
Mark 14.66-72, Matthew 26.69-75, Luke 22.54-62, John 18.15-18, 25-27.
After dinner earlier that night, Jesus told his students they weren’t gonna follow him much longer; they’d scatter. At this point Jesus’s best student, Simon Peter, got up and foolhardily claimed this prediction didn’t apply to him.
Mark 14.29-31 KWL - 29 Simon Peter told him, “If everyone else will get tripped up, it won’t include me.”
- 30 Jesus told him, “Amen, I promise you today, this night,
- before the rooster crows twice, you’ll renounce me thrice.”
- 31 Peter said emphatically, “Even if I have to die for you,
- I will never renounce you.” Everyone else said likewise.
And y’know, Peter wasn’t kidding. I’ve heard way too many sermons which mock Peter for this, who claim he was all talk. Thing is, he really wasn’t. When Jesus was arrested, Peter was packing a machete,
But Jesus’s response was to cure the guy, then rebuke Peter: Jesus could stop his arrest at any time, but chose not to. Having a weapon was only gonna get Peter killed. Peter thought he was following God’s will, but he was in fact tripping up. And Jesus did say his students
This sort of turn of events would knock the zeal right out of anyone. Y’know how Peter later would up saying he didn’t know Jesus? At the time, he kinda didn’t. Thought he did; totally got him wrong. We all do, sometimes.
See, Peter was having
To his credit, Peter didn’t scatter. He followed the mob, who took Jesus to the former head priest’s house, where
John 18.15-18 KWL - 15 Simon Peter and another student followed Jesus.
- That student was known by the head priest.
- He went in, with Jesus, to the head priest’s courtyard.
- 16 Peter stood at the door outside.
- So the other student, known to the head priest, came out and spoke to the doorman, who brought Peter in.
- 17 The doorman, a slavewoman, told Peter, “Aren’t you also one of this person’s students?”
- Peter said, “I’m not.”
- 18 The slaves and servants stationed there had made a charcoal fire; it was cold.
- They warmed themselves. Peter was also with them, standing and warming.
This’d be the first denial. But Jesus didn’t just say Peter would deny him, or pretend he didn’t know him, or pretend he didn’t follow him. Peter
Good thing he could take it back. As can we. But, y’know, don’t quit him, okay?