Matthew 26:69-75 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
This is one of the most beautiful love stories in the annals of mankind. We see Peter a man so bold that he claimed he would never abandon Jesus no matter if all others did so. All the disciples said the same thing, but the Bible records Peter’s failure in his commitment to Jesus in some detail, for by extension it depicts mankind’s lack of fidelity to their Creator God. Peter’s allegiance to Christ was strong, but his flesh was too weak to carry out his affirmation to Jesus. Under pressure he abandons Jesus. His faithfulness to the Lord, his Creator, was but hollow words when faced with the accusations of people: you are one of his followers. He denies he even knew Jesus; he openly disowns Jesus before men. He then remembers the words he had spoken. Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you. (Matthew 26:35) Peter disavows the Creator God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3) Through Jesus, God created everything; the Word set the world in motion. Nevertheless, that night Peter disclaims Jesus, the living Word. His desire to live, eat, drink, and be merry for another day was stronger than his allegiance to Christ. His desire to live was stronger than his words of fidelity. He knew Jesus’ words, Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:25) He wanted to live another day; he did not want to be in the hands of Jesus’ adversaries. He wanted freedom to do what he wanted to do with his life. Peter earlier that night had attempted to defend Jesus and himself with a sword; he had cut the high priest servant’s ear. But Jesus reprimanded Peter not to use violence to fight the angry mob. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (Matthew 26:52) How could he defend his Lord, himself, and the disciples without violence, without defiance? Jesus told the mob to let his followers go; the disciples fled, one even naked, maybe John. Jesus, the conundrum of mankind’s reasoning, intended to bring justice to the world through intense, enduring love, not violence and punishment. He alone, not his followers or his disciples, would take up the cross of redemption for a sinful world that despised him, that would soon shout, Crucify Him! He would fulfill what the prophet said about him. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope. (Matthew 12:20-21) He would not break a weakened reed that has no strength to resist him, nor would He snuff out a smoldering wick that was smoking up the surroundings. Instead, He would bring justice to the world by an everlasting love; the love that God has for his creatures who are made in his image. Even the chosen, the Israelites, failed to adhere to him. Because of the law given on Mount Sinai, they knew the nature of God, his holiness and perfection. But they failed to live up to God’s guidance in their lives, his law. God through the scriptures reveals clearly that even the chosen who were delivered out of slavery were unable or unwilling to live righteous lives. The Bible says, all people have gone astray, away from God, each to his or her own way. Without holiness, no one will inherit eternal life with God. However, because of his great love for humanity, God sent his Son to take the place of man’s unholy nature. Jesus died on the cross, mutilated and battered by a sinful humanity. He paid the full price for man’s rebellion against God. Peter, the imperfect disciple, could not fulfill his words to Jesus. Imperfect mankind has failed in its allegiance to God. Humanity’s unwillingness to be faithful to God has brought the judgment of death upon all people. However, as with Peter, God’s love for mankind is everlasting. We hear the angel in Jesus’ empty tomb, instructing the women to tell Peter He has been resurrected. Go tell the unfaithful one, the recalcitrant man, the denier, that I have been resurrected; I am alive evermore. This message is for all humanity: go tell them I am resurrected.
Jesus would satisfy the wrath of God on the injustices and violence in the world. Jesus would pay the price that Cain laid down when he killed his brother. Since Cain hundreds of men, women, and children have been murdered. This slaughter goes on even today. Violence smolders in the hearts of men. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15) Peter thought that he had Jesus’ will when he took up the sword to defend against the mob. But the Lord’s will was not to kill, but to save. From the beginning, the justifiable wrath from God’s righteous throne, his discipline, never changed the hearts of men for very long. Peter might have killed a few men that night in defending Jesus. Maybe all the disciples and Jesus could have moved further into the olive grove and found safety through fighting the mob, but such temporary victory would not have solved the situation of men’s hatred towards each other. No change of heart would have taken place that night under those circumstances, no newborn faith would come from that kind of action. Jesus knew the Father’s will was to change men into new creatures. He understood He had to pay the price for Abel’s innocent blood. Jesus the Christ had to satisfy God’s wrath on man’s murderous nature. Only a perfect sacrifice for total imperfection could stay God’s hand from striking eternal death upon mankind. Jesus, the Perfect One, would fulfill the will of a loving God. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:14) Peter’s denial displayed unfaithfulness to Jesus who had taken care of him for three years. Jesus had made sure that Peter was safe and secure in his presence. But under pressure, Peter folded; life was too dear to him. He disowned Jesus before men as mankind has disowned God. Many deny that He even exists. The Bible says God sends his love on the just and the unjust. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45) This planet is unique in our universe. It contains everything that is needed for life. God has made it for human life: through this environment, He provides the very breath that is in our lungs. Even though we know the uniqueness of this earth, we live in rebellion, not thankful to him for the very breath we breathe. We have shunned God and disclaim his presence. As Peter, we claim we do not know him.
The love story of Jesus for Peter is the love story of God for men and women. Even though He knows we are rebellious to his authority, desiring independence from him, He still loves us with an enduring love. In Psalms 136, the psalmist reveals 26 reasons we should give thanks to God for his enduring love. He concludes this psalm by saying, Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. We hear Jeremiah saying to the chosen people of God’s love: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. (Jeremiah 31:3-4) We who have been chosen IN CHRIST are to be new creatures. The Newly Born of God who can exist comfortably in eternal life. In that place of safety, anxieties and fears will be gone. We will realize who we are and why we are. Jerusalem will be rebuilt eventually. We will inhabit a new kingdom that will last forever. This eternal place is with our Father God and our elder brother, Jesus Christ. The kinetic energy that will flow through us will be the fruit of the Spirit. And love will dominate our beings. John talks about this love so elegantly. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:7-9) We who are born again presently live IN JESUS CHRIST. Peter discovered God’s enduring love when the women told him that the angel wanted him to know that Jesus was resurrected. Can you imagine how he must have broken down in tears of thankfulness when he heard this. Jesus forgave him. Jesus should have denied him before his Father for that is what Jesus taught. Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33) But the story of Jesus’ enduring love for Peter is the story of God’s enduring love towards mankind. Man often fails to acknowledge God, eating, drinking and being merry, replacing God with their own efforts of being happy. Man is doing everything possible to replace God, to find eternal life through his own efforts, using the mysteries of science to succeed in that effort. But God is love—God even loves those who despise his name, deny his existence. His eternal intention is to make children of God. We who know Christ are children of the resurrection. We died with him, and now we are raised with him. We have been made new, dear friends, around this breakfast table. Look at each other; there is a Peter in each of us. But God’s everlasting love will bring each of us to his throne room and say, Well done my good and faithful servant. Peter, the unfaithful, heard those words, and so will we because of Christ’s work and not ours. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) Praise the Lord!
Sorry, breakfast was not available the last couple of weeks due to illness.
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