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Good morning, welcome to NHCC, please open your Bibles to Mark 14.
Next week, new sermon series called, Overlooked.
Last week, Jesus had been arrested, and we begin to see the process of His trial.
Beginning of last week’s text, Peter has followed from a distance, keeping watch on Jesus.
This morning, we ask what becomes of Peter.
Read Mark 14:66-72- And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”
But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.”
And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed.
And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.”
But again he denied it.
And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”
And immediately the rooster crowed a second time.
And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
And he broke down and wept.
Pray.
Recap:
Two things are happening simultaneously.
Trial of Jesus in the upper chamber, questioning of Peter in the lower courtyard.
Meant to see a comparison of sorts.
Jesus and Peter are on trial, both are endangered, both are being asked about their identities.
Notice the differences- Jesus questioned by powerful men, Peter questioned by a servant girl.
Jesus stands firm in truth, Peter folds in lies.
Kingdoms are being contrasted.
Peter is warming himself by the fire, is recognized and questioned by a slave girl.
Text says that she looked at him.
Remember these words- it means she locked eyes with him and recognized him.
Sometimes that is what it takes.
She makes her bias known, referring to Jesus as the Nazarene.
John 1:45-46- Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
This is the bias against Nazareth, likely shared by many, especially in the city of Jerusalem.
Consider, perhaps, how city folk today consider country folk, and vice versa.
In fact, keep in mind it is the accent that gives away Peter as a Galilean.
You were with Him, doesn’t know just how correct she was, and likely neither does Peter.
Mark 3:13-15- And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.
And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
Being with Jesus was at the very core of Peter’s identity as an apostle.
This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, still for you and me.
To be with Jesus, and to be sent by Jesus.
Peter says he has no clue what she is talking about.
He then moves to a more secure location, a bit further away.
At this point the rooster crows once.
Servant girl becomes more threatening, talking to the crowd.
We can imagine the escalation.
We hate talkers.
Finally, third accusation is brought and Peter denies in the most harsh of ways, calling down curses.
The rooster crows a second time, Peter hears it and immediately understands what has happened.
The words of Jesus are fulfilled.
Mark 14:30- And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
The weight is too much to bear.
Peter broke down and wept.
Much to be learned this morning, let’s focus on two specific ideas.
1.
The heavy consequences of a moment.
Reflect on the weight of this particular moment in Peter’s life.
We have seen Peter sin before.
Something different about this.
Consider the clues that Mark gives:
The sin is predicted- Jesus has constantly been telling His disciples to stay awake.
In fact- rooster crows after the first denial.
There was even a warning.
There is an adamant denial.
Peter begins by denying, then stating he doesn’t understand even the basic premise, finally calls down a curse, either upon himself or upon Jesus.
The better of the two options- saying he would be cursed if he is not telling the truth.
The worst of the two options- calling a curse down upon the head of Jesus, a sin which in the early church saw as evidence that one was not a Christian.
Polycarp- Swear allegiance to Rome- “Eighty and six years I have served him, and he had done me no wrong.
How can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?”
Letters from early Romans to Emperor Trajan- Asked people to curse Christ, believed that those who were truly Christians would never do such a thing.
Imagine how the early church must have viewed Peter’s curse.
Further, there is the utter dishonesty.
May we not simply be emotionally hurt by the personal denial, but also know that it was an offense against the truthfulness of God.
One moment, with the ability to utterly shatter the usefulness of this apostle.
After all, consider the words that Jesus had used.
Matthew 5- part of the body causes you to sin, cast it away in hopes to be saved from damnation.
Or earlier in Matthew 5- salt losing it’s saltiness becomes worthless.
Luke 6- One is known by his fruit- a good tree does not produce bad fruit.
One’s words come from the abundance of the heart.
Jesus is no stranger in His teaching to the impact that sin can have.
Where does this leave us?
Are we watchful or careless?
Leaves us with one question- What will become of Peter?
2. Restoration is always possible.
Could have been left out of the rest of Mark’s gospel, like Judas, but there is one more mention.
Mark 16:7- But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.
There you will see him, just as he told you.”
Does Mark cut out Peter as one of the disciples?
Absolutely not.
Why?
Because restoration is possible.
Many know the rest of the story.
Peter weeps.
Broke down literally means lay down.
I’m a lay down sort of person.
In my own sin, in my own heartache, in the sins of others, I just want to be horizontal.
This was Peter- broke down physically with weeping.
Body gives out.
What would have caused this?
Look at Luke’s account- Luke 22:61-62- 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.”
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