, I find myself desiring his fervor, his courage, his outspokenness, his bluntness, his boldness, and his faith.
Peter was no doubt 1 of 1, but his story of falling and rising, of failure and redemption is one that we all can likely find some connection to.
The moment we just read was the valley of valleys for Peter. This was the darkest chapter of his life and I imagine the following three days of Jesus in the tomb felt like a lonely abyss of regret, sorrow, anger, and possibly even hatred of himself.
We’ve all messed up and perhaps we can relate to those kinds of emotions. As Clarence Macartney explained:
His impulsive deeds, his frequent questions, his eager exclamations and confessions, the praise and honor and rebukes that were bestowed upon him, his sometimes manly and sometimes cowardly acts, his oaths, his bitter tears—all this makes Peter the great companion and the great instructor of his fellow men and his fellow Christians.
Now as we look at this moment more closely let us look at the first denial.
And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”
The Greek wording here of Peter’s statement is gut-wrenching. It is a similar phrase that translates to, “I have never known you.” I don’t know this man you are talking about. I’ve never known him!” Fully denying three years of ministry, of love, of selfless teaching and sacrifice. Three years of intimate friendship.
But one thing, we should at least give Peter some credit for here is that one disciple betrayed Jesus, the other ten abandoned Him, scattering to the wind after His arrest. At least Peter continued to follow Him.
Jesus’ interrogation continued behind closed doors and Peter remained huddled by the fire with other bystanders when a second person recognizes him.
And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”
The first denial was that he ever knew Jesus. The second denial was that he was one of His disciples. But the recognition wasn’t over. A little later someone spotted him again.
And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.”
Mark’s account is even more heartbreaking.
But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”
Vehement shouts of denial. I swear to you I have no connection to this man you speak of! And then I imagine Peter’s stomach dropped, as did his heart, lower than it ever would again. For Luke records for us that it was at this moment the rooster crowed.
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.
I imagine the sound snapped him back to reality, and Peter looks up from the fire to find Jesus and in a moment their eyes connect. But I imagine the eyes of Jesus spoke a word of grace. I don’t believe there was disappointment, hatred, anger, or an “I told you so” look to them. I believe Jesus’ eyes reached Peter’s soul. But it was that look from Jesus that brought the words in the Upper Room flooding back to Peter’s mind.
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.
I don’t think any of us will ever fully grasp the anguish and grief that Peter experienced over the next few days. But something in that moment changed him forever. For that moment of eye contact brought Peter back to the understanding that he was a “sinful man.” And what is more, Jesus’ words to Peter in the Upper Room may have ended with the foretelling of his denial, but it began with great encouragement!
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus promises Peter he will falter, but encourages him, telling him his purpose and calling to “strengthen your brothers.” Jesus prays that Peter’s faith “would not fail.” It may falter, it may trip for a moment, but he would rise more grounded in Christ, more mature, more humble, more focused.
He was being made into a man of substance. This moment brings to mind the exhortation of James.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
This trial brought Peter low for a moment but would ultimately make him greater for kingdom work than ever before. As painful as this moment was for Peter, and as heartbreaking as it is for us to read of it, I fully believe this was the turning point is what made Peter the Peter that we see preaching at Pentecost and standing before the Sanhedrin boldly proclaiming Christ.
To become like Christ, it requires that we are first broken and then made anew in His image. Gone was Peter’s presumption and pride. While he remained lively and outspoken, it was focused, refined.
This moment would eventually bring about one of my favorite intimate moments in all of Scripture. After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter and Jesus find themselves walking along the shores of Galilee. Three times Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
It was as if each question was building Peter back up. Each question matches a denial days earlier. Peter needed reminding that even though he faltered, he loved Jesus.
After this moment, a new Peter rises from the ashes of his failure. He may have cowered before a servant girl that night of the denials, but he would boldly proclaim Christ to the masses at Pentecost.
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
All of this is to say, I hope you find encouragement in Peter’s life. Listen, we all fall so terribly short of God’s glory. We have all sinned. We have all in one form or another denied Jesus. Maybe not with our words, but perhaps by our actions. It is easy to look down on Peter in this moment, but let us not forget the logs in our own eyes.
Peter had the humility to recognize his sin and that was the first step in the process of being built back up. We must first recognize our own sinfulness and our own futility to save ourselves.
Secondly, we must allow God to build us back up. Peter didn’t become the Peter we see in Acts overnight. It took years with Jesus, it took beautiful highs and devastating lows. But there is a crossroads of redemption for us all. For Judas, it ended in death on the rocks. For Peter it ended in being restored on the shores of Galilee and being a key instrument in the explosion of the early church. One refused the hand of Jesus, the other took it.
You might have made terrible choices and you may have sinned terribly, but Jesus’ blood has offered redemption for us all. Will you take His hand? Will you let Him pick you up? I pray that you will.
EXPLAIN COMMUNION//PRAY
COMMUNION
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
CLOSE IN WORSHIP
