Denying Christ - Matthew 26:69-75

©Copyright February 25, 2018 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

Have you ever had someone you thought was your friend completely ignore you when they were with another group of people? It happens a great deal when you are in grade school and sometimes in High School. It is all too common when classmates who go to your church see you in school. They may make it known they don’t want anyone to know you go to church together. . . or perhaps that they go to church at all.

It’s not just as children however. As adults, you sometimes see people in a store who don’t seem to want to acknowledge you in public (sometimes it IS because they do not see you). At times, people cross the street to avoid you. It’s that sense of betrayal that we focus on today.

Jesus had predicted Peter would deny Him three times before the evening had passed. Even as Jesus said it, it seemed hard to believe. Then when we saw the way Peter seemed willing to die with Jesus in the Garden it made it seem that much more unlikely that Peter would deny His friend and Lord. Peter was the one who said, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”

This is a staggering account. What makes it more staggering is to think about what we might do in a similar situation. Or even more troubling: “What DO we do that denies Jesus regularly?

Let’s set the scene. Jesus had been arrested and taken to the home of the High Priest Commentators believe this was more like a walled compound than a house. The purpose of going to the house was to find incriminating evidence so they could charge and execute Jesus. We were told all the disciples deserted Jesus but Peter and another disciple followed along behind the mob.

The gospel of John tells us that Peter got into the compound because another disciple knew the High Priest and was granted entry. Some believe this disciple was John (because John never refers to himself by name) but we really don’t know for sure. Whoever this was apparently was a family friend of the High Priest! We don’t know what happened to that disciple because the focus is Peter (John 18:15-16). This is where we pick up the story.

69Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”

70But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

71Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.*”

72Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.

73A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”

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

75Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.

Peter Loved Jesus

There is no doubt Peter loved Jesus. He drew his sword in the garden out of love for the Lord. He followed Jesus into the courtyard, I think, because he wanted to somehow show his support for the Lord.

Unfortunately, Peter was recognized. He was recognized not once but three times. The first time the servant girl may have simply been making an observation. We don’t know that her words were an accusation. Peter quickly denied any association with Jesus. This happened two more times. Each time his denial became stronger. The third time Peter called a curse on himself if he was lying. R.C. Sproul observes,

The Greek verb that is translated here as “curse” is related to the Greek word anathema, which means “damnation.” Peter essentially was pronouncing a curse on those who associated him with Jesus, saying that his accusers deserved to be damned. He unleashed a torrent of verbal abuse at the suggestion that he was a follower of Jesus, insisting that he did not know his Lord. (Matthew Commentary)

Luke tells us,

61At 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.” 62And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly. (Luke 22:61-62)

What an awful moment that must have been. It is likely Jesus looked at Peter from a window. That was a look Peter could not get out of his mind. After all the Lord had done for him; after all the confident boasts of loyalty; how could he so easily have denied the Lord He professed to love?

We are stunned by how easily he fell. He quickly and without thinking protected himself even though it meant denying his Lord. This was Peter, the man who was part of the inner three of the disciples. He walked on water because of Jesus! He was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. If it was so easy for Peter to deny the Lord, what about us? James Montgomery Boice writes,

Yet Peter did fail, and his failure is a lesson for us. Peter was the apparent leader of the disciples. If this had been Nicodemus, we would not be surprised, for Nicodemus had always been afraid of what other people might think. If this had been the rich young ruler, we would not be surprised, for we know that he loved his possessions above everything. We would not be surprised if this had been one who never confessed Jesus openly. Yet this was not Nicodemus or the rich young ruler or some other weak follower. This was Peter! And he fell with such slight provocation! He collapsed before the question of a mere servant girl. If Peter could do that, if he could deny Jesus, so can we. What happened to Peter can happen to the strongest of us, and it may even be the strongest who are in the greatest danger.[1]

Understanding Peter’s Failure

Since we recognize our own vulnerability. It is wise for us to consider why Peter denied the Lord. It appears Peter made some mistakes along the way.

First, Peter did not heed the Lord’s warnings. Jesus warned the disciples that they would deny Him. Instead of listening, or better, asking, “Lord, how can I keep this from happening?” Peter told the Lord of the Universe he was wrong!

When they were in the Garden Jesus warned the disciples that they needed to pray because even though their spirit was willing, their flesh was weak. They fell asleep instead.

All throughout the Bible we are warned about our weakness apart from Christ. In John 15 Jesus told us “apart from me you can do nothing.” Nothing! We are unable to stand in our own strength.

The Bible tells us to “study to show ourselves as a workman who does not need to be ashamed.” (2 Tim 2:15) It tells us to “hide his word in our heart so we do not sin against God.” (Psalm 119:11) We are told to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and “Seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). We are told to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6) and to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8) but, like Peter we often do not listen. These are clear commands and we feel very free to ignore them. So, we should not be surprised when we are vulnerable to the temptations of the world.

In our arrogance, we seem to feel we are smarter and wiser than the Lord. Perhaps we think He does not understand our unique situation. Of course, we are wrong and foolish for thinking such things! It is actually we who do not see clearly.

Second, Peter saw himself as better than others. Peter had no trouble believing some of the other disciples might deny the Lord . . . but not him.

