Please read: Luke 22.54-62 Having arrested Him, they led him away and brought him to the house of the high priest, but Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too." But he denied it saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." A little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, "Certainly this man also with Him, for he is a Galilean too." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly. NASB

Good Morning.

It is helpful at this point to draw from the other gospels, to fill out Luke's description of the above events--namely, Jesus brought before his accusers, and Peter's denials. Jesus is first taken before Annas, the high priest, for questioning, which marks the beginning of a twofold trial of Jesus--a religious one and a civil one. While Jesus was inside Annas' home, Peter was in the courtyard, where a girl asked him if he was one of Jesus' disciples, and he said 'no.' [Denial #1} Why? Well, Peter now realizes that Jesus is in trouble, and by association, he too is in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the high priest questions Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. "I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues or at the temple where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said." When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck Him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded. "If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" (John 18)

Annas then sends Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest; Peter follows at a distance. He is recognized as having been with Jesus, and again denies it. [Denial #2] Caiaphas presided over the Sanhedrin, also known as The Council, the Jewish Supreme Court. It was composed of 71 elders drawn from among the chief priests and scribes. Several of these come to Caiaphas' home that night to interrogate Jesus. Then, as day breaks, the entire council is called together in order to make their vote to condemn Jesus official. In order to put Jesus to death, the Sanhedrin had to get the Romans involved, and they were in a hurry because they wanted to complete the execution by Sabbath and get back to the Passover celebration.

Peter is sitting alongside servants and other officials in the middle of the courtyard, warming himself by the fire. (Springtime evenings in Jerusalem are cold!) A little while has passed, another recognizes Peter as a Galilean who had been with Jesus (his north country accent gave him away); this time, Peter emphatically denies even knowing Jesus. [Denial #3] He hasn't even gotten the words out of his mouth, and the rooster crows, signaling morning and Peter's failure. Jesus, either looking out a window or from across the courtyard, turns around and looks right into Peter's eyes. This look? Luke uses the same word John used to describe the way Jesus looked at Peter when they first met. It was a look of love and concern, not judgment.

How do we account for Peter denying Jesus three times? Where did he go wrong? And, if Peter could deny Him, we must realize any of us could. His first tactical error was earlier in the garden--

~he slept when he should have been praying

~he chose to follow at a distance--the distance allowed others to get in between him and his Messiah

~he chose to warm himself at the enemies' fire--big mistake!

I HAVE TO ASK: how often are we sleeping when we should be praying? when the trial comes, we are unprepared

choosing to follow Jesus at a distance gives the impression that you prefer to stay on the fringe, not really giving yourself fully to Christ;

remember, when you are on the fringe, you are much easier to pick off.

be careful with whom you choose to surround yourself, especially on a regular basis.

The good news is this--though Peter failed, he was instantly sorrowful and remorseful, and he was later restored. He went on to be the 'tour de force' in the early church. That is indeed good news for all of us. It is never too late to turn around. . . never.

Pray for those in your life who you know need to turn around. . . who are they?______________ _______________ _______________

they need to meet the loving gaze of the Savior.

Christine