1-0-5-8 in the Church Bible, starting in verse 47.
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, 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, and when some there 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 cock crowed.
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.
Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord had spoken to him.
Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times.
And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Let's pray.
Father, thank you for this account of the Lord Jesus and his followers.
Written to tell us the true events of the life of Jesus.
Father, we pray that we, as we listen together, would be able to enter into this account.
That you would show us where we fit in this story.
And ultimately, that you would show us how we desperately need the Lord Jesus.
So speak afresh to us today.
We ask in your name. Amen.
Well, how do you feel when people hurt you?
When a friend turns their back on you?
Or someone breaks a promise they've made to you?
How do you feel when that happens?
Isolated and alone?
Broken and crushed?
What do you think should happen to someone who hurts you?
Well, Jesus had a close circle of friends, the disciples.
Carefully chosen by Jesus.
They'd lived and worked together for the last three years.
They'd been through some amazing experiences together.
We could say they trusted one another.
But those who claimed to be his closest friends all deserted Jesus.
In fact, one betrayed Jesus and another denied Jesus.
Three things we're going to look at this morning.
Darkness falls.
Disciples fail.
And grace flows.
First of all, darkness falls.
It is night.
It's dark.
Jesus is with his disciples in the olive grove.
He's been there praying.
But it's not just the darkness of the night.
There is the darkness of Satan's work.
In just a few hours, Jesus will be put to death, brutally executed.
But first, his arrest.
Look at verse 52.
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come for him,
that is, had come to arrest him,
Am I leading a rebellion that you come with swords and clubs?
Look, 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.
Yes, the religious authorities have been plotting and planning to get rid of Jesus.
But behind their schemes is this sinister work of Satan.
As it says at the end of verse 53,
This is your hour when darkness reigns.
Of course, Satan has been present all along through the account of Luke's gospel.
Way back in Luke chapter 3,
we read of Satan's temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
This is how Luke records it.
When the devil had finished all this tempting,
he left him until an opportune time.
And it seems that now that time has come.
The hour of darkness reigns.
All the forces of evil are coming together under the direction of Satan.
Have a look back at chapter 22, verse 3.
There we read, chapter 22, verse 3,
Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the twelve.
Verse 31.
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.
This is what Satan does.
His aim is to destroy the work of Jesus and his followers.
But what Satan sets out to achieve,
let us remember, it is ultimately under the control and the plan of God.
God allows.
It's like he gives permission for these evil forces to kill Jesus.
That's why Jesus says to them,
This is your hour.
This is your allotted time when darkness reigns.
Oh, you had that opportunity to arrest me,
but it wasn't my time.
But now you can.
For now this is the hour, the time when darkness reigns.
But little do they know that the death of Jesus is the means by which he will destroy and defeat the work of Satan
and provide salvation for all who will trust him.
So as Jesus heads to the cross,
the darkness falls.
Second,
the disciples fail.
As the evil forces scheme,
those closest to Jesus fail.
First,
betrayed by a kiss.
It couldn't have come at a worse time.
Remember,
Jesus has just faced the reality of going to the cross.
He will have to drink the cup.
He's going to face God's judgment.
He will experience hell.
Jesus is in physical and emotional breakdown.
Back in verse 44,
we're told that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
So,
if you need support,
now is the time.
You need your friends at this moment to gather around you,
to support you,
to pray for you,
to be there.
But that's not what happens.
Verse 47,
while he was still speaking,
a crowd came up
and the man who was called Judas,
one of the twelve,
was leading them.
Judas is one of the disciples.
What's he up to?
Why is he with this crowd?
Why wasn't he with the other disciples?
Well,
look back to the beginning of chapter 22,
verse 1.
Chapter 22,
verse 1.
Now,
the festival of unleavened bread,
called the Passover.
Remember,
the Passover was the time,
the annual celebration
of that great rescue from Egypt.
The rescue from slavery.
That's what they're celebrating.
So,
the festival was approaching.
Verse 2,
and the chief priests
and the teachers of the law
were looking for some way
to get rid of Jesus,
for they were afraid of the people.
Then Satan entered Judas.
That is,
he came and tempted him.
Called Iscariot,
one of the twelve.