We are prone to look at the failures of others and see in them a weakness we think we do not possess. There is a sense in which we feel: “If they were more like me, they would not be in this mess.” Perhaps it is:

Sexual sin

Relational Upheaval

Financial Distress

Spiritual Failure

Being caught in a lie

A debilitating addiction

A rebellious family member

It is easy to look at the problems of others and conclude you don’t have those problems because you are stronger and have it more “together” than other people. We fail to realize that arrogance makes the Devil smile. Arrogant people tend to be lazy people. They don’t have to study their Bible; they don’t need to pray; they don’t need accountability; they don’t need to put safeguards in place. They have it figured out . . . they have got this!

Such people are like soldiers who keep their weapons locked away because they believe no one would ever attack them! It’s naïve, dangerous, and foolish.

When we see one who has fallen, we should realize that “there, but for the grace of God, could be me.” God calls us to measure ourselves by the Word of God, not by each other. We must keep in mind that our bent towards sin in strong. Like Paul, “the good we want to do, we often don’t do, and the evil we don’t want to do, we do.” (Romans 7) Peter learned the importance of humility.

Finally, Peter put himself in a situation where he was alone in enemy territory. Peter walked into a courtyard where most of the people were against Christ. It was the middle of the night! The only people awake were those involved in some way with this conspiracy to kill Jesus. Peter walked into a lion’s den and then seemed surprised that he was eaten up.

We need to have relationships with non-Christian people but we must recognize the need to be very cautious in these settings. We are just as subject to peer pressure as teenagers are. We like to use an illustration with our youth. One person stands on a table or ledge. Another stands with their feet planted on the ground. The instruction is to pull the other person to where you are. It is almost always the person on the floor that can easily pull the other young person from the table. The demonstration is designed to show that it is easier to pull people down than it is to raise them up. It is a warning about spending too much time in places where you are going to be tempted to sin.

I talked to someone once who spent a lot of time on a gambling boat. I asked him if this was wise. He said he was there to witness to people. That sounded noble but I suggested it was not a good environment to be in and it was not helping his testimony. In a short amount of time we learned he had a very serious gambling problem.

When we place ourselves in tempting situations we should not be surprised when sin grabs hold of us. No one falls into sin and disgrace intending to do so. It is usually because we let down our guard.

Conclusions

It is easy for us to be hard on Peter. He failed and he went out and wept because of that failure. All four gospels record this story even though by the time they were written, Peter was the acknowledged leader of the church. This begs the question: Why draw attention to Peter’s failure? Could it be the writers of the gospels wanted everyone to know there are no perfect people in the church? Did they want people to see that even the leaders of the church sinned?

Max Lucado asks a very important question, and gives an insightful answer,

How did the New Testament writers know of his sin? Who told them of his betrayal? And, more importantly, how did they know the details? Who told them of the girl at the gate and the soldiers starting the fire? How did Matthew know it was Peter’s accent that made him a suspect? How did Luke learn of the stare of Jesus? Who told all four of the crowing rooster and flowing tears?[2]

Somewhere in the Jerusalem shadows he quit running, fell to his knees, buried his face in his hands, and gave up.

But not only did he give up, he opened up. He went back to the room where Jesus had broken the bread and shared the wine. (It says a lot about the disciples that they let Peter back in the door.)

There he is, every burly bit of him filling the doorframe. “Fellows, I’ve got something to get off my chest.” And that’s when they learn of the fire and the girl and the look from Jesus. That’s when they hear of the cursing mouth and the crowing rooster. That’s how they heard the story. He turned himself in.

How can I be so sure? He couldn’t stay away. When word came that the tomb was empty, who was first out of the room? Peter. When word came that Jesus was on the shore, who was first out of the boat? Peter. He was on the run again. Only now he was running in the right direction.

Here is a good rule of thumb: Those who keep secrets from God keep their distance from God. Those who are honest with God draw near to God.[3]

The point is: God does not expect us to be perfect. He wants us to be honest. He can help honest people.

In John 21:15-17 we see Jesus having a talk with Peter.

15After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

16Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

17A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

What is happening here is Jesus is restoring Peter. He asks him if he loves him three times (just like the three denials). The first time He asked if Peter still thought that he loved Jesus more than the other disciples. Peter only responds, “You know that I love you.” The three times was a deliberate “undoing” of the denials. Each time Jesus told him to “feed his sheep”. It is the reminder that talk is easy, truly following is active. One commentator points out:

Peter’s life changed when he finally realized who Jesus was. His occupation changed from fisherman to evangelist; his identity changed from impetuous to rock solid; and his relationship to Jesus changed—from one who had denied him to one who was forgiven.

In Luke 9:26 Jesus said these sobering words,

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.

We must learn from Peter’s failure! We must listen carefully (aware of our weakness), we need to stay away from situations that may cause us to stumble. And we also learn in those times when we may stumble and avoid standing as a child of God before the watching world, we must not make excuses, we must face our sin and confess it before the Lord and before anyone else who may have been hurt by our actions.

If Peter could fall, so can we. It is easy to talk about following Jesus. It is a whole different challenge to stand with Him when the pressure is on. The only way we are going to do this is to remain diligent.

Rather than deny our Lord, may the Lord help us reach the point when we can stand like Paul and say, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.” Declare it boldly. It is the only solid ground on which to stand.

[1] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 592.

[2] Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace (Dallas, TX: Word Pub., 1996), 123.

[3] Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace (Dallas, TX: Word Pub., 1996), 124.