Jesus and Peter
Text: Mark 14:53-72
Core Idea: Jesus Christ is the Judge who is judged for us. He took our place, and He was punished for us. Then let us come to Christ for He will forgive us, restore us, and use us for His glory.
INTRODUCTION
Well, I want to begin by welcoming our Tugboat and Anchor friends. I’m so glad that you’ll be staying for the entire service. Now, I understand that it’s not always easy to stay seated the whole time. You’re probably itching to stretch, talk to your friends, or run to that snack table right now. You’re probably wondering, “When is this all over?” I know – which is why I want to thank you for being patient. Thank you for being thoughtful of others and doing your best to stay quiet. Thank you for trying your best to listen to what I have to say. Thank you for not giving up. And I don’t say this lightly – I really appreciate all of you and you just being here encourages me a lot. So, thank you. But again, I know how hard this could be at times. So, I want to let you know that it’s okay to stretch. It’s okay to yawn. It’s okay to go to the washroom. It’s okay to ask your mom and dad, “When is this all over?” (But don’t ask them every 5 minutes.) It’s okay to feel bored. But I have been praying that God will give you the wisdom to understand what I’m about to share, that He will speak to you and encourage you today. So, with that said, let’s begin.
As many of you know, we are going through the Gospel of Mark – exploring the life of Jesus. A couple of weeks ago, we saw that the hour had finally come for Jesus – the betrayer had arrived, and Jesus was arrested. But to our surprise, He didn’t resist but He willingly went with them because He believed that God was sovereignly orchestrating everything. He joyfully went under the sword of divine justice on our behalf so that we may enter the presence of God and have life again. Well, today, we’ll see Jesus on trial – but Mark will also intentionally interweave Peter’s story here to give us a very important truth. Then please turn your Bibles to Mark 14:53-72. And I’m going to invite Joseph to the front – and he will read the passage for us.
53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. 54 Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. 55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against Him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against Him: 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are You not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against You?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked Him, “Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned Him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at Him; they blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took Him and beat Him. 66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. 68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. 69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” 72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Thank you, Joseph, for reading the passage for us. And children, I hope you enjoyed the video. Let me point out three things from this passage:
· THE TRIAL
· THE FAILURE
· THE HEALING
1) THE TRIAL
In verse 55, we see Jesus being tried before the religious leaders – and Mark tells us that they were “looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death.” What was the charge against Jesus? That Jesus had called for the destruction of the temple (v. 58). No doubt, if He was found guilty, this would be punishable by death as an act of blasphemy against God. Now, the only problem was that the testimony of the witnesses did not agree (v. 59). The Scriptures required them to find at least two witnesses for a conviction (Deut. 19:15) but the witnesses were giving contradicting statements from one another. And this is not surprising because, first of all, Jesus never said those words. He simply predicted that the temple would be destroyed, which, by the way, did happen 37 years later – but He never said He would destroy the temple. But there’s another reason why the testimonies didn’t agree – because they were falsely testifying against Jesus (v. 56). Everything about this trial cried injustice. Let me give you some more examples. First, trials at night were forbidden – but that’s exactly what happened. Second, when a guilty verdict is given, a second session was required by law to ensure a fair trial – but that wasn’t given to Jesus. Third, no trial was allowed to take place during a festival – but this all took place on Passover. Lastly, the penalty for blasphemy was death by stoning – but Jesus would be crucified. Despite the miscarriage of justice from the beginning to the end, the case was not dismissed. Why? Because the religious leaders were eager to kill Jesus – they were ready to do anything to take Jesus out, even if it meant that they would have to compromise. So, when they couldn’t come up with any solid evidence against Jesus, in frustration, the high priest placed Jesus on the witness stand and started interrogating Him. Verse 60, “Are You not going to speak out for Yourself? Do You have any explanation for these accusations against You?” Verse 61, “But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.” So, the high priest asked Him another question, “Are You the Messiah that we’ve been waiting for? Are You claiming that You are the promised King who will deliver us from our oppressors?” And Jesus’ response was astonishing.
