Luke 22:54-62 Amplified Bible
Peter’s Denials
54 Then they seized Him, and led Him away and brought Him to the [elegant] house of the [Jewish] [a]high priest. And Peter was following at a [safe] distance. 55 After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 57 But Peter denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him!” 58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You are one of them too.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, “This man was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
I remember a secular song popular many years ago called “River”.
To this day, lines from that rather somber Joni Mitchell song stick with me.
She sang, “I’m always hard to handle. I’m selfish and I’m sad. Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby that I ever had.”
The words came to mind again this week while reading a post from a Christian who said, “I still struggle with being angry, ungrateful, and cranky.”
I added her words to what several people have written recently about Apostle Peter in today’s discourse from Luke 22.
As much effort as Peter made to assure and then reassure Jesus and the other disciples to never give up on Jesus – no matter the circumstances – He failed.
He failed in the worst way possible.
He failed himself.
He failed his friends and fellow disciples.
He failed his mother and his father
He failed to uphold every single thing he held to about his faith in God.
He failed his sworn and covenanted oath to God.
He failed his Messiah – denying him thrice times and very publicly.
When his Messiah needed and required him to be there for Him, as Messiah had predicted, before the cock crowed three times, Peter was nowhere declaring his his utmost confidence and faith in his Messiah nor his willingness to even die.
How much worse could it possibly get in that moment?
Then that fateful glance in the courtyard where Peter’s and Jesus’ eyes met after Peter thrice times emotionally, very publicly refuted his association with Jesus.
61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].
They have preached this passage, taken a long look at this passage, been very self-introspective of this text as it was preached to them – and they CRIED TOO!
We can probably, without much effort, safely guess what emotions were going on in Peter’s much anguished heart and soul: “Will God Now Give Up On Me?!?”
They cried, proclaimed – “I was not there when my Savior needed me most!”
They cried and declared – “I got so very tired, so very much worn out by it all!”
The cried and declared – “I feel like I have simply given up on God, My Savior!”
They have likewise asked of themselves, “Will God ever give up on me?”
Gravely worried because they think they have already and repeatedly done the one single thing that’s “finally too much for God to take,” they are feeling fear.
Many Will Worry About Keeping God’s Love
Now, their concerns aren’t just about their repeated failures toward conquering their anger, their fears, their broken promises, their ingratitude, or crankiness.
Some are worried about other things like unrelenting unswerving doubts, their waning and waxing faith, a fresh sin committed, or a repeated sin committed.
But, this lingering question comes rushing back to many people at different times, at too many inopportune times
“Does God give up on us as we all too often give up on Him?”
A significant question with what they believe has severe eternal implications.
I can safely confess here that despite what I staunchly believe is a steadfast and immovable faith – a “Superman Faith” if you will, I’ve certainly had that fear.
Have you?
At times, I’ve wondered if I have let God down too much or too severely or made that “one too big a mistake” with the severest of eternal implications possible.
It hurts my spirit.
It puts a giant strain, an immovable millstone upon my heart and upon my soul.
I will simply never have the necessary knowledge nor the required wisdom nor any of the maximum allowable strength to even begin to move it or remove it.
Responding to the Lord’s “Once In a Lifetime” Look
Luke 22:61-62 Amplified Bible
61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].
Two captivating stories are happening at the same time.
Inside the high priest’s court Jesus reveals his true identity as the Messiah.
Outside near the fire in the courtyard Peter denies his Lord three times.
Then the climax brings the two story lines crashing together.
Jesus’ eyes look directly at Peter’s eyes and quite literally changes everything.
Peter surrendered to the paralyzing fear of his faith’s ability at standing alone.
But fortunately Jesus enabled Peter to break out of the cage of conformity.
The rooster’s crow activated the alarm of Peter’s conscience.
Immediately he repented.
In extreme sorrow, Peter wept bitterly.
Do We Lose God When We Are Selfish and Sad?
As in Joni Mitchell’s sobering song, do we lose the best loved one we’ve ever had – our God and our Savior – when we are selfish and/or broken or sad?
No!
Absolutely Not!
It’s a guarantee that after we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we still won’t be perfect!
And God knows that!
Instead, we all have a lot of “cleaning up” to do even at that point.
But, that is something only God can do in your life.
Yes, you and I must cooperate, we must be and remain willing participants.
The way we do that is to believe Him that He loves us and has changed us.
That He IS always and forever changing us.
And, in addition, you and I must learn, and re-learn, how to receive His love.
With regards to Peter and His coming to terms with his catastrophic failures;
Later in the Upper Room he reaffirmed his love for Jesus by being there and not running away, fleeing from His presence, when Jesus appeared to the disciples.
Still later, doubts intact, Peter is recommissioned as the Lord’s representative.
John 21:15-17 Amplified Bible
The Love Motivation
15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do—with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [a]love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 Again He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]?” Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you [really] [b]love Me [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
In John 21 we find that Jesus refused to let Peter cover up his unresolved past.
Three times the Resurrected Jesus asked Peter how much he loved his Lord.
And Peter asserted repeatedly, “Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus then empowered Peter, gave divine approval and permission, God’s own blessings, to just put his past behind him and walk confidently into his future.
Jesus’ aim is to come to us, bless us, reassure us, reconcile with and rehabilitate us whenever we feel the full weight of our millstones, when we fall from grace.
And our conscience can halt us before we yield to temptation.
But even when if we inevitably slip back into sin, God wants to restore us.
God does not stand behind home plate like an umpire at a baseball game with a great cloud of witnesses present waiting to signal and then shout, “You’re out!”
Instead, He comes to us on our lakeshores, draws us to Himself with kindness.
For us this means responding to the raucous alarm of our conscience, removing ourselves from the moment and place of temptation, repenting of our sin, give God permission to take our millstone, to reaffirming our loyalty to Jesus Christ.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 13 The Message
13 1-2 Long enough, God—
you’ve ignored me long enough.
I’ve looked at the back of your head
long enough. Long enough
I’ve carried this ton of trouble,
lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
have looked down their noses at me.
3-4 Take a good look at me, God, my God;
I want to look life in the eye,
So no enemy can get the best of me
or laugh when I fall on my face.
5-6 I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms—
I’m celebrating your rescue.
I’m singing at the top of my lungs,
I’m so full of answered prayers.
Psalm 139:23-24 The Message
23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.
Lord, we read Your text from Luke’s Gospel and we know that your convicting look is filled with thy convincing, affirming grace. Thank you for your transforming power!
Adeste Fidelis! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 