Now, all four Gospels record this particular event with Peter.
We know the story well.
Mark's Gospel is unique, at least, if not for any other reason, for this.
I want to remind you that Mark is actually writing Peter's eyewitness account.
Do you remember that?
It's been about two years since we talked about that.
But that is the case.
We go back to the early church fathers, and we see a number of them,
beginning with a man named Papias, who was born in AD 60.
So Papias is coming up at the end of the apostolic era.
He personally knew the apostle John, who had passed on to Papias
that the Gospel of Mark was actually written by Mark as a result of Peter's preaching.
It was Peter's eyewitness account.
And then that testimony passes on to many other early church fathers,
Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Rome, certain manuscripts,
some of the oldest manuscripts we have notate this.
So when we come to Mark's Gospel here, we're not reading Mark's perspective necessarily.
We're reading his structure, but we're not reading his testimony necessarily.
We're actually reading Peter's,
which makes this a little bit more significant as we come to this particular part, doesn't it?
It doesn't make it more or less reliable.
That's not what I mean.
But it does help shape our thoughts about Peter himself.
Because for Mark to have recorded this with such detail and with such clarity
indicates that in the decades following Jesus' resurrection,
as Peter went through the places that God would send him preaching the Gospel,
he routinely tells this embarrassing story of his own failure.
Do you see that?
The only way this becomes such a prevalent story is if Peter's actually the one sharing it,
because none of the other apostles were with Peter in that moment.
The only way anybody knows about Peter's denial is either if Peter tells them or Jesus tells them.
And so Peter goes on preaching the Gospel and he begins to open up.
So it would seem then that the spiritual pride we so often characterize Peter by
is ultimately transformed to sincere humility
by the loving restoration that he experiences by Jesus.
Isn't that interesting?
Isn't it amazing the transforming power that Jesus has on our lives?
That in a moment of forgiveness, as we'll get to at the close of our study,
in a moment of forgiveness and restoration,
this one thing that we often regard Peter as being,
which is kind of rash, passionate, but rash, not really thinking clearly,
certainly prideful,
is actually the very thing that probably in the early church he wasn't known for.
In the early church, he's probably known for humility,
known for meekness.
So then this story, as we come to it,
is not so much a story of failure,
it's a story of forgiveness.
It's a reminder that even the strongest of us
have the potential for great sin,
great defeat,
but the faithfulness of Jesus here
provides the gift of restoration,
the gift of reconciliation
to all who will love and follow him.
So it's a lesson then for any believer
who falls short of Jesus' call to discipleship.
In other words,
it's a story meant for all of us to learn from.
Let's jump into it.
Number one,
first thing is very simple,
just one word,
failure.
Failure.
Now all of us have experienced failure in our discipleship,
perhaps even catastrophic failure.
No one else may be aware of all the events of your life,
but perhaps there have been times in your life
where your sin was so severe
that you would categorize it
as catastrophic spiritual failure.
But perhaps it's maybe just you
and a couple others
who have to really think about that,
or whoever would even know
that some of those things unfolded in your life.
Can you imagine being Peter?
And there is someone
who has come along the way
and taken perhaps your greatest failure in life
and written it down for the sole purpose
that for the next 2,000 years
people can gather on Sunday mornings
and they can study the details
and scrutinize your particular failure.
We haven't experienced it quite like that, have we?
There is some irony here.
Peter is what we refer to him as.
His name was Simon.
Jesus is the one that began to call him Peter,
which means rock or the rock.
Jesus calls him that.
And then it's ironic that in this moment,
what we actually,
maybe most of us know Peter most for,
is actually crumbling
rather than being firm, steadfast.
But let's remember,
Jesus didn't give Simon the name Peter
because of what he was,
but because of what he was going to make him into,
what he's going to make him to be.
And before we begin to examine his sins,
let's at least acknowledge
that Peter was faithful enough
to find his place
in the courtyard of Caiaphas
at considerable personal risk.
There's only one other disciple
who is even in the vicinity
and it's John.
You'll have to go to John 18
to see how his story begins to unfold.
He has some connection.
It actually gets him inside the courtroom
to see what's actually unfolding with Jesus.
But Peter perhaps is there
not because he knows anyone,
but because he just loves Jesus.
No other disciple followed along.
No other disciple on the runaway
stopped and realized what they were doing
and decided to follow along.
This is in one sense,
his commitment to Christ
making his fall so dramatic.
And we don't need to forget that.
That had he not been so faithful to the Lord,
and he wouldn't have fallen so severely.
