The Steps to Peter’s Defection
Introduction: Today we continue our examination of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life, as recorded for us in the Book of Luke. We have noted his triumphal entry on Sunday of passion week; on Monday he cleansed the temple of the corrupt money changers; on Tuesday he went back to the temple to teach, only to find the religious leaders trying to trip him up with a series of difficult questions, each of which he answered in a devastating manner. Then, when they decided they had had enough, he blew them away with a withering tirade about their lack of integrity and greed, followed by his profound recognition of a poverty-stricken widow who put two small copper coins in the temple treasury.
As Tuesday drew to a close, Jesus retired, as he did every night, to the Mount of Olives, where he delivered what is known as the Olivet Discourse, focusing on the destruction of Jerusalem and his second coming. We looked at that discourse, as found in Luke 21 on January 11, and while we could profitably spend a good deal more time on it, we must move on if we are to get to the resurrection by Easter.
Wednesday, it is generally agreed, was a day of silence, perhaps a time for Jesus and his disciples to just be alone and enjoy the fellowship they would have for only a few more hours. It is probable that on this day Judas went to the religious leaders and bargained with them to betray Jesus, as recorded for us in the opening verses of chapter 22.
Thursday was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. At 6:00 p.m. that day Passover would begin. So Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare for the Passover feast. It turned out to be the last supper Jesus would have with his disciples before the cross. We’re going to leave consideration of the last supper itself until the fifth Sunday of March, when we will observe the Lord’s Supper together, but I want us to pick up the story at the end of that supper and pursue it through Jesus’ first trial early on Friday morning. We will follow the events by focusing on one of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples, namely Peter.
Of all the people in the New Testament besides Jesus, the Apostle Peter is probably the best known. His Jewish name was Simon Barjona. That last name simply means “son of John,” for “bar” means “son” as in “Bar mitzvah” (Son of the Commandment). If he were Scandinavian his last name would have been John’s son or “Johnson.” His first name was Simon, at least until Jesus got hold of him. Then he was renamed “Petros.” We have transliterated his name as Peter, but if we were to translate it into English it would be “Rocky,” a handle which was conveys manhood, strength, ruggedness, and stability. So his name is, in effect, Rocky Johnson.
Unfortunately people don’t always live up to their names. If you need proof of that, the name Michael means, “one who is like God.” I think you get my point. It was Shakespeare who said, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”[i] That’s not quite true. I think I mentioned before that one of the most popular and tasty fish on the market today is Orange Roughy, but it did not become popular until some marketing expert gave it a new name. It was originally known as “Slimehead,” and for some reason it just didn’t sell.
In the first century names almost always conveyed something important about the person. I think we can be sure that was the case when Jesus did the naming. Yet our Scripture passage today would certainly make one think that Jesus blew it when he named Peter “Rocky,” for few people in history have shown themselves to be more of a coward than he was in Luke 22. In fact, if the name “Judas” had not already been taken, it would have suited Peter well, or perhaps “Benedict.” Peter committed what might appropriately be viewed as the second most dastardly deed recorded in all of Scripture, the first being Judas’ betrayal.
This man who had walked with Jesus for 3 ½ years as one of the twelve disciples; who with James and John had been a member of his inner circle of three; who had seen Jesus’ glory revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration; who had been told by Jesus that he was planning to build his church on him—this same Peter, as Jesus was being arraigned on trumped-up charges, denied three times that he even knew who Jesus was, when fingered by a little servant girl.
How could this have happened? Did he just flip out on the spur of the moment? Did he have a panic attack and experience temporary insanity? Was it a totally isolated incident with no warning signals? I don’t think so.
I want to suggest to you that Peter’s defection is not only understandable but almost inevitable when we look at the steps that led up to it. And the purpose in pointing this out is to say to ourselves that tragic sin in our own lives is almost always preceded by specific identifiable steps of failure. If we can be on the lookout for those steps, perhaps we can prevent the spiritual meltdown that so often follows.
I believe there were at least five steps that led to Peter’s defection. I am indebted to Dr. Howard Hendricks, who was one of my professors in seminary, for pointing out four of these and I have added a fifth: He boasted too much; he prayed too little; he acted too soon; he followed too far (behind); and he remembered too late.
