The Trial of Peter
Luke 22:54-62
December 20, 2020
This morning we come to the famous text of Peter’s 3-fold denial of Jesus.
Even the unredeemed world knows about this one.
It is one of those stories that has the unique privilege
Of being included in all four gospel accounts.
(Even the raising of Lazarus or the transfiguration of Jesus didn’t hold that position)
I don’t know if that is interesting to you, but it is to me.
It is interesting that each of these writers,
While carrying us through the most important moment of the life of Christ,
Felt it necessary to take a moment and reveal this scene.
WHY?
By now you should know that the goal certainly WASN’T to embarrass Peter.
Luke has gone out of his way to spare the disciples any unnecessary shame.
• Luke didn’t talk about how John wanted to sit on Jesus’ right and left.
• Luke didn’t talk about how Jesus said they would all run from Him.
• Luke alone mentioned that Jesus commended the 11 for sticking with Him in
His trials.
• Luke didn’t mention the 3 times Jesus found them sleeping (only once)
• Luke didn’t mention that they all ran away in the garden
• Luke didn’t name Peter as the infamous sword swinger
Luke has been very CAREFUL NOT TO cast the disciples
In an overly negative light, and yet here it is.
EVEN LUKE INCLUDES THE DENIAL OF PETER.
I refer to it as “The Trial of Peter”
If you’ve read the gospel accounts of the suffering of Christ
Then you know that JESUS IS NOT THE ONLY ONE ON TRIAL HERE.
Oh sure, He stands before Annas and Caiaphas and the elders and Pilate and Herod and Pilate again and the mob, but Jesus is not the only one on trial.
Read John’s gospel
• Pilate is clearly the one who is on trial.
• He tries to do everything he can to get rid of Jesus without having to make a ruling on Him, but even Jesus won’t help him out.
• Pilate is forced to decide what to do with Jesus, and he chooses wrongly.
The same is true for the chief priests, Herod, and the crowd.
AND IT IS ALSO TRUE FOR PETER.
This morning, Peter is on trial.
And in that sense, Peter serves as a contrast to Christ.
You’ve already seen Luke use the disciples in this way once.
• Earlier in the upper room the disciples were arguing about who was the
greatest, but Jesus emerges as a contrast.
Remember?
Luke 22:24-27 “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ “But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. “For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”
Remember how Luke showed us the greatness of Jesus by contrasting Him to the disciples.
• In that room, only Jesus was humbling Himself
• In that room, only Jesus was laying aside His glory for others
• In that room, only Jesus was serving at His own cost
Jesus is the great one.
Well Luke does a similar thing here
When he includes this failure of Peter.
Where Peter is failing, Jesus is succeeding.
Both men are being simultaneously interrogated.
• Jesus is being interrogated at the hands of the Jewish elders and High Priests
• Peter is being interrogated by a couple of servant girls
• Jesus remains resolute and does not waiver.
• Peter falls to pieces.
The scene is the living embodiment of what Paul wrote to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
So we are seeing yet again that Jesus is doing for the disciples
What they could not and would not do for themselves.
Well, let’s work our way through the text, and hopefully by the end of it, you will have an even greater understanding as to why you need Christ.
We’ll break the text down into 3 points.
#1 PETER’S SELF-CONFIDENCE
Luke 22:54-55
The outline here refers to Peter throughout, but do not make the mistake of thinking the story is primarily about Peter, it is not.
Peter’s denial is merely used to further the greater story about Jesus.
LUKE ISN’T talking all about Jesus and just all of a sudden
Had some weird decision to take a break in the narrative
And talk about dangers of self-confidence or principles of humility.
No, Luke is continuing the story of Jesus.
And this story is included as a fitting backdrop
And contrast to the coming trial of Jesus.
And it begins with Peter’s self-confidence.
(54-55) “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.”
Now this would not be significant if it weren’t for the fact that
Jesus has spoken extensively to Peter about what is going on.
Jesus had warned Peter that he was about to be sifted (22:31)
How did Peter respond? HE ARGUED
Luke 22:33 “But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
Jesus had warned the disciples about the coming dangers. Remember the sell your coat and get a sword warning? (22:36)
But the disciples clearly MISUNDERSTOOD
Luke 22:51 “But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.”