That sounds a little backwards,
but this is kind of what's unfolding here.
Let's just work through the denials here.
There's three of them.
Let's work through the narrative itself
and then we'll draw an application.
Denial number one is verse 66.
As Peter was below in the courtyard,
one of the servant girls of the high priest came
and seeing Peter warming himself,
she looked at him and said,
you also were with the Nazarene Jesus.
But he denied it,
saying, I neither know nor understand what you mean.
And he went out into the gateway
and the rooster crowed.
So as Jesus is upstairs in the courtroom,
Peter is just outside downstairs in the courtyard.
And with his face illuminated by the fire,
it's not very surprising that someone recognized him
as one of Jesus' followers.
Now Mark says that it was one of Caiaphas'
young servant girls.
She immediately accuses him
of being a follower of Jesus.
Now she's not just trying to strike up
some chit-chat with Peter here.
We get that, right?
At this point, she views him as an outsider,
perhaps even an imposter,
who has worked his way into the crowd
in order to disrupt the proceedings
and defend his teacher.
If she was among the crowd
that went to the Garden of Gethsemane,
she would have perhaps recognized Peter
as the one who has already drawn his sword
and tried to take care of business himself.
Maybe she wasn't there.
We don't really know.
But at some point, she recognizes him
as being one who has been with Jesus
and she immediately is on guard
and accuses him of being a follower of Christ.
So recognizing that his cover has been blown
and understanding the danger that he was in,
Peter denies the accusation
and he just brushes his off
as if he didn't even understand
what she was talking about.
This is kind of a sly way.
You notice his phrase here.
I don't even know what you're asking me.
What do you mean?
He's playing a little dumb here, isn't he?
I don't even know who that guy is.
Now, I don't know why nobody stopped
and asked Peter,
then why are you here at two in the morning
at a trial at the high priest's house?
He doesn't make a lot of sense,
but he's just kind of casting it off
as if, no big deal,
I just kind of wandered in.
Maybe you'd get to this point
and you'd think,
well, you know,
Peter's just acting in self-preservation.
All of us would probably do this.
We're just trying to save our own lives.
Not really that big a deal.
But that's precisely what makes it a big deal.
At the very least,
it was a blatant lie,
a sinful behavior,
unbecoming of anyone who would say
that they're following Jesus.
But more than that,
it was an outright denial
of the one who he had committed
his entire life to serve.
This is a terrible sin.
The moment of self-preservation
is actually the worst part of it.
That he's saving his own hide
in order to deny Christ.
Sinclair Ferguson said that
our personal weaknesses
need only the least pressure
from temptation
to bring us to our knees.
The inquiries of a servant girl
were enough to draw out from him
the horrible realities
of his own heart.
So despite Peter's bombastic insistence
that he would follow the Lord
to the death,
he falters and stumbles
at the meager opposition
of a young servant girl.
It's not even one of the soldiers.
It's not one of the leaders of the Jews.
This is a slave.
She's responsible to clean the house,
to wash people's feet.
And it takes this one meager opposition
from the young servant girl
for Peter, the rock,
to completely fall apart.
That's why I think Paul writes
to the Corinthians
that we are to take heed
if we think much of ourselves
lest we fall.
Mark's the only gospel author
to record this first rooster crow.
And perhaps it was an important element
of Peter's testimony about the moment.
Maybe that's why Mark includes it
because maybe Peter mentioned it so often.
I point it out
because it should have served
as a warning to Peter.
Jesus had already told Peter
that there would be three denials
before the second crow.
Surely this was one of God's gracious warnings
meant to get us to recognize
our temptation.
So this Peter goes to the first denial.
He hears the first rooster crow.
Perhaps that's meant by God
to get his attention.
Peter, what are you doing?
Stop.
Listen to yourself.
Listen to what you're doing.
And maybe that's why Paul follows up
that earlier verse with this
in 1 Corinthians 10.
No temptation has overtaken you.
That is not common to man.
God is faithful
and he will not let you be tempted
beyond your ability.
But with the temptation
he will also provide a way of escape
that you may be able to endure it.
Maybe that's what God's doing here for Peter.
Here's rooster crow number one.
Here's your warning, Peter.
Don't go any further.
You've already messed up.
Don't go any further with it.
Do you remember in the whole scenario
with David and Bathsheba?
David looks out of his window
and he notices Bathsheba
and he sends one of his servants
to go and get her for him.
And remember what his servant does.
This is not right, king.