And Judas went to the chief priests
and the officers of the temple guard
and discussed with them
how he might betray Jesus.
And they were delighted
and agreed to give Judas money.
Judas consented
and watched for an opportunity
to hand Jesus over to them
when no crowd was present.
There is nothing worse
than the betrayal of a friend
that you love.
And then the betrayal happened.
Look at verse 47.
The end of verse 47.
Judas approached Jesus
to kiss him.
But Jesus asked him,
Judas,
are you betraying the Son of Man
with a kiss?
A kiss
is for a friend,
someone you love.
The only other time
a kiss is mentioned in Luke,
I wonder if you can remember it,
is when the sinful woman
came into that crowd,
into Simon's house
and, well,
she kept kissing
Jesus' feet.
It was an expression
of deep love
and devotion.
But the kiss of Judas,
well, it was like
a stab in the back.
Judas betrayed Jesus.
How do you feel about Judas?
What do you think
should happen to him?
Well, the most disturbing thing
in all of this is,
I am Judas.
And you are Judas.
Because we all betray Jesus.
Jesus.
Look again what Judas did
back in chapter 22,
verse 4.
Judas went
to the chief priests
and the officers
and the temple guard
and discussed with them.
They planned
and talked it through together
how he might betray Jesus.
And they were delighted
and agreed
to give him money.
Jesus had called Judas
to be a disciple.
They'd been together
for three years
as close friends.
Jesus was going to die
for Judas.
But for Judas,
Jesus wasn't enough.
He wanted something more.
He exchanged Jesus
for something else.
In this case,
he got money.
And that's what betrayal is.
It's turning your back
on someone else
to gain something else.
And that's what I do.
And that's what we do.
We turn our back on Jesus
to get the things
that we want.
Because Jesus doesn't give
what I demand
and what I want
when I want,
well, I betray him.
I turn my back on him.
We exchange him
for other things
and other people.
So there is the betrayal
by a kiss.
Second, there's denial
by lies.
You see, Judas wasn't
the only one
to turn his back
on Jesus.
In fact, Jesus said
that Peter would
deny him.
Peter is horrified
at the very thought of it.
Go back to chapter 22,
verse 33.
So Jesus has just said
to Peter
that he's going
to deny him.
Verse 33.
But Peter replied,
Lord,
I'm ready to go
with you to prison
and to death.
Jesus answered,
I tell you, Peter,
before the cock crows today,
you will deny
three times
that you know me.
What must Peter
have thought?
Jesus must be mad.
There's no way
I would turn
my back on Jesus.
Well, yeah,
others might,
but not me.
Well, in a few hours,
Peter had the chance
to prove himself.
Verse 54.
Then seizing Jesus,
they led him away
and took him
into a house
of the high priest.
Peter followed
at a distance.
And when some there
had kindled a fire
in the middle
of the courtyard
and had sat down
together,
Peter sat down
with them.
Just even in that
little phrase,
sitting down
with them,
he's become a part
of that little crowd.
A servant girl
saw him seated there
in the firelight.
She looked closely
at him and said,
this man
was with him.
But Peter denied it.
Woman,
I don't know him,
he said.
A little later,
someone else saw him
and said,
yes,
you,
you also
were one of them.
You're one
of those disciples.
Man,
I am not,
Peter replied.
About an hour
later,
another asserted,
yes,
certainly
this fellow
was with him,
for he is a Galilean.
I recognize
the accent.
Yes,
you're one
of those people.
Peter replied,
man,
I don't know
what you're
talking about.
We could perhaps
understand one
denial
and then kind of
remove yourself.
We might have a little
sympathy for two
denials,
but three?
Peter had at least
an hour to think
of what he might
say,
but when the
pressure came
on,
Peter crumbled
in a heap.
Just as he
was speaking,
the cock
crowed.
A few hours
earlier,
he was claiming
to be the strongest,
the greatest
disciple.
Lord,
I'm ready to go
with you to prison
and to death,
but when it
really mattered,
when it
really counted,
Peter couldn't
even bring
himself to say
that he just
knew Jesus.
He couldn't
say it.
Well,
I'm sure we
could all do
a lot better
than Peter,
couldn't we?