Verse 62 – Jesus broke the silence and said, “I am.” The religious leaders would’ve been shocked – “who is this man claiming to be the Messiah?” But He didn’t stop there. Jesus also said, “And I am the Son of Man.” This title was drawn from Daniel 7:13-14 – and according to Daniel, the Son of Man was a divine figure who would come to establish God’s Kingdom and judge the world – the One who would have authority over all people and whose rule would be everlasting. And here, Jesus was claiming that He was the fulfillment of that prophecy – that He was the Lord of glory who will come in judgment at the end of time. This was an astounding statement. He was basically saying, “You think that you’re the judge of Me – but I am the ultimate Judge. And one day, I’ll be back to judge you.” Now, the religious leaders weren’t just shocked – they were angry. Verse 63 – Mark tells us that the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further witnesses do we need? What’s your decision, men?” And “they all condemned Him as worthy of death” (v. 64). As far as they were concerned, Jesus had condemned Himself with His own words. So, with that, the trial was over, and the judgment began. They started spitting at Him which obviously was very insulting. Others blindfolded Him and struck Him – mocking Him. But what’s surprising is that even though Jesus was beaten and humiliated, He remained silent. He didn’t fight back. He didn’t call down the angels for protection. He humbly submitted Himself to the will of God knowing that it would cost Him everything. And what makes this all the more difficult to read is the fact that He faced this alone. No one stood up to defend Jesus.
What does this mean for us? I want us to see the irony of this scene – the Judge of the universe being judged by humanity. He should’ve been in the judgment seat, and they should’ve been on trial. Now, we could look at them and say, “How could they put Jesus on trial!” But the truth is that we all do this – that’s what sin is. Sin is putting ourselves in the place of God. Sin is to sit on the throne of our lives (the judgment seat) and dictate how we ought to live – we decide what’s right or wrong for us. So, we say, “I really don’t like the way things are in my life. God, why did You let this happen? Give me an explanation” – as if He owes us. Do you see what’s happening? We’re putting God on trial. We’re acting as the judge – demanding an explanation from God and making verdicts on what He is doing and what He’s not doing in our lives. Friends, do you realize that Jesus is the Judge over your lives? Do you believe that He is your Lord? Then an even more important question is this: “Are you submitting to His authority or are you constantly questioning it and challenging it?” Brothers and sisters, we don’t get to lord over Jesus – He must lord over us. He should transform our relationships. He should transform the way we work and study. He should transform the way we think of money and time. He ought to impact every aspect of our lives. Jesus Christ is the ultimate Judge, and He should have complete authority over our lives.
2) THE FAILURE
Now, remember that just a few hours earlier, Peter had pledged his loyalty to Jesus. He said in Mark 14:29, 31, “Even if all fall away, I will not… Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You.” But when Jesus was arrested, Peter had run away just like everyone else. Then it would be easy for us to criticize him and say, “He’s a failure.” But look at verse 54. When Jesus was taken to the Sanhedrin, Peter was the only one who followed. Sure, he kept his distance, but he still went. And I can’t help but wonder if Peter was feeling the weight of his oath. I think he was really fighting to keep his promise. But regardless, his determination would soon disappear as the threat intensified. Verse 67 – when he was sitting near the fire, a servant girl noticed Peter and said, “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.” But he firmly denied it by saying, “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about” (v. 68). Now, this girl was persistent in finding out the truth. So, she shouted to others, “This fellow is one of them” (v. 69). But Peter denied it again. Then someone else started accusing him, “Surely, you are one of them, for you are a Galilean” (v. 70). And Mark tells us that Peter began to call down curses – to whom? Was he cursing himself? Possibly. He could’ve said, “May I be cursed if I’m lying!” Maybe he was cursing those who were accusing him. “Curse you for saying something like that about me!” But some commentaries suggest that he might have been cursing Jesus. Why? To prove that he really wasn’t a disciple of Jesus – what better way is out there than to curse the very leader of the movement? Regardless, after Peter cursed, he blurted out, “I don’t [even] know this Man you’re talking about” (v. 71). He couldn’t even say Jesus’ name. Peter failed Jesus three times in the garden of Gethsemane when he fell asleep – leaving Jesus to pray alone. And here, he failed Jesus three times when he tried to save his skin – leaving Jesus to face the trial alone. And verse 72, “Immediately, the rooster crowed the second time.” Then the horror of what he has done came down on him like a mountain. He remembered Jesus’ words verbatim and realized that Jesus was right – that he would betray his Lord. Knowing this, he didn’t just weep – no, “He broke down and wept” (v. 72).