You shouldn't do this.
What is that?
It's an early warning in temptation, isn't it?
Don't go there, David.
Don't go there, Peter.
Doesn't God do this for us?
We get to moments of weakness
and we're beginning to move forward
in a moment of temptation
and God through his spirit perhaps
just brings to mind
and calls us to recognize
what we're about to do
or how we're about to fall.
Or perhaps it's a spouse
that steps in and says,
hey, I've noticed this going on here.
You need to think about this.
Or maybe it's someone
that you go to church with
and you have coffee
and they just hit on the one thing.
Or maybe it's a church service
and you hear the one passage
and it's just the Lord sending these warnings to you.
Don't go there.
Don't do that.
Watch what you're doing.
I think that's the graciousness of our God.
This also might be why Peter would later write
that vigilance was so necessary
for defeating the attacks of Satan.
Satan is indeed fierce
but God is faithful, Paul says.
And with every temptation
there is grace to persevere.
And I think this is an evidence
of that being true.
That's denial number one.
Look at denial number two.
Verse 69.
And the servant girl saw him
and began again
to say to the bystanders,
this man is one of them.
But again, he denied it.
So Peter withdraws from the fire at least.
He gets away from the crowd a bit.
The servant girl can't let it go.
We know people like that, right?
They just can't let stuff go.
She follows along to where Peter goes
at maybe the door of the courtyard.
And she says,
no, I think you're one of them
except this time is different.
This time it's not just
the servant girl questioning Peter.
This time she's accusing him
and she's accusing him to the others.
So she's not looking at Peter now.
She's looking at the others.
She says, he's one of them.
So the threat is taken up a notch, isn't it?
And Peter again denies it.
Look at denial number three, verse 70.
And after a little while,
the bystanders again said to Peter,
certainly you are one of them
for you are a Galilean.
But he began to invoke a curse on himself
and to swear,
I do not know this man of whom you speak.
So a little time passes by.
I don't take it that Peter
was a very introverted, quiet person.
He seems very extroverted in the scriptures.
I imagine he can't go very long
without talking to somebody.
And maybe that's what's happening here.
He begins to talk
and his accent betrays him.
This would be like,
you know,
a trial taking place
maybe up in the Northeast
in New York
and one of us is the outsider
and you step in to testify
and everyone knows
you're not from around here.
And there's something like that
going on with Peter here.
He's talking and the group now,
it's not the servant girl anymore,
it's the whole group.
Now they're saying,
you're one of them.
We can tell by the way you're talking.
You've been with him.
You follow him.
You're one of them.
And with each circumstance,
the accusations intensify
and so do Peter's denials.
He passionately,
his passionate personality
finally explodes in this moment.
Only this time
it was to deny the Lord
rather to defend him.
It's a complete 180 now
with Peter.
He swears that he doesn't know Jesus
not in the sense of using profanity
but in the sense of invoking
a curse upon himself.
And maybe he used profanity.
He was a fisherman.
We have no idea.
But that's not the point
of what Mark was saying here.
It would be akin to one of us
saying I swear to God
or with God as my witness
except in that culture
a statement like that,
an oath like that
was very serious.
Peter's essentially saying to them,
if I'm lying to you,
I'm calling God as my witness
and he can deal with me.
He can kill me if he so chooses.
And if you're lying,
he can kill you too.
And he brings about this oath.
He invokes this curse upon himself.
And think about that for a moment.
Not only is he denying Christ,
not only is he lying,
but now he is invoking
a curse upon himself
saying God can kill me
if I'm lying,
knowing full well
that God knows he's lying.
He's making a mockery,
foolish mockery
of the God that he's supposed
to love and worship.
Do you see how quickly
our temptations and our sins
can begin to snowball?
And we don't listen
to the warnings.
And we continue on
chasing the thing
that we really want
or maybe out of fear
we refuse to do the thing
that maybe we should do.
And then before long
we stop and we realize,
what have I done?
Look how far this has gone.
This is not just about
self-preservation.
Look what it has taken me to.
I've made a mockery of my God.
Sinclair Ferguson says,
poor Peter,
he loved his master
too much to desert him.
And so he followed him
at a distance
at considerable risk.
Yet he loved himself
too much
to remain indifferent
to the consequences
of all out faithfulness.
Now it's really easy
to write that.
But it's true, isn't it?
Peter in this moment,
the one who said,
I won't do it,
is actually the one
who does it worst.
Failure.
Number two,
fulfillment.
Fulfillment.
