The King: Abandoned by His Friends (Mark 14:66-72)

Intro:

Finishing the longest chapter in the book, on betray and denial

Mark is going to close out the Oreo of Peter’s Denial in our passage today

Go over previous summaries:

A rose between two thorns, Betrayal will couch either side of something beautiful

All of us fall short, all of us deny Jesus, all of us betray Jesus. Yet, Jesus will always be there.

an act of betrayal will cause us to fight out of misguided commitment or flee out of fear and shame unless we are seized by the work of Jesus

The circumstances of life cause us to communicate the desires of our hearts and choose to commit to God’s Will or our will

Jesus knows what it feels like when trusted friends follow at a distance, accusations don’t add up, and the truth is ignored

Betrayal and Denial: two sides of the same coin

Betrayal happens when I choose the desire of my heart over the commitments I have made regardless of the detriment it will cause to others.

There is an exchange, it is more active: an exchange of what I know for what I want

Denial happens when I choose the desire of my heart over the knowledge I have

There is a covering of the truth, it is more passive or hidden: a covering of what I know about what others want

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

The interweaving of the accounts of Jesus’ trial and Peter’s denial not merely indicates that they took place at the same time but contrasts the conduct of Jesus and Peter.

Outline:

Denial #1: “I neither Know nor understand what you mean”, Ignorance (vs. 66-68)

Denial #2: Again He Denied it, continaul (v. 69-70a)

Denial #3: Curses and Oaths, Conviction (vs. 70b-72)

Summary: Denial comes from a desire to hide what we know (about Jesus), and how well we know it (Jesus) in the eyes of others.

Prayer

Denial #1: I Neither Know nor Understand What You Mean, Ignorance (vs. 66-68)

As Peter was below in the courtyard-We are now resuming Peter’s story

One of the servant girls

of the high priest

came

And seeing Peter

Warming himself- it is chilly in Jerusalem in March and April. Yet, Peter is choosing his own comfort over the fate of Jesus

She looked at him- 10:21 the young rich ruler, looked closely at him

And said

“You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus”- emphasis provided by Oliver

Nazarene- 1:24, the demons identify Jesus this way, 10:47 blind bartemaus hears it is Jesus of Nazareth and he cries out to go to him

This had to have provoked memory in Peter’s mind

But he denied it- to declare untrue or contradict, aorist tense “(undefined action but often a single act),” this is a one time denial.

Brooks, J. A. (1991). Mark (Vol. 23, p. 246). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers. (by saying…)

Saying

I neither know (perfect)- denotes more of a theoretical knowledge

Nor understand- to know and comprehend the nature or the meaning, practical knowledge

What you mean (say)- this is a complete denial

And he went out

into the gateway- this puts Peter even farther from Jesus. It continues the distance in his relationship. And a change of location is no susbtitue for a change of heart.

The Gospel according to Mark True versus False Witness (14:53–72)

Gethsemane, where Peter three times fell asleep as Jesus prayed (vv. 32–42), was thus an omen to his three denials in Caiaphas’s courtyard.

Application- Let’s engage our hearts with the text

Following Jesus at a distance makes it easier to deny that you know Him. Why, because your comfort becomes more important than the understanding of Jesus and what it means to be His disciple. He is more interested in drawing near to personal comfort than his personal saviour.

For example I was at the park this week with the kids: in discussion it came up that we have 4 kids. The individual I was talking to said wow, how do you handle 4, I have my hands full with 1”. You know what my answer was, life is very full these days and my hope was found in the fact that they only come one at a time. I was keeping a distance from Jesus! It doesn’t matter whether we have 1 child or 10 children, the only way we can handle it is because we have Jesus! it is not “adapt and overcome”, I am not sufficient in and of myself if I just have enough time and resources. I distanced myself because I did not aknowledge Him.

How many of us start off by thinking, “Oh, it will only be this one time, it will never happend again...” Peter was thinking the same way!

In what ways has the Holy Spirit been “crowing” the common grace of God in your life this week? “Don’t go too far”, “remember who I am”

Denial #2: Again He Denied It, Peer/Corporate Pressure (vs. 69-70a)

And the servant girl saw him- She followed him into the courtyard. Sometimes the accusers follow us.

and began to say

to the bystanders- this is not addressed directly to Peter like the first accusation

“This man is one of them”

But again

he denied it- imperfect, not just a one time answer

Application- Let’s engage our hearts with the text

“Although Peter hopes to escape notice, he ends up betraying Jesus by what he says, where he stands, and how he says it!

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 451). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

Yet, even though Peter denies Jesus, he is still following Jesus.

What do you do when the accusers in this life continue to follow you even when you move locations?

Has Denial become a consistant thing lately? Or maybe it just happens when you are in certain settings or certain people are persent. Have you come in today with a heavy heart because of this last week?

Denial #3: Curses and Oaths, Conviction (vs. 70b-72)

After a little while: an hour?

The bystanders again said to Peter- notice this is not the servant girl

Certainly you are one of them,

For you are a galilean- his accent betrayed him. He spoke an aramaic dialect with noticalbe differences in pronunciations- ask an American if they can tell you are Canadian

But he began

To invoke a curse on himself

and to swear- not profanity, rather placing himself under God’s curse if he were lying. More of an oath.

“I do not know this man of whom you speak”- He cannot bring himself to say “Jesus”.

Immediatley

the rooster crowed a second time- do roosters do that? Yes, this is not outside of nature. Roosters crow multiple times in the morning, but this jogs the memory of Peter

Peter remembered- one of the 5 senses brings everything rushing back. Sometimes, denial has a sound in our souls. It does in Peter’s life

How Jesus had said, “Before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times”.

“The very man who confessed Jesus at Caesarea Philippi (8:29) later denied him three times.”

Brooks, J. A. (1991). Mark (Vol. 23, p. 246). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

He broke down and wept (imperfect)

Peter’s denial and betrayal was not the same as Judas’.

It is okay to weep over sin.

Application: Let’s engage our hearts with the text

how does what you say or how you say it point to being a citizen of heaven?

How convincing have you been about your relationshp with Jesus? It is not outside of the human experience to overstate, to exagerate, to overcompensate for something

We all have defining moments that either draw us closer to Jesus or cause us to keep our distance. Where are the moments of your life taking you this morning.

Summary: Denial comes from a desire to hide what we know about Jesus, and how well we know Jesus in the eyes of others.