See if you can pick them out as we read from Luke 22, beginning in verse 31:
“”Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.
He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’ ; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”
The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That is enough,” he replied.
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour — when darkness reigns.”
Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”
But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.
A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”
Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
Peter boasted too much.
We have seen Peter’s tendency toward self-confidence earlier in our study of Luke, but he really outdoes himself in the opening verses of our passage today. Jesus has just been addressing the issue of servant leadership when he turns to Peter and says, undoubtedly with emotion in his voice, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Someone has suggested that Peter is the New Testament counterpart to Job in the Old Testament. Job was the richest man in the East, but Satan came to God and asked for permission to test Job, claiming that the only reason Job was faithful is that God had bought him off. Now we find Satan coming and asking permission to test a New Testament servant of God. I would assume from the prominence of these incidents that Satan always has to get permission from God before launching an attack on one of God’s children. The benefit of knowing this is that it reminds us that God is ultimately in control. Even when we are under Satanic attack, the boundaries have been set by our heavenly Father.
I notice three other important factors here: Jesus promises Peter that he will pray for him, he implies that Peter will fail, but he also predicts ultimate restoration to ministry for Peter. He says, not “if you turn back,” but “when you turn back.”
Peter, however, is scandalized by the very notion that Satan could get the best of him. “Lord,” he claims, “I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” The other gospel writers record Peter’s words a little differently, but all have the same thrust. John quotes him as saying, “I will lay down my life for you.” (John 13:37) Mark has it, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” (Mark 14:29) And when Jesus plainly tells him he will fail, Peter insists, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Mark 14:31) The original language contains an emphatic double negative there: “I will not (n)ever disown you!” To be fair to Peter, Mark goes on to record that “all the others said the same.”
Oh, how easy it is to become overconfident. 1 Corinthians 10:12 has Peter’s name written all over it: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” But it is no less easy for us to become overconfident. I’m always troubled when I hear someone say, “That’s one sin I would nevercommit.” Or, “That’s a habit I’d never start.” I’ve just seen too many cases, in my own life included, where things which seemed totally beyond a person’s character actually happened. Satan works overtime trying to trip up self-confident Christians. He certainly did with Peter.
Peter not only boasted too much, …
He prayed too little.
It shouldn’t be surprising to find overconfidence and prayerlessness in the same person. A person’s confidence cannot lie in himself and in Christ at the same time. We see the evidence of this in Peter as Jesus prays with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus even warns them in advance: “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” Then he goes beyond them 20 or 30 yards and pours out his heart to the Father. So anguished does he become that an angel comes to strengthens him. But when he gets up from prayer and goes back to the disciples, he finds them all asleep.
Mark and Matthew give us additional information about this incident. They both tell us that all the disciples were there in the Garden, but that Jesus invited Peter, James and John to go with him apart from the others. We also learn that Jesus went off to pray alone three different times and returned each time to find Peter and James and John asleep. Imagine! They whiled away their last hours with Christ by sleeping.
Of course, before we point any fingers, perhaps we ought to ask how often we’ve fallen asleep while praying or, worse yet, fallen asleep without praying.
A third step in Peter’s defection is that …
He acted too soon.
Beginning in verse 47 we have a brief account of the actual betrayal of Jesus by Judas and the Savior’s arrest. Look again at verse 49: “When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, ‘Lord, should we strike with our swords?’” But before he could answer, “one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.” Who do you think did that? If you guessed Peter, you’re right. John 18:10 identifies Peter as the culprit and Malchus as the victim.
Now frankly I sort of admire Peter’s courage here, if not his wisdom. Faced with several hundred soldiers armed to the teeth, Peter pulls out a little sword and attempts to defend Jesus. Being a fisherman rather than a swordsman, however, he missed splitting the guy’s head open and instead only sliced his ear off. Courage to spare! But he had missed Jesus’ point entirely. Back up to verse 35 with me:
“Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” They acknowledged that all their needs had been met. “But now,” Jesus says, “if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” And the disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That is enough,” he replied.