I said earlier
that Mark's primary purpose
is this contrast,
encouraging believers
regarding failures
and faithfulness.
We can't ignore the fact
that Peter's failure
was actually
an explicit fulfillment
of what Jesus said
would happen.
And this prophecy
is actually key
to understanding
why Peter is so devastated.
Just look back with me
at verse 29 for a moment.
You're there in Mark 14.
Verse 29,
Peter said to him,
even though
they all fall away,
speaking of the other disciples,
even though
they all fall away,
I will not.
And Jesus says to him,
truly I tell you,
this very night
before the rooster crows twice,
you will deny me three times.
But he said emphatically,
if I must die with you,
I will not deny you.
And they all said the same.
Now there's the bombastic statement,
there's the spiritual pride,
there's also the prophecy.
No, Peter,
that's not gonna work that way.
You're actually gonna deny me
three times tonight.
Look at verse 72,
and immediately
the rooster crowed
a second time.
Peter remembered
how Jesus had said to him,
before the rooster crows twice,
you will deny me three times.
I don't wanna bore you
with unnecessary lectures
about roosters crowing habits,
but I'm going to.
Just to give a little context,
I think it helps us here
understand Peter's predicament.
But William Lane
notes the historical relevance
of this,
and the way that it would unfold.
He actually cites
a 12-year study.
I don't know who chooses
to study for 12 years
the crowing habits
of roosters in Jerusalem,
but apparently somebody
did the study,
and he cites it
in his commentary.
It's actually quite interesting.
The way that this would have worked,
and it still does today,
there are three distinct crowings
in that particular area.
I don't know if it would be
the same here.
I'm a city slicker,
so I wouldn't know.
Some of you could correct me probably,
but at least in that area,
there's three distinct crowings.
The first one happens
between about 12.30
and 1 o'clock in the morning.
The second one happens
about an hour or so after that,
and then the final one happens
about an hour or so after that.
So in Roman timekeeping,
when they said
the final watch of the night,
they actually referred
to that final watch
as the rooster crow,
because that's what signified
about three o'clock
in the morning,
the final crowing of the rooster
in that particular area.
Now Lane also acknowledges
that the roosters crowed
for about three to five minutes
at a time
before they went quiet again.
Now here's why I bring
all of that up.
That means between the first crow
and the second crow
that Peter experiences here,
there's about an hour of time
that probably has elapsed.
That means that Peter's denial here
is not, we can't just reduce it
to a momentary misjudgment.
We can't reduce it to that
because over the course of an hour,
he decidedly, willfully denies the Lord
three different times.
See, this is in his mind at this point.
He's not going to admit
in this moment to following Christ
and being a follower of Christ
to save his own hide.
That's the thing.
And it's not just because
he slipped up in a moment.
No, he's doing this over and over,
over the course
of an extended amount of time.
In other words,
there's no way for us
to justify Peter's sin.
Now again, Lane notes
that the rooster would crow
three to five minutes
before everything goes quiet.
So there's no way for Peter
to have missed
the significance
of this crowing.
So immediately after denying Jesus
for the third and final time,
the rooster crows
and Peter remembers.
And what is it that he remembers?
Just a few hours before
when he so foolishly
confronted Jesus
and said,
you're wrong.
I'm not going to forsake you.
And Jesus says,
no, actually,
before you hear the second crow,
you're going to deny me three times.
Peter never imagined
a circumstance
that would lead him
to deny the Lord
that he loves so much.
The sound of that rooster
settled on his heart
and mind
like nothing
he had ever experienced before.
And Luke's account
adds a fascinating element
to the story
that dramatizes it
even further.
You read it to you.
Luke chapter 22
and verse 60.
Immediately while he was speaking,
the rooster crowed
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.
Now remember,
between the first crow
and the second crow,
probably about an hour
if not a little bit more.
Peter's at least there
for an hour.
Long enough for Jesus
to go through
this kangaroo trial.
Long enough for Jesus
to have endured
the things that he endured
and is now being led away
from Caiaphas' house
in order now
to go see Herod
and then eventually
to see Pilate.
And at the moment
that Jesus is being escorted
out of Caiaphas' house,
being brought down
from upstairs
to the courtyard
in order that he can leave,
Peter denies him
for the third time.
The rooster crows
and Peter looks up
and who's there?
Jesus.
And Jesus and Peter
lock eyes.
And what do you think
was the impact
of that on Peter?
Do you remember
how the trial ended?
We read it
just a moment ago.
