INTRODUCTION:

            When we repent of our sin and put our faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation, we become new creatures in Christ, but we must understand that our flesh (body and mind) is still fallen.  We have experienced the redemption of our souls, but not our bodies.  Because of this we are in a constant battle with the old self and its remaining corruption which we must be continually putting to death.  Our saved, redeemed, regenerated spirit desires to pursue righteousness, but our flesh is inclined to weakness and sin.  To fail to see the enemy within puts the believer in danger.  We must take care that when we think we can stand on our own and that is when we are in danger of falling.  We must be like alert soldiers, constantly being on guard not only against Satan and the world but also our own evil desires and lusts of the flesh.  When we become prideful or overconfident in ourselves we become easy targets for the enemy.  Peter in this passage is a good example of one who fell when he proudly thought that he could stand.

            The New Testament and the gospel records make it clear that Peter was a genuine believer, who deeply loved the Lord Jesus.  Yet on the same night that Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied Jesus.  Not just once, but it was a repeated denial that kept occurring over a two-hour period of time, likely somewhere between one and four in the morning.  On one hand this failure by Peter is for us a grim reminder of the weakness of the flesh and the severe consequences of sin in spite of the best intentions.  On the other hand, this event should also be an encouragement to us regarding the forgiveness of God.  Peter’s sin was serious and blatant, but it did not take him beyond the reaches of God’s mercy, grace, forgiveness, and restoration.  Let’s pray and then get into our passage.

--PRAY--

 

SCRIPTURE:

            Turn in your Bibles this morning to Mark 14:66-72, we will finish up this chapter this morning.  Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God and follow along as I read.

     Mark 14:66-72,

            “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 Jesus the Nazarene.’  But he denied it, saying, ‘I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.’ And he went out onto the porch. The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, ‘This is one of them!’  But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, ‘Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.’  But he began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about!’  Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, ‘Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.’  And he began to weep.” (Mark 14:66–72, NASB95)[1]

PETER’S SELF-CONFIDENCE

            Peter’s failure had started hours before he ever entered the courtyard of the high priest and began to deny his Lord.  It began in the upper room and showed itself again in the garden, more than once on this night Peter had displayed signs of overconfidence and pride, all this was just setting him up to fall.  We will begin by looking at some of the things that took place that set Peter up to fall that night.

            The first thing was that Peter was boastful.  As Jesus and the disciples ate the Passover meal, Jesus spoke to Peter at some point during the meal and said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31–32, NASB95)[2] Peter responded to this admonition from Jesus not with humility but with prideful boasting. “But he said to Him, ‘Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!’ ” (Luke 22:33, NASB95)[3]  On the way to the garden Jesus announced to the disciples that they would all abandon Him.  Peter again responded with self-confidence, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.” (Mark 14:29, NASB95)[4] and then again on the way to the garden Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (Mark 14:31b, NASB95)[5]

            Second, Peter did not listen carefully to Jesus’ words, his pride not only blinded his mind, but it also deafened his ears.  Jesus warned Peter and the disciples, but instead of truly hearing what Jesus was saying, Peter ignored the warnings.  Peter knew, understood, and believed that Jesus was the Son of God and that He knew all things, but he still refused to heed His warnings on this occasion.  When Jesus told the eleven that they would all fall away as they were making their way to the garden of Gethsemane, and then when told Peter that before the rooster crowed twice that Peter would deny the Lord three times, the stubborn disciple closed his ears and even began to argue with Jesus, clearly contradicting what the Lord Jesus Himself had just said.

            Third, Peter should have been praying instead of sleeping.  Jesus had told them to pray that they may not enter into temptation.  During that time that Jesus was praying for strength to do the Father’s will, Peter and the other disciples should have been praying to arm themselves for the traumatic events that were about to take place.  They should have seen the distress that Jesus was experiencing and should have prayed for power and strength instead of confidently sleeping.  Peter lost the personal struggle in the garden; he gave into his flesh and slept instead of praying.  The result, when temptation arose in the heat of battle, he was pitifully unprepared and denied his Lord.

            Fourth, Peter acted before he thought.  When the sleeping disciples awoke they could see and hear as the soldiers approached and were shocked and horrified as one whom they believed to be a true disciple betrayed Jesus with a kiss.  As Peter watched Jesus being arrested and bound, in a moment of blind courage, Peter drew his sword against the surrounding soldiers, leaders and servants.  Peter’s action was of the flesh, and he wanted to prove his loyalty to Jesus that he had insistently declared earlier.  Peter did not wait for instructions from Jesus but swung his sword at the closest person and managed to cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.  We might think on one hand that Peter’s attempt to defend Jesus was noble, but Jesus explained to him in Matthew’s account that his actions were reckless, unnecessary, and actually ran contrary to the Word of God, which foretold the Messiah must suffer.  Matthew 26:52-54 record Jesus’ words, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?  How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?’ ” (Matthew 26:52–54, NASB95)[6]  Peter did not think, and his rash act could have ended in a death sentence.  Sadly, Peter continues to speak and act without thinking.