Well,
the sad
reality is,
I am just
like Peter.
Peter.
You are just
like Peter.
We all
deny Jesus.
Peter,
I mean,
Peter's not
stupid.
He knew what
was happening.
Jesus had been
saying all along
that he would
be arrested,
that he would
die,
and now he
realizes that
Jesus is going
to die.
And Peter
knows that if
he's associated
with Jesus,
well,
he might die
too.
And in the
cold and
dark reality
of the
courtyard,
Peter decides
that saving
his life is
more important
than loving
Jesus.
And we're
no different.
When the
pressure comes
on,
our life
becomes more
important than
loving Jesus.
If letting
people know
that,
well,
yes,
I'm a
Christian,
means that
life is
going to
be tough,
then I
choose
comfort.
If standing
up for what
I believe
means I
might lose
one of my
friends or
I might fall
out of favour
with my
boss,
well,
I'm going to
choose my
friends every
time.
We deny
him.
Our lives
are more
important
than loving
Jesus.
you see,
as followers
of Jesus,
in the
darkness of
temptation,
we all
fail.
The
darkness
falls,
the
disciples
fail,
but
wonderfully
grace flows.
Jesus
offers
grace.
Look at
how Jesus
responds to
all that is
going on.
Think of the
darkness that
is weighing in
upon him.
Think of the
failure of
those closest
to him,
and look at
how Jesus
responds.
Look at
verse 48.
Judas
approached
Jesus to
kiss him,
but Jesus
asked him,
Judas,
are you
betraying the
Son of
Man with
a kiss?
Are you
sure?
Are you
sure you
want to go
through with
this,
Judas?
Don't you
realise who
I am?
I am the
Son of
Man,
the one
with absolute
power and
supreme
authority.
I have
power to
judge you.
but I
have
authority to
forgive you.
There is
a way back
from this,
Judas.
Listen
to my
word of
grace.
The same
opportunity is
given to
Peter.
Look over
at verse
61.
Try and
picture yourself
in that
moment.
The denials
have just
happened.
you've
heard the
cock
crowed.
The
Lord
turned and
looked
straight
at
Peter.
Across
the
courtyard,
amidst
all the
noise,
through the
flicker of
the flames,
their eyes
connect.
It seems
what must
be like
an eternity.
Jesus
and Peter
just locked
looking at
each other.
Jesus
looks
and Peter
remembers.
Rest of
verse 61.
Then Peter
remembered the
words the
Lord had
spoken to
him.
Before the
cock crows
today,
you will
disown me
three times.
Jesus
knows Peter
has failed.
Peter
knows that
he has
failed.
But Jesus
looks not
just to
condemn
him,
but to
forgive him.
Yes,
Jesus shows
him his
guilt.
The guilt
is exposed
as he
looks.
But Jesus
longs for
Peter's
restoration.
no words
are spoken,
but in
that look,
Peter,
will you
receive
my grace?
You see,
as darkness
falls,
as the
disciples
fail,
grace
flows
from
Jesus.
And it's
no different
for you
and I.
In the
darkest
moment
of our
lives,
in the
midst of
our
greatest
failure,
Jesus
speaks his
word of
grace to
us.
There is
a way
back.
You
can be
forgiven.
Receive
my
grace.
Well,
how can
we experience
this grace
for ourselves?
Well,
there's a
wrong way
and there's
a right
way.
First,
the wrong
way,
remorse,
like
Judas.
I guess
we can
be like
Judas
and respond
with
remorse.
Luke's
gospel
doesn't
actually
tell us
how
Judas
responded,
but when
you read
on in
Luke's
continued
account
into the
book of
Acts,
if you
go to
Acts
chapter
1,
we see
what Luke
has to
say about
Judas.
it's
not a
pretty
picture.
Just go
forward.
Luke,
John,
and then
Acts
chapter 1
verse 17.
So this
is after
Jesus has
died,
after the
resurrection.
The
disciples are
together
and they're
thinking about,
well,
who is
going to
replace
Judas?
Well,
what's
happened to
Judas?
Well,
we read
about it
in verse
8-17.
They say,
he was
one of
our number
and shared
in our
ministry.