What does this mean for us? The first thing we learn is that we don’t have to be in a courtroom to be on trial. Peter wasn’t in the courtroom like Jesus – but he was also being tried by the people around him. And in the same way, it’s in our daily lives where our integrity and our allegiance to Christ will be on trial. Will we remain faithful when life gets tough, when temptations come, or when persecution intensifies? Will we choose Christ even if it’s costly?
But the more important lesson is this – that all of us are no different from Peter. Just like Peter, we fail Christ more often than we should. Peter’s failure may have been dramatic in the way it happened, but this story is written for us not because it’s unique but because it’s typical – this is the story of every follower of Jesus Christ. Just like Peter, we fear people. We fear that our reputations will be ruined by our association with Jesus. We fear that we would be mocked, ostracized, or mistreated at work or school because of our faith. So, we hide. We compromise. Or just like Peter, we are foolishly confident in ourselves. We think that we would never fall like him. Looking at others around us, we think that we would never make that kind of mistake – commit that kind of sin. We think that we’re different from others. But here, Mark is helping us realize that we’re not as strong as we think we are, we’re not as wise as we think we are, we’re not as faithful as we think we are. The main point of this story is not to humiliate Peter but to humble us – to remind us that we’re in Christ not because of our grip on Him but because of His grip on us. Nothing can separate us from Christ because His grip on us is unbreakable – He will never let us go.
Now, how do we know that’s true? Because that’s exactly what Jesus did here. Let me explain. Look at the way Mark has written this story. It’s not difficult to see that he has intentionally intertwined the two stories together – the story of Jesus and the story of Peter. Why? Because he wants us to compare these two stories. Jesus was questioned, and Peter was questioned. But Jesus was charged with something that wasn’t true (that He was planning to destroy the temple), and Peter was charged with something that was true (that he was a disciple of Christ). Jesus was condemned even though He was innocent, but Peter wasn’t condemned even though he was guilty. This is no coincidence. This is what Mark wanted us to see – that Peter who deserved to be condemned got off because Jesus Christ who deserved to get off was condemned in his place. Jesus was on trial for Peter. It’s not that Peter went free, and Jesus was condemned – no, Peter went free because Jesus was condemned for him. What we see here is a substitution.
And this is true for us as well because the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ continues to represent us in the heavenly court even right now. 1 John 1:9 and 2:1-2 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness… But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” John doesn’t say, “If we confess our sins, God forgives because He is merciful” – no, he says God forgives because He is just. When we sin, when we fail God, Jesus is not begging for mercy on our behalf but justice. Jesus is saying to God, “Father, do you see his betrayal? Do you see her sin? I’ve paid it in full – which means that it would be unjust for You to get two payments for the same sin. So, don’t drive him out of Your presence. Don’t let her fall out of Your loving arms.” Brothers and sisters, forgiveness is guaranteed, and we will never be cast out because Jesus is defending our case with His own work. Jesus stood in our place and took the punishment for us. He was crushed for us. We can be confident because of Him.
3) THE HEALING
This text obviously shows us that Peter failed. But did you know that this text also shows us that he was healed and restored? Let me explain. In order to make sense of this, we must remember that even though Mark wrote this book, the whole thing was actually based on the eyewitness testimony of Peter. This is significant because it means that, if Peter wanted to, he could’ve left this detail out of the book. As a prominent leader of the church, Peter could’ve hidden this from everyone else. Let’s be honest – no other disciple saw what he did. He didn’t have to put this story here knowing that it would only hurt his reputation – but he did. Why? Because he was healed, renewed, and restored by Jesus. He wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable about his failures and his sin because he learned that God’s power is made perfect in his weakness. Let me actually read you the moment when this healing took place which comes from John 21. Let me read from verse 9, “When they landed [they were fishing], they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed My lambs.’ Again, Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of My sheep.’ The third time He said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ He said, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.’”
John tells us that they were sitting around a fire of burning coals (v. 9). This would’ve reminded Peter of that dreadful night when he sat near the fire – the night when he denied Jesus to save his skin. But for whatever reason, Jesus wasn’t saying anything. And Peter must have thought, “Does He know what I did? He must know. Then why isn’t He saying anything? Actually, I hope He doesn’t because if He does, I’ll be exposed – others will know what I did.” I’m sure so many things were going through his mind. Then after the meal, Jesus finally spoke to Peter, “Peter, do you love Me more than these?” (v. 15). Can you just imagine if Jesus said those words to you not long after you’ve sinned against Him? I think I would’ve been crushed. I would be horrified. What can I say? “Jesus, You know I do – which is why I’m so sorry. I don’t know what got into me.” And that’s what Peter said as well. Now, when Peter said, “Yes, Lord,” Jesus didn’t say, “Then why did you deny Me three times?” No, He said, “Feed My lambs” (v. 15). “Minister to My people. Teach My people. Lead My people.” Peter would’ve been like, “Huh? After what I just did? How?” But even before he could process Jesus’ words, He asked again, “Peter, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord. You know that I love You.” “Take care of My sheep” (v. 16). Then Jesus asked the third time, “Peter, do you love Me?” Now, at this moment, Peter was hurt because he must have thought that he lost Jesus’ trust. He had failed. But he still loved Him – then what else was he supposed to say? So, filled with guilt, remorse, and repentance, Peter said again, “Lord, You know that I love You.” And Jesus said again, “Feed My sheep.” Do you know what this means? It means that our failure and our sins do not disqualify us – not only from His presence but also from His ministry. When we repent, when we turn to Christ, He will restore us and use us to do things greater than we could ever imagine. Just look at Peter. Jesus was saying to him, “Peter, it’s because you were the biggest failure that you can become the best leader.”
Brothers and sisters, do you feel like your life is on plan B because you screwed things up? You made a huge mistake. You said the wrong thing. And you’re saying to yourself, “My life will never be right again.” If this is you, I pray that Peter’s story will encourage you today. You’re not lost. You can’t be lost because Christ’s grip on you is so much greater, so much stronger than you can ever imagine. So, come to Christ. Turn to Him again and again and again because our God is faithful and just to forgive you – and He will use you as a vehicle of grace for others.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus Christ is the Judge who is judged for us.He took our place, and He was punished for us. Then let me ask you, “Have you failed Him?” Come to Christ in repentance – and He will forgive you, restore you, and use you for His glory. His grace is sufficient for us for His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Do you view yourself as the judge of Jesus or Jesus as the Judge of you? Reflect on the various ways that we act as the judge, even when we know we are not the judge. How can we better align our hearts and our hopes with Jesus as the ultimate Judge of all?
2) Discuss some of the reasons you think may have led Peter to his fall. Which of these reasons can you most relate to? How can we cultivate a watchful heart toward sin in our own lives?
3) Peter was transparent with his failure. But why is it so difficult for us to be honest about our struggles? How can we be more transparent about our struggles?
4) Can you think of some other examples of men and women in the Bible who were deeply broken before they were used greatly by God? As you consider your own life, how might God be breaking you today? Or where might God need to break you?