            Finally, Peter should have stood with his Lord.  Instead, we read that he followed at a distance.  Peter was struggling with both faith and fear, loyalty and terror, courage and cowardice.  He wanted to know what was going to happen to Jesus, but he was not brave enough to stand with Him.  So, when he reached the high priest’s residence and entered to watch and hear the outcome of the trial, he tried to blend in so that no one would notice who he was.  Trying to remain anonymous would be his undoing.  He remained at a distance which exposed Peter to a situation which he was completely unprepared to deal with.

 

PETER’S DENIALS (Mark 14:66-72a)

            Mark’s account of Peter’s denials begins by stating that Peter was below in the courtyard.  The four gospel accounts imply that Annas and Caiaphas both lived at the same large estate in Jerusalem.  This was common for sons to build a wing onto their father’s house when it was time for them to wed, providing their own living area to bring the bride to live in.  What is uncommon is that a son-in-law would have a wing, but that is what we have here and possibly Annas allowed it since Caiaphas held the position of high priest, it kept him close so that Annas could have influence into his life and the office of high priest.  When it says that Peter was below in the courtyard, this was a shared courtyard between the house of Annas and Caiaphas and any other wings that had been built by Annas’ other sons, we know he had at least five.  The wings would be built around the inner courtyard until it was fully enclosed with an entrance from that street through a covered portico that led into the courtyard.  It was here at the estate of the high priest that Peter’s denials occurred.

            All four gospels record Peter’s denials and when they are compared we find that in the three separate times that this occurred each incident involved multiple rapid-fire accusations from servants or bystanders and repeated denials from the cowardly disciple.  One commentator states, “The fact that the gospel writers highlight different aspects of Peter’s denials in no way calls their historical reliability into question.  Rather, the details from each account harmonize perfectly to paint a single, harrowing picture of Peter’s experience on that dramatic night.”[7]

            John tells us that he was known to the high priest and had followed the soldiers also and because he was known, he was allowed into the courtyard.  John then spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.  What happened to John after this point is not recorded, instead the gospels focus on Peter and his denials.

            When we last left Peter he was warming himself by the fire that had been kindled in the courtyard, standing or sitting around the fire were household servants and possibly some of the temple guard.  Peter was trying to blend in but as his face was illumined by the fire he was recognized.  One of the servant girls of the high priest, John indicates that it was the same servant girl who had opened the gate for Peter to let him in (John 18:15-17), came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him intently Luke states (Luke 22:56).  That whole week Jesus and his disciples had been in Jerusalem and had been at the temple.  She recognized Peter as one of the disciples of Jesus, and she said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.” (Mark 14:67, NASB95)[8]  Possibly her statement came as a shock to Peter, caught completely off-guard, Peter panicked and denied it, blurting out, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” (Mark 14:68, NASB95)[9]  In that one brief moment of weakness, the overconfident Peter was laid low by the simple question of a lowly servant girl.  Embarrassed and eager to escape, Peter left the fire and went out onto the porch, the covered entryway that led to the gate.  There in the darkness of the entryway Peter hoped to regain his composure and remain anonymous. Some English translations like the ESV and the New King James add the phrase, “and a rooster crowed.”  Whether this was a part of Mark’s original gospel is unsure, it is not found in the earliest manuscripts that exist for Mark’s gospel.  If the rooster did crow at this point, it had no effect on Peter, it did not cause him to recall Jesus’ words to him. 

Peter’s escape to the entryway corridor was short-lived.  Just a short while later he was recognized again, it seems by the same servant girl who was possibly returning to her post at the gate.  Mark writes, “The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, ‘This is one of them!’ ” (Mark 14:69, NASB95)[10]  Matthew and Luke indicate that this time she was joined by two more servants, one female and the other male.  Assaulted by a volley of accusations and declarations to those standing there, again Peter denied his association with Jesus.

Even so, Peter continued to stay, wanting to know what was going to happen to Jesus, even in the face of these allegations and questions being thrown at him.  After a little while, Luke reports that it was about an hour later, Peter was confronted for a third time by a group of bystanders that were there.  Mark writes that they were saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are Galilean too.” (Mark 14:70b, NASB95)[11]  Peter’s northern accent had given him away.  John notes that one of those among the bystanders recognized Peter from the garden.  John writes, “One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with Him?’ ” (John 18:26, NASB95)[12]  Once again the disciple was surrounded by accusers wanting answers.