With the
payment he
received for
his wickedness,
Judas brought
a field,
there he
fell headlong,
meaning that
he had
hung
himself.
His body
burst open
and all
his
intestines
spilled
out.
Everyone
in Jerusalem
heard about
this,
so they
called that
field in
their own
language
akaldama,
that is
field of
blood.
Go back
to Luke.
Judas
was
remorseful.
Being
remorseful
means we
regret what
we have
done because
of the
consequences
it has on
our life.
Judas
feels bad,
he's full
of self
pity,
he regrets
what he's
done because
of what
people are
now going
to think
of him.
He feels
so bad
that he
can't bear
to think
of what
he will
be known
for the
rest of
his life
that people
are going
to think
of him
as a
betrayer.
He
can't
handle
that.
So he
kills
himself.
You see
remorse
will not
get you
anywhere.
Remorse
doesn't
lead you
to grace.
Feeling
bad about
your life
and feeling
bad about
your failures
will only
ruin you
and destroy
you.
But we
can be
like Peter
who responded
with repentance.
Let's
read chapter
22
verse 61
together.
The Lord
turned and
looked straight
at Peter
and Peter
remembered the
word the
Lord had
spoken to
him.
Before the
cock crows
today you
will disown
me three
times.
And Peter
went outside
and wept
bitterly.
Peter was
repentant.
Literally he
threw himself
on the ground
and cried.
He sees
his sin.
He sees
his failure
but more
than that he
admits to
it.
These are
tears not
of self
pity but
tears for
Jesus.
He needs
forgiveness.
And that's
the difference
between remorse
and repentance.
Remorse is
to feel
regret
because you
are found
out and
it leaves
you broken
and you
can't live
with yourself.
Repentance
is to own
up to what
you have
done.
It leaves
you
forgiven.
as we
respond to
God's
wonderful
offer of
grace
as we
repent
we
experience
God's
overflowing
grace
in our
lives.
You see
in Jesus
we find
the greatest
friend
possible.
the one
who will
never
betray
you
the one
who will
never
deny
you
the one
who never
turns his
back on
you
who is
faithful
and loyal
so loyal
that he
has died
for you.
For when
Jesus died
on the
cross he
was treated
as that
betrayer
as that
denier
for you
and for
me.
In love
he walked
to the
field of
blood
he went
to the
cross
and as
the true
and faithful
friend he
was willing
to take
our place
to suffer
my sin.
Jesus
absorbs the
judgment of
God for
us so
that from
the cross
flows amazing
grace.
And when
we experience
that grace
of forgiveness
in our life
it changes
us radically.
Let me
show you
very quickly
how it
changes
our lives.
Look at
verse 50
as Jesus
is being
arrested
one of
his disciples
comes to
Jesus'
defense.
Verse 50
and one
of them
struck the
servant of
the high
priest
cutting off
his right
ear.
Wow.
They've
come to
arrest
Jesus
destroy
him
and kill
him
but Jesus
is innocent.
the servant
is the
guilty
one.
If
justice
is to
be done
then the
servant
should have
more than
his ear
cut off.
Verse 51
but Jesus
answered
no more
of this
and he
touched
the man's
ear
and
healed
him.
This is
an enemy
of Jesus.
One who
was going
to get
rid
of
Jesus
and how
does
Jesus
respond
no more
and he
heals
him.
You see
when we
experience
God's
grace
in our
life
we
don't
need
to
take
revenge.
We
don't
need
to
plan
up
and
conjure
up
ideas
of
getting
back
at
people.
Instead
of
angry
words
we
can
now
speak
words
of
healing.
Instead
of
cutting
people
off
and not
talking
to
them
we
can
now
welcome
them
back.
Because
I
have
been
forgiven
of
my
failure
because
Jesus
has
forgiven
me
the
denier
and
the
betrayer
well
I
can
now
forgive
those
who
fail
me.
When
we
own
our
sin
when
we
run
to
Jesus
we
experience
God's
overflowing
grace.
in
Jesus
we
find
the
perfect
friend
the
friend
who
loves
you
the
friend
who
forgives
you
the
friend
who
died
for
you.
Let's
pray
together.
people
I