When they're finished,
they cover Jesus' head
and one by one,
they take turns
punching him in the face
and trying to get him
to say who it was
that did it.
And when they were tired
of doing that,
whoever it was
that was involved,
they pass him off
to the temple police
who were outside
in the courtyard
to take him over
to the next place
of judgment.
And remember
what it said they did.
They received him
with blows.
So these men
inside the courtroom
pass him off
to the soldiers
in the courtyard
and as he's being
passed off,
the soldiers themselves
begin to beat him.
So when Peter
looks up at that moment
and he locks eyes
with Jesus,
what he saw
was a beaten,
bloodied,
abused man.
It's not just about
seeing the eyes
and remembering
the statement,
it's about what he saw
in Jesus' condition
in that moment.
The very thing
that Peter was afraid of,
the very thing
Peter wanted to avoid
which led to his denial
is the very thing
that Jesus
was so faithfully
enduring
for Peter's sake.
King Hughes says,
Peter looked at the torn,
bleeding visage
of Jesus
and their eyes locked.
Oh, the pain.
The rooster began
to crow
for the next
three to five minutes
over and over
and over
and Peter remembered
Christ's prophecy.
He remembered
and he remembered
and he remembered.
You know,
what do you think
he saw
in Jesus' eyes
that night?
I don't think
that Jesus
would have rolled
his eyes
and looked at Peter
with disgust.
I don't think
that that would have
been true of Jesus.
I don't think
that he would have
gotten one of those
I told you so,
I can't believe
you would do this
to me
kind of looks.
What did Peter see?
I think Jesus
looked at Peter
with the same
compassionate eyes
with which Peter
had seen Jesus
look at so many others
over the course
of three years.
What has Mark
noted so often
about Jesus?
His compassion.
His compassion
on the people.
His compassion
on the hurting.
His compassion
on the sinful.
His compassion
on the outcast.
And now Peter's eyes
lock with Jesus
and what he sees
is those same eyes
that he's seen
for so many
other people.
Perhaps
for the first time
Peter's recognizing
himself
as the unclean leper.
Perhaps for the first time
Peter's recognizing
himself
as the Gentile
quote
dog.
Perhaps for the first time
Peter's recognizing
himself
as the demoniac
in the cave.
And however
a person
can communicate
with a look
a thought
and we know
people can do it
because our wives
do it all the time.
If it's possible
to communicate
with your eyes
I'm doing this
for you
that would have been
what Peter
saw that night.
He sees the compassion
of the Lord.
And I think
ultimately
that's what
broke him.
It's a combination
of recognizing
his own failure
he's reminded
of that failure
with the crowing
of the rooster.
But it's not just
the reminder
of his failure
it's being confronted
with the image
of Jesus
beaten and bloodied
on his behalf
in that very moment.
Saying because
of what I just did
he has to do that.
And that's what
breaks him.
Failure
fulfillment
number three
forgiveness.
And this is the part
we want to hurry up
and get to right?
Forgiveness.
Verse 72
the last phrase
he broke down
and wept.
Matthew and Luke
record it
just a little bit
differently
but basically the same
he went out
and wept bitterly
they both say.
He ugly cries
this moment.
The weight
of that moment
for Peter
is unlike
anything else.
You've experienced
those moments
right?
So upset
with your own sin
so upset
with the fact
that you have
fallen again
and the weight
of that
settles on your heart
it settles
on your mind
but what
makes Peter
different
from Judas?
That's a question
I want us to ask
before we get
to the forgiveness.
Why did Peter
get to the restoration
but Judas
didn't?
What made him
so different?
Didn't Judas
demonstrate
extreme levels
of regret
as well?
Yeah he did.
Why don't I
read it to you?
Matthew 27
when Judas
his betrayer
saw that
Jesus was
condemned
he changed
his mind.
He brought
back the
30 pieces
of silver
to the
chief priest
and the
elder
saying
I have
sinned
by betraying
innocent blood
and they said
what's that to us?
That's a you
problem Judas
is what they said.
Throwing down
the pieces
of silver
in the temple
he departed
and he went
and he hanged
himself.
Judas
had regret.
Judas
probably
wept.
What makes
him so
different
from Peter?
There's a lot
of ways to
answer that.
The way the
scriptures tend
to answer
this question
is by pointing
to what happened
beyond those
moments of
regret.
Judas's
regret didn't
lead him to
repentance and
faith.
his remorse
didn't indicate
that he was
now willing
to believe
and follow
Jesus.
It only
indicated that
he couldn't
live with
himself.
He couldn't
live with
the burden
of condemning
and taking
part in
the condemnation
of an
innocent man.
It just
shows that
he had a
moral compass
like every
other person.
God
but he
doesn't
seek for
mercy.
He doesn't
seek for
forgiveness.
Instead he
just tries to
remove himself
from the
experience of
guilt.
Now that's a
very different
thing than
what Peter
does.
Peter probably
by faith in
the words of
Christ actually
continues in
his discipleship
despite the
guilt.
Do you
remember the
promise Jesus
had given?
Look back in
Mark 14.
Look at
verse 28.
This is in
the midst of
telling Peter
and the other
disciples that
they're going to
forsake him.
And look at the
promise in
verse 28.
After I'm
raised up,
in other words
I'm going to
die, I'm
coming back
to life.
Then what does
he say?
I will go
before you
to Galilee.
In other words,
I'm going to
meet you again.
We're going to
fellowship again.
And it's going
to be in
Galilee after
I raise up
from the
dead.
Now I want
you to flip
over to
chapter 16.
Chapter 16.
This is the
morning of
Jesus'
resurrection.
Mary Magdalene
and the other
Marys have
come to
the tomb.
And look
at verse
7.
This is the
words of the
angel that
awaited them
at the tomb.
He's telling
them what to
do.
Jesus has
risen.
And then he
says,
but go tell
his disciples,
and then he
emphasizes Mark
does,
and Peter
that he's
going before
you to
Galilee.
There you
will see
him just
as he
told you.
So remember
the ladies
have come
to the
tomb.
They don't
see Jesus.
One of them
does,
most of them
don't.
They don't
see Jesus.
They want
to,
they just
see the
empty
tomb.
The angel
says,
go to
Galilee,
tell the
disciples to
go with
you.
And by
the way,
make sure
you tell
Peter to
go there
too,
because there
you will
see him.
And that's
significant,
isn't it?
Promise after
promise to
Peter.
I'm going
to meet
you.
I'm going
to meet
you in
Galilee.
Now,
I don't
know if
Peter imagined
that restoration
and forgiveness
was possible
at that
moment,
but he at
least had
enough faith
and love
for Jesus
to actually
go back
to Galilee.
So flip
over with
me to John
chapter 21,
and that's
where we
see,
as Paul
Harvey would
say,
the rest
of the
story.
John
chapter 21.
Now,
just because
Jesus gave
the promise
doesn't mean
that Peter
has enough
faith to
believe the
promise,
okay?
That's where
Judas is.
Judas just
doesn't believe,
so he goes
and kills
himself,
all right?
Peter's heard
the promise,
Peter is
overwhelmed
by his sin,
but he has
enough faith
to follow
Jesus,
to Galilee,
and wait
for him
there,
and that's
what he's
doing.
In John
21,
look at
verse 1,
let's read
the first
six verses.
After this,
Jesus revealed
himself again
to the
disciples by
the Sea
of Tiberias,
that's the
Sea of
Galilee,
and he
revealed
himself in
this way.
Simon
Peter,
Thomas called
the twin,
Nathanael of
Cana in
Galilee,
the sons of
Zebedee,
and the
others,
and two
others of
his disciples
were together.
Simon
Peter said
to them,
I'm going
fishing.
They said
to him,
we'll go
with you.
They went
out and
got into
the boat,
but that
night they
caught nothing.
Just as day
was breaking,
Jesus stood
on the shore,
yet the
disciples did
not know
that it
was Jesus.
And Jesus
said to
them,
children,
do you
have any
fish?
And they
said,
no.
And he
said,
did you
try the
other side?
Cast the
net on the
right side of
the boat,
and you'll
find some.
And what's
amazing about
it is they
don't recognize
that it's
Jesus at
this moment,
but they
still cast
it on the
other side.
I would
imagine,
as most of
the fishermen
you know,
these fishermen
were pretty
superstitious,
right?
So they
cast it.
Now,
they were
not able
to haul
it in
because of
the quantity
of the
fish.
So they've
gone back
to Galilee,
and what
are they
doing?
I don't
think this
is an
indication
that they
were quitting.
I don't
think that's
it.
Because Jesus
said,
go to Galilee
and wait
for me
there.
So what
do they
do?
They go
to Galilee
and they
wait.
And what
do fishermen
do while
they wait?
They go
fish.
They're
waiting for
Jesus.
Now,
I want you
to see
how Peter
responds to
this.
Look at
verse 7.
That disciple
whom Jesus
loved,
probably John,
therefore said
to Peter,
it's the
Lord.
And when
Simon Peter
heard that
it was the
Lord,
he puts
on his
outer garment
for he was
stripped for
the work,
and he
threw himself
into the
sea.
That's
amazing.
Kind of
ridiculous,
but amazing.
They're out
there,
not too
deep,
they're out
in a bit
of the
shallows,
and they're
fishing all
night,
and this
wonderful
miracle takes
place,
and they
finally realize,
okay,
that's not
just anybody
on the
shore,
that's
Jesus,
and Peter
in his
excitement
because he's
been waiting
for Jesus,
throws himself
into the
lake so he
can swim
to the
shore.
Now the
rest of
them just
paddle behind
him in
the boat,
but Peter
swims there.
What does that
tell you about
Peter in this
moment?
He loves
Jesus.
He wants
to see
Jesus.
He wants
to be
with Jesus.
That is a
very different
thing than
what we see
in Judas.
It doesn't
mean he wasn't
carrying the
discouragement of
his failure,
and we'll see
that in a
moment,
it.
But he
had a
consuming
love for
Jesus that
couldn't be
denied.
Now, if
you're in
the midst
of a
moment of
failure,
that's the
question to
ask.
Is the
regret that I
feel and
the guilt that
I sense
merely because I
have a moral
compass that God
has built into
the fabric of
my DNA,
or do I
really love
Jesus,
am I
committed to
following him,
and I'm
discouraged because
I failed him?
There's a big
difference between
those two
responses.
And they all
finally get to
the shore.
Jesus has
breakfast prepared.
They have a
meal together,
and then a
conversation breaks
out between
Jesus and
Peter.
This is in
front of
everybody.
Look at
verse 15.
They had
finished breakfast.
Jesus said to
Simon Peter,
Simon, son of
John, do you
love me more
than these?
And he said
to him,
yes, Lord,
you know that I
love you.
And he said
to him, feed my
lambs.
And he said
to him a
second time,
Simon, son of
John, do you
love me?
And he said
to him, yes,
Lord, you know
that I love
you.
And he said
to him, tend
my sheep.
And he said
to him a
third time,
Simon, son of
John, do you
love me?
Peter was
grieved because
he had said
this to him the
third time.
Do you love
me?
And he said
to him, Lord,
you know
everything.
You know
that I love
you.
And Jesus
said, feed
my sheep.
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
when you were
young, you used
to dress
yourself and
walk wherever
you wanted.
But when
you're old,
you will
stretch out
your hands
and another
will dress
you and
carry you
where you
do not want
to go.
This he said
to show by
what kind of
death he was
going to glorify
God.
And after
saying this,
he said to
him, follow
me.
And I'm
going to
have to leave
it to you
to really dig
into this
particular
paragraph,
and I hope
you will if
you have some
quiet time this
afternoon.
I want to
note just a
couple of
things as we
wrap it up,
though, okay?
First,
restoration is
available for
every disciple
of Christ,
but the
process is
painful.
Jesus
wastes no
time cutting
to the
chase with
Peter here
in Galilee.
Notice
verse 15.
Simon,
son of
John,
do you
love me
more than
these?
Remember
what Peter
had said
on that
night?
Jesus
says,
you're all
going to
forsake
me.
Peter
says,
they
might,
but I
won't.
In other
words,
I love you
more than
them.
I'm more
committed
than they
are.
Jesus
deals with
the
spiritual
pride
immediately.
Peter,
do you
really
love me
more
than
them?
Were you
right,
Peter?
Jesus'
three
questions
then
reflect
Peter's
three
denials.
Now,
I've heard
people try
to point
to the
Greek
that's
used
here
in
different
Greek
words
for
love.
That's
not the
point
of this
passage.
The
same
words
that are
used
for
love,
the
different
Greek
words
for
love
in
this
passage
are
all
used
elsewhere
for
God's
love.
So this
is not
a matter
of
Jesus
using
different
words
for
love.
That's
not
what
this
is.
Jesus
isn't
even
speaking
Greek.
So we
know that
that wouldn't
be the
case.
So what's
the purpose
of these
three
questions?
Well,
it mirrors
Peter's
three
denials.
That's
why when
you get
to the
third
one,
Peter's
grieved
by the
third
one,
not
because
the
word
Jesus
uses,
but
love
reflects
a
denial
of
Jesus
that
night
in the
courtyard.