            Peter’s final denial of his Lord was the most intense and emotional.  Mark writes, “But he began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about!’ ” (Mark 14:71, NASB95)[13]  The Greek word translated “to curse” is a word that means to pronounce a curse of divine judgment on your own head if you are lying.  The Greek word translated “swear” refers to a solemn pledge or oath of truthfulness.  What began as a thoughtless reaction to the question of a servant girl had escalated into a premeditated outburst of deceit and disloyalty, punctuated with cursing and swearing that echoed throughout the courtyard.

            Just as Jesus had predicted, as soon as this third denial ended, “Immediately a rooster crowed a second time.” (Mark 14:72a, NASB95)[14]  Luke tells us that at that moment, possibly Jesus was being led across the courtyard, having been falsely accused, and convicted of blasphemy, having just been spit on and beaten and slapped, at that very moment as the rooster’s crow fades away, Luke writes, “The Lord turned and looked at Peter.” (Luke 22:61a, NASB95)[15] The penetrating gaze of the Lord Jesus Christ caught Peter’s eye, pierced his soul, and burned deep into his conscience.  That one look, and Peter’s heart and mind flooded with feelings of guilt, remorse, and shame.  I am sure it is a look he never forgot.

PETER’S REPENTANCE (Mark 14:72b)

            As Jesus looked at Peter, he felt the full weight of his sin and he remembered Jesus’ words to him.  “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” (Mark 14:72, NASB95)  Peter had done exactly what Jesus had said he would do.  His arrogant boasts from a few hours earlier had proven to not be true.  He had been disloyal, disobedient, and dishonest.  His courage had failed, but his faith would not.  Unlike Judas, who felt remorse and went out and committed suicide, Peter felt remorse and repented.  Peter in seeing Jesus’ look and remembering what He had said was deeply convicted and broken over his actions, he fled the courtyard,  “And he began to weep.” (Mark 14:72c, NASB95) bitterly Luke tells us.  He sobbed with tears of true repentance in the aftermath of severe weakness and failure.

            It is without a doubt that Peter sinned, however, his true character is not seen in his denials but in his repentance, which began with his deep sorrow.  He had seen how evil and how corrupt his own unredeemed flesh was even when he had the best intentions in mind.  But Peter’s failure is not the end of his story, but just the beginning.  Evidence of the genuineness of Peter’s faith can be seen almost immediately.  It was Peter who raced with John to the tomb when Mary Magdalene told them it was empty.  Peter was one of the first to see his risen Lord.  He was with the disciples in the upper room when Jesus appeared to them.  He went to Galilee to wait for Jesus as He had instructed them before His death.  And it was while they were in Galilee on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Peter had first met the Lord, that the Lord Jesus fully restored Peter to ministry.  John 21:15-17 gives us the account, “So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My lambs.’  He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’  He said to him, ‘Shepherd My sheep.’  He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’  Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’  And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ ” (John 21:15–17, NASB95)[16]  Peter had denied the Lord Jesus three times on the night of His illegal trial.  Therefore, Jesus questioned Peter three times concerning his love for Him.  For each time Peter denied Him, Peter was given the opportunity to reaffirm His devotion and loyalty to Christ.

CONCLUSION:

            If you are a believer you can identify with Peter, you can learn from him that though we may be redeemed, our flesh is still unredeemed, corrupt and sinful and we have to be constantly on guard against it.  We have to be constantly putting it to death, and when it rears its ugly head and we give into it, then we must come to God in repentance.  I said in the beginning of this message, “On one hand this failure by Peter is for us a grim reminder of the weakness of the flesh and the severe consequences of sin in spite of the best intentions.  On the other hand, this event should also be an encouragement to us regarding the forgiveness of God.  Peter’s sin was serious and blatant, but it did not take him beyond the reaches of God’s mercy, grace, forgiveness, and restoration.  The same is true for us who are true believers, true followers, true disciples of Christ, our sin can never take us beyond the reaches of God’s love for us if we willingly turn to Him and repent when we have failed.

            Peter was restored and went on to be a passionate and zealous preacher in the book of Acts, boldly and courageously proclaiming the gospel first on the day of Pentecost less than two months after the devastating collapse of his courage.  Jesus said that He had prayed for Peter that after he was restored, he would strengthen his believing brothers in Christ.  That prayer was answered, not only in Acts did he strengthen his brothers, but years later when Peter explained to persecuted Christians in Asia Minor that true faith cannot fail, even when severely tested.

            Peter learned from his experience that pride and overconfidence in the flesh make Christians spiritually vulnerable and weak.  But God will supply the power and grant victory to those who are humble, who depend only on Him, and are on guard in the face of temptation.  The forgiven and restored Apostle explained in 1st Peter 5:5-8, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:5–8, NASB95)[17]

 

[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[7]MacArthur, John, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Mark 9-16. Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 2015.

[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.