Matthew 26:69–75
Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we come before You this evening with a humble acknowledgement of our own sin and weakness. May the Holy Spirit work through the Word to lead us to repent of our sins and put our trust in Jesus, who through His Holy Passion, paid for our sins and secured heaven for all believers. Amen.
We are Beggars!
In Christ Jesus, who was denied by man, so that mankind would not be denied by God, dear fellow redeemed!
A columnist in a newspaper once asked, “What is wrong with the world?” It wasn’t the Waukon Standard or the Des Moines Register last week though it certainly would be appropriate. No, this question was asked in a column from the Daily News of London in 1905. “What is wrong with the world?” Both then and today, when we see all the geopolitical issues going on and troubles in our country, state, and town, we too wonder, “What is wrong with the world?” In response to the editor’s question, a man simply replied, “The answer to the question, ‘What is Wrong?’ is, or should be, ‘I am wrong.’” This response was signed by G.K. Chesterton.
What’s wrong with this world? It’s not just other people. We can’t say, “They’re the real problem.” Neither is it enough to say, “We are the problem.” No, the right answer is “I am the problem.” But it’s not just the right answer because Chesterton says so. This is the teaching of Scripture, as we learn through the pen of the prophet Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Our lesson for this evening, which was caused to be recorded by the Holy Spirit, details Peter’s fall and denial so that we might acknowledge the corruption and weakness of the human heart, but also from his reclamation acknowledge the immeasurable compassion and grace of Christ. We read from St. Matthew 26:69–75.
I. The corruption of the human heart.
Just hours before the events of our lesson, after Jesus had instituted the Lord’s Supper, he had predicted that his own disciples would abandon him. But Peter replied, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” So bold. So presumptuous. So foolish. Jesus tells Peter that before the rooster crows, “you will deny Me three times.” Then Peter declares, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” Later, when Jesus is betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. But then, as Jesus was arrested, Peter along with all the disciples, “forsook Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
Yet we learn that Peter had made his way to the courtyard of the high priest to witness Jesus before the Sanhedrin. He warms himself by a fire, trying to not look out of place. But then a servant girl asks if he was with Jesus. And Peter denies it. “I do not know what you are saying.” Then he moves and sometime later is confronted again, but this time denies it even more vehemently, with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” Finally, they point out that his speech, his accent, was evidence that he was a disciple. Peter responds by cursing and swearing, “I do not know the Man!”
Then the rooster crowed. Luke also shares that as Peter denied Jesus the third time, Jesus turned and “looked at Peter” (Luke 22:61). How jarring it must have been for Peter to look into the eyes of Jesus after denying him so profusely. What’s more, Peter didn’t crumble before a high priest or Roman Centurion, his downfall began with a simple question from a servant girl.
Peter went from being so bold to so fickle. Here, we see the weakness and corruption of the human heart. On our own, it’s impossible for us to be faithful. We are like reeds shaken in the wind—blown this way and that. The heart is desperately wicked, “who can know it?”
Peter’s sin was great for two reasons—first, because of what he did and second, because of who he sinned against. He denied knowing Jesus. He denied being his disciple. Jesus said, “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” A grave warning, especially when we realize that we can deny Jesus in more ways than Peter did. To be a disciple of Jesus, means to follow him with more than just our words, but also in our thoughts and actions. If we praise God with our lips, but then go on to sin against our conscience, that is just as much a denial of Christ. All of us can recognize how terrible Peter’s sin is. But it’s easy for us to downplay the seriousness of the sin in our life—when we stop being a disciple of Jesus. Every time we fail to show love, get angry, lust, or gossip, we are not walking in Christ’s footsteps, which means we are denying him. Paul states, “They profess that they know God, but in their works they deny Him” (Titus 1:16).
One of the great lies of temptation is that if we give in, we will have peace. If I give in to this sin of _______, then I’ll have a moment of peace. That’s certainly what Peter thought when the servant girl first asked him if he was a disciple. “If I deny it, then I will be able to fit right in.” And there is a little bit of truth in it. Peter did have a moment of perceived peace. But then the temptation to deny Christ only grew again and again, until he was cursing and swearing, saying that he did not know the man!
Now, how many times have you given into a particular sin, whether that is with your words or thoughts, or by looking at an inappropriate magazine or the bottom of a bottle, and thought, now I’ll have peace. Did you even stop to think that your “solution,” is denying being a disciple of Jesus? Even worse, denying Christ only makes temptation grow. When Peter heard the rooster crow, he wept over his sin. How many rooster crows will it take for us to realize our sin?
II. The compassion and grace of Christ.
Now, up to this point, I have mainly been drawing your attention to Peter. But this lesson should lead us to focus on more than just Peter. In fact, the primary focus of this lesson is on Jesus. You see, through Peter’s denial, we are given a glimpse into the horrible suffering that Jesus endured for our sakes. He was accused and attacked by the Pharisees and scribes. But more painful than any words from them, were the words spoken by his closest disciple. Jesus sees Peter vehemently deny him, but Jesus was never able to see Peter’s remorse until after his death.
Yet, what did Jesus still do? Did he say, “I’ve done more than what was expected of me. I’m giving up on these hopeless people!” No. Jesus kept going the lonely way to the cross. Abandoned by his disciples, and then, abandoned by God. Did he do it for deserving people, for those who love him? No. He did it for sinners, for Peters, for Davids, for thieves, for you and me. How true is the word of Scripture which says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Jesus lived a perfect life for you and died on the cross for the sins of the world, so everyone who believes in him will be saved. Through faith, Jesus’ perfect life is credited to you, making you an heir of heaven. As Scripture declares, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). This is why Christ calls us to repentance and faith in him. As Jesus looked at Peter, he didn’t look with anger, but with compassion on poor Peter, who had gone headlong into sin. Let this bring comfort to any person who feels like they are beyond forgiveness—Jesus looks on you with compassion. He wants to save you! The cross is proof!
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the forty days of Lent. This is a season of repentance and reflection on Christ’s holy passion, his suffering and death for our sakes. True repentance is acknowledging your sins for what they are—dreadful and damning. When Peter heard the rooster crow, he remembered Jesus words. He knew Jesus had said that he would deny those who denied him. However, Peter did not let this lead him to despair. Because Peter also remembered the words which Jesus had spoken often—that he had come into this world to call poor sinners to repentance, and how he had also promised that he would pray for Peter, that his faith would not cease. Jesus forgave Peter. He even used Peter to proclaim this message to others as he writes in his second epistle, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promises, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
The Gospel message that Peter proclaimed is the same Good News that has come to us today. Like Peter, we are sinners, who are weak on our own, but in Christ we are forgiven, and through Christ, we are empowered to live the Christian life.
In Martin Luther’s first thesis of the ninety-five theses, he wrote, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent,’ he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.” Our entire Christian life is repentance. Turning from sin and trusting in the good news that Jesus saves sinners. It’s not a one-time event. The gospel is for every day and every moment. Almost thirty years later, on February 18, 1546, Martin Luther died. In his pocket they found these words written on a scrap of paper, “We are beggars! This is true.”
We come before God as beggars, who bring nothing and deserve nothing. But we have a gracious God, who loves us, and gave himself for us. So we boldly come before the throne of grace, to receive forgiveness and the crown of life everlasting, because he promises to give this to poor beggars, like you and me, who know their sin but trust their Savior. Amen!