Restoration's
painful.
Our sin
has to be
confronted,
and Jesus
wastes no
time confronting
it.
Then after
his questions,
notice that
Jesus
affirms
that he
still intends
to use
Peter.
Verse
21,
or verse
15,
feed my
lambs.
Verse
16,
tend my
sheep.
Verse
17,
feed my
sheep.
Action
statements,
ways that
Jesus
intends to
use
Peter.
What do
we get
from that?
Well,
there's
always
usefulness
in God's
plan,
not for
perfect
people,
but for
repentant
people.
Peter in
this moment
is going
through the
painful process
of restoration,
and Jesus
says,
feed my
sheep.
Do what
I've
called you
to do.
then he
affirms
that one
day,
Peter will
face a
similar
circumstance,
but this
time he'll
succeed.
He talks
about the
way he's
going to
die,
which
church
tradition
teaches
us that
he was
crucified
and unwilling
to be
crucified in
the way
that his
Lord was.
He
demanded
to be
crucified
upside
down,
and tradition
says that's
exactly what
happened with
Peter.
What's
Jesus'
point here?
I think
this is a
moment of
encouragement
for Peter's
anxieties.
I don't
know,
maybe it
produced more
anxiety to
know that
you're going
to be
murdered.
I don't
know.
I think
there is a
bit of
comfort from
Jesus here,
saying,
I know
you're
bothered by
how you
failed,
but the
next time
you're
presented
with this,
you're not
going to
fail.
You're
going to
succeed.
Now,
that's not
to say
that we
never fall
in the
same way.
It only
means to
say that
Jesus is a
comfort to
our anxieties,
and he
is a
faithful
minister
to our
failures.
And the
final thing
that we'll
note is
in verse
19.
And after
saying this,
he said to
him,
what?
Follow
me.
So the
fundamental
key to
discipleship
is heeding
Jesus'
call to
follow me.
Not just
at the
moment of
our
conversion,
but every
day following
that.
It's
amazing,
isn't it?
The same
phrase that
Jesus uses
to call
Peter to
conversion
three years
before at
the Sea of
Galilee.
He says,
follow me,
and Peter
leaves his
nets and
follows him.
That's the
same phrase
he used
here to
restore him
to usefulness
and acknowledge
his forgiveness
in God's
plan.
Follow me.
What does
that tell
us?
That's his
desire for
us.
You've
fallen?
Okay.
Restoration
might be a
bit painful.
Repent,
believe the
Lord,
and get up
and follow
Jesus.
You fall
again tomorrow?
Okay.
There's
forgiveness
for you.
Follow me.
You fall
again in
the same
way?
Okay.
There's
forgiveness
for you.
Follow me.
We'd all do
well to
wake up
every morning
and maybe
have it
written on
the wall
next to
our bed.
Follow
me.
Follow
me today.
So the
first thing
we see
when we
wake up
in the
morning
is Jesus'
call for
us to be
faithful to
him.
And the
last thing
that we
see before
we go
to bed,
no matter
how much
we failed
him that
day,
is he's
still calling
us to
follow him.
There is
forgiveness.
There is
restoration.
There is
usefulness.
It doesn't
matter how
you've
fallen.
Follow
him.
So Peter's
failure begins
with spiritual
pride.
We see that
in 26 to
31.
It's
guaranteed
by spiritual
complacency.
We see that
in his
sleepiness in
the garden,
verses 37 to
42.
And the
lessons for
faithful
discipleship are
many, not
the least of
which is
Jesus'
pattern of
prayer in
the garden.
But what do
you think
should be the
primary takeaway
of this
text?
I think it's
the faithfulness
of Jesus to
endure the
cross so
that forgiveness
can be ours,
not just
today, but
tomorrow as
well, and
the next
day, and
moving
forward.
And if
there's
anything that
I hope you're
encouraged by
as we
pray, it's
this, that
if you
follow Jesus,
your failures
will always,
always end
in forgiveness.
In fact, the
forgiveness has
already been
provided.
That failure
you may commit
this week has
already been
paid for if
you're in
Christ.
It's already
paid for.
That's why
you can get
back up and
follow him
the next
day.
He's not
going to
remove a
sin off of
Christ and
put it back
over your
head.
That's not
how God
works.
No.
Your sin's
paid for.
So rest in
that.
Rest in his
forgiveness.
Acknowledge that
sometimes it's
painful to
go through a
restorative
process.
But seek his
forgiveness and
just start
following again.