What is this all about? The medieval papacy interpreted the two swords as the sword of religious power and the sword of political power. Both belonged to the Church, according to Pope Boniface VIII. Now his mistake was in completely spiritualizing Jesus’ words; the disciples’ mistake was that they took his words too literally. Malchus lost his ear apparently because Peter interpreted Jesus’ words as encouraging them to take up a literal sword.
But in fact, Jesus is simply trying to tell his disciples in a symbolic way that their internship is over; it’s now straight commission time. They are heading into a spiritual battle like they’ve never seen before. And because the sword is a symbol of warfare and conflict, Jesus tells them to sell their coat and buy one. In other words, he is saying, “Get ready for the spiritual battle ahead.” But they respond, “Hey, Lord, we’ve got two swords. Here’s Peter’s and here’s another.” They expect a pat on the back, or at most, instructions to go and get a few more swords. But instead, Jesus says, “That is enough.” In English these words are ambiguous and could signify approval, but the Greek is not ambiguous. Jesus’ words are an expression of resignation. He is really saying, “Enough already! You guys haven’t understood a word I’ve said, and you probably won’t until the trouble is upon you.”
Within hours Peter whips out his sword and uses it on the poor servant. Jesus then turns to Peter and says, “No more of this!” And he touches the man’s ear and heals him. There is no need for literal swords. That’s not Christ’s way.
Actually, there’s a bit more to the story. In John’s Gospel, Jesus asks Peter: “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:11). In other words, “Your swordplay is designed to protect me from arrest and death, but that is what the Father has designed for me.” And Matthew records Jesus exhorting Peter:
“All who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:52-54)
Jesus isn’t helpless! He doesn’t need Peter’s pitiful efforts. Thousands of angels stand instantaneously at his disposal.
Have you recently gotten impatient and tried to fight God’s battles for him? Are you constantly running ahead of him trying to solve problems that might not even be there if you would just wait on the Lord? I think it is one of the most difficult issues in the Christian life to determine when we should act and when we should wait. Certainly there are times when, as the saying goes, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” On the other hand, it’s not unusual for good men to make matters a lot worse by acting prematurely. We certainly need discernment as to when God would have us act. Peter didn’t have that discernment; he clearly acted too soon.
Peter, however, wasn’t always running ahead of the Lord; sometimes he lagged behind, significantly behind. We see this in the fourth step to Peter’s defection:
He followed too far (behind).
When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, they led him away to the house of the high priest. Peter wanted desperately to know what was happening, but he didn’t want to be known. Verse 54 says, “Peter followed at a distance.” John indicates in his gospel that Peter actually stayed outside for a while until John himself scouted things out (see John 18:15-16). When he finally entered the courtyard, he tried to keep a low profile among the men who were warming themselves by the fire.
There are many like Peter today. They legitimately and sincerely follow Jesus, but they follow from far off. They do not want to become too “fanatical” or “lose touch” with the world that surrounds them. They actually think they are safer at a distance, though they are really in greater danger. When Jesus calls a person to follow him, he calls him to follow in his footsteps. Surely you have had the experience of walking on the sand, following someone else’s footsteps. If so, you are aware that your ability to follow those steps is generally in direct proportion to how close you are to the one who made the footprints. The farther back in space or time, the more likely the footsteps are to be blurred by the shifting winds or the waves of the sea. Too many feel that the closer they are to Jesus, the greater their danger will be. Actually, although their exposure is greater, the danger is less. The place to be really safe, though in the midst of the battle, is next to Jesus.
But Peter follows too far behind, and you know the rest of the story. A little slave-girl in the courtyard thinks she recognizes him as one of Jesus’ disciples, but he denies it. “Woman, I don’t know him.” A little later as he is warming himself by the fire, someone else spots him and points a finger, “You also are one of them.” To which he answers, “Man, I am not.” Quickly he moves into the shadows. But about an hour later a third person (John tells us this third one to identify Peter was a relative of Malchus, whose ear got lopped off a few hours before) asserts, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” And in the best contrived Judean accent he can imitate, and with curses borrowed from his days as a sailor, Peter responds, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The last step in Peter’s defection is seen in verse 61:
He remembered too late.
“Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
“Then Peter remembered.” Oh that we could remember before it’s too late what our parents have taught us, what our Sunday School teachers have tried to build into our lives, what we have read in God’s Word, what we have seen in other people’s lives, good and bad. That’s the message of Ecclesiastes chapter 12: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’” Then the wisest man in the Old Testament goes on to say in some of the most startling poetry in the all the Bible, “Remember your creator before old age sets in, before death comes upon you.”
God always gives us ample warning before we fall. If you read this whole story very carefully from all four gospels you will find that Jesus not only predicted that a rooster would crow before Peter denied him but that the rooster would crow twice before Peter denied him three times. And sure enough, as we learn in Mark 14 the rooster crowed once after the first denial. It was as though Jesus was saying to Peter, “Did you hear it? That’s the first warning I was speaking of. You have only one more chance.” But he remembered too late.
Luke 22:62 tells us that the shame caused him to go outside and weep bitterly. Strangely, Peter is not mentioned again in any of the gospels until after the resurrection. This is probably the longest period of silence—three days—known in the life of Peter. I feel certain that part of the reason is the sorrow and shame that must have filled his heart when just a few hours following his denial Jesus was hung upon a cross and crucified. Imagine the emotions that would overcome any of us if we had to watch our best friend die an excruciating death after we had turned our back on him.
Most of us, if we had been in Jesus’ shoes, would have abandoned Peter. After all, just think of the tremendous investment of time and effort that had gone into Peter, and all Jesus received in return was for him to deny he even knew him. Well, Jesus does consider the time and effort and because of that, but even more because of his great love, he decides that Peter is worth salvaging.
Peter boasted too much. He prayed too little, he acted too soon, he followed too far (behind). And he remembered too late. But Jesus loved him too much to discard him.
Remember Jesus’ prayer in verse 32? “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus doesn’t call him Rocky here; he reverts to his old name, Simon. But Jesus is still committed to helping him become a rock. After his resurrection Jesus spent 40 days here on earth before his ascension, and much of that time was spent with Peter. And the effort began to pay off. Peter emerged on the other side of the resurrection with a holy boldness that was not based in self but in the power of the risen Christ. His excesses were channeled into usefulness and his liabilities converted into assets.
Peter, who was cowardly a few hours before the crucifixion, becomes a bold preacher afterwards, one who could stand up to governmental and church leaders and say, “You have crucified the Messiah, and you must repent.”
The self-confident Peter the night before the crucifixion becomes one whose confidence is squarely in Christ. In the first chapter of his first epistle he writes, that our “faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:21).=
The prayerless Peter who preferred sleep to watchfulness becomes one who knew the necessity of open channels of prayer. In 1 Peter 4:7 he wrote, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”
And finally, this disciple whom Jesus called “Satan” becomes a holy man who warned others about “your enemy, the devil” who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
Conclusion: Peter is my kind of guy. I think the reason I am attracted to him is that I am so much like him—somewhat impetuous, sometimes mouthy, faithless at crucial moments, but still considered valuable to the God who loved me and gave his Son to die for me.
There are two evil deeds described in this passage, a betrayal and a denial. There are some startling similarities between Judas and Peter. Both were disciples, both were apostles, both held privileged positions, both sinned grievously by turning their backs upon Jesus. But there is also a major difference between them. Judas felt remorse and went out and hanged himself and entered into a Christless eternity because there was no substance to his faith. He was a phony disciple, playing religious games but possessing no personal relationship with Jesus.
Peter, on the other hand, repented of his terrible sin, sought the forgiveness of God and went forward to demonstrate the reality of his faith in a powerful way.
Today I ask those true Christians who have sinned grievously, who haven’t lived up to the glorious name of “Christian,” who have failed Christ at some critical moment, to turn to him for forgiveness and dedicate yourselves anew to a life of true discipleship. God in his grace is able to restore you to a place of usefulness, and to work into your life the same kind of amazing transformation he did for Rocky Johnson.
Let’s close with Peter’s own words of prayer:
“Dear friends … be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Peter 3:17, 18)
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[i]Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 2.