Jesus had told the disciples to pray that they might not enter temptation (22:40)
But the disciples IGNORED IT and were sleeping.
Luke 22:45-46 “When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
All of that is self-confidence and arrogance.
Peter especially has adamantly proclaimed
That he is stronger than the Lord said he is.
That’s pretty self-confident.
• When you reach the point where you can tell the Lord that you are stronger than He thinks you are…
• When you reach the point where you think the Lord needs your deliverance…
• When you reach the point where you don’t think you need to pray…
And when you reach the point where you are willing to go into a situation
That the Lord has already told you that you can’t handle…
YOU ARE OVER THE TOP IN YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE.
That was Peter.
Here he was, following Jesus right into the lion’s den.
“Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest;”
I don’t want to deviate from Luke too much,
But I do think there is value in laying out the full scene.
If you read Matthew’s gospel,
You are continually confronted with what might be considered the injustice of Jesus’ trial.
There were laws, Jewish laws that meticulously spelled out how a Jewish trial must be handled (go listen to the Matthew sermons)
Things like:
• Couldn’t hold a trial in the middle of a feast
• Couldn’t trial a criminal at night
• False witnesses must suffer the fate of the one they seek to condemn
• Cannot force the accused to testify
• Must wait 3 days to pass sentence
• Any acquitting evidence immediately nullifies the trial
• And there’s a lot more.
Matthew just wants you to see that even by Jewish standards
The conviction of Jesus was a corrupt farce.
I simply want to remind you that by arresting Jesus
And taking Him at night to the house of the high priest,
They are breaking many of their own laws.
This is a setup.
They are stacking the deck against Him.
But let me show you how it all played out.
So Luke says “they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest;”
That would be the house of Caiaphas, he was high priest that year.
Now, as they reached the house, you remember
• That John was known to the priest and he was able to enter, but John had to speak on Peter’s behalf to get him in the gate.
John 18:12-16 “So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people. Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.”
It appears that there is a bit of a discrepancy because in John’s gospel
We find out that they “led Him to Annas first”
REMEMBER Annas had been high priest, and then each of his sons had been high priest and now Caiaphas his son-in-law was high priest.
I like to call Annas the Jewish godfather.
He ran the Jewish mafia so to speak.
Caiaphas was currently the priest, but Annas was in charge.
And so when they take Jesus to the house of Caiaphas,
Annas intercepts the transport in the courtyard
And he is the first to take a shot at Jesus.
And you read that account in John 18
John 18:19-24 “The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. “Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.” When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”
So after that impromptu trial Jesus is taken into the house
Where Caiaphas and many elders are there to try Jesus again.
That is the trial you read about in Matthew and Mark.
Matthew 26:59-66 “Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.'” The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!”
So Jesus has already been tried twice.
From there however, they have to make the trial appear legal because all of this has been done under the cloak of darkness.
• So early Friday morning, they take Jesus out of Caiaphas’ house,
• Back through the courtyard,
• And they take Jesus to what Luke calls the “council chamber”
• This was a bogus and sham trial, meant only for the optics where they again ran Jesus through the ringer just to try and make a sham trial appear legal.
That is the trial you read about in:
Luke 22:66-71 “When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask a question, you will not answer. “But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD.” And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”
And following that, they lead Jesus on to Pilate to try and have Him killed.
So it is quite a night for Jesus.
3 times He is confronted and 3 times He holds His ground.
(You are already picking up on the contrast)
WELL, HERE IS PETER.
He has followed where he ought not to have gone
Since the Lord already told him that he was prime for sifting
And that he could not handle the coming temptation.
But Peter has followed anyway.
And by the time we get to verse 55
Peter is in the courtyard while Jesus is on trial.
(55) “After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.”
He obviously thinks he is able to handle
What Jesus had told him he could not.
It is self-confidence and you already know that pride comes before a fall.
The warning of Paul rings in our ears:
1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”
Well, there is Peter’s self-confidence
#2 PETER’S DOCUMENTED COLLAPSE
Luke 22:56-60
“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.”
THERE IS STRIKE ONE.
Let me give you more context.
John 18:16-17 “but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
This denial happened right off the bat.
At the point of this denial, Jesus was also in the courtyard
Being addressed by Annas that Jewish mafia leader.
Remember that was the one where Annas didn’t like Jesