Luke 22:54-62 A Hero, A Villain, or…
Good morning! It is so good to be back with you, I missed you all very much! I am almost done with my training. My final testing is a week from Monday.
Since you’ve had a couple weeks without me, I’ll remind you that we have been studying the Gospel of Luke, and that’s in the Bible. Today we are going to look at chapter 22, verses 54-62, and that’s on page 882 in the pew Bibles.
For those of you that have been participating in the Bible study or Sunday School, this past week we began with the thought of heroes and villains, Batman and the Joker, Superman and Lex Luthor, Luke Skywalker and Jar Jar Binks…
Our tendency to look at people in literature as heroes or villains sometimes washes over into our reading of Scripture. Today we are going to look at an account involving Peter, a person that historically has been made into a hero, and in this particular account this morning is often seen as more of a villain, or at least a bad guy. I’d like to suggest that he is neither but I don’t want to give away too much too soon.
Let’s look at our text together. In fact, I want to read verses 31-34 in order to give us some context before we look at our passage.
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
With that background in mind let’s look at verses 54-62.
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Let’s pray.
Historically Peter has been treated as a hero. He is always listed first among the disciples. He is always the first to speak up, to jump in. He was the one who walked on the water to Jesus, he was there when Jesus was transfigured, he saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus there on the mountain. He was the one who swung the sword and chopped off Malchus’ ear in the garden before Jesus was arrested. He was impetuous, he was quick to speak, he was bold and brave.
In the book of Acts it’s recorded that Peter served as the leader of the Apostles, he healed people in the Name of Jesus, he preached the gospel in the Temple and in the streets, he was even the first to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Cathedrals, and churches, and even cities are named after him all over the world.
But here in our text for this morning we see a much different picture painted of Peter. This was not a shining moment for Peter, though it was an important one.
In truth, I don’t think that Peter could have been the man he became without this moment.
Often we preachers are quick to bash Peter for his weakness in this account. He doesn’t get treated as a hero much based on this account, more like a villain.
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance.
At a distance?! What a coward! He should have been right by Jesus’ side! He claimed that he would follow Jesus to prison and to death and here he is skulking in the shadows.
And then look at verse 55!
55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”
Peter wouldn’t even own up to knowing Jesus to a slave girl! What a coward! Even more, he would deny knowing Jesus two more times that night in the courtyard!
“Lord, I’m ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Yeah, right. Peter wasn’t subdued by soldiers, or people in power, he was put to shame by slaves, people of the lowest social class. Here was the one Jesus called Peter, the rock, turned back to Simon, the shaky one. What a hero…
Think I’m being too harsh?
What if I told you that Peter was neither a hero nor a villain? What if I told you instead that he was a mirror?
John Calvin wrote, “Here we see that there is no necessity for a severe contest, or for many forces or implements of war to overpower a man; for any man who is not supported by the hand of God will instantly fall by a slight breeze or the rustling of a falling leaf.”
Peter was neither a hero nor a villain, instead he is a bright mirror of our weakness and a model of the hope of our forgiveness.
Last Sunday, Will talked about a number of different expressions that are often confused with biblical truth. I’d like to add one more: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
What Peter is putting on display for us is the exact same thing that happens every time a Christian sins, every time we choose to put ourselves before our Savior, every time we disobey.
When Jesus was right there with him, Peter is the guy walking on water, Peter is the guy swinging the sword. But when Jesus was removed from him just a little bit, his courage was gone and his cowardice was in full view.
He is a mirror, be honest, we are no different.
55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.”
Here he is big bad Peter, unsupported by the hand of God, naked and defenseless, blown over by the slightest breeze and spooked by rustling leaves.
There but for the grace of God go I.
Why am I so down on Peter? Because in him I see myself, blown around by the slightest breeze, and in desperate need of God’s grace.
But there in verse 60 that’s exactly what we see on display.
And immediately, while [Peter] was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
The look from Jesus and the crowing of that rooster bore the grace of God.
Peter was reminded of the word of the Lord Jesus to him and He repented.
Peter serves as a mirror, not just of failure, but of a fallen brother enabled to rise.
JJ VanOosterzee wrote, “Peter denied the Lord with his mouth but not his heart, and sought to make good the error of a single night with a whole life of unwearied faithfulness.”
After Jesus was raised from the dead he would restore Peter, and you can read about that in John chapter 21.
Psalm 51:17 says, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 126:5-6, Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
That’s Peter’s story, a fallen brother enabled to rise, a noble harvest from the sowing of his tears.
Peter, after being filled with the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus, would go on to be a bold evangelist for Christ, a leader in the early church, an author of two epistles and eventually be martyred for the gospel, being crucified upside down in Rome.
And so, we’ll close with the words of the Holy Spirit through him from 1 Peter 1:13-19.
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
May the crow of every rooster remind us of His grace.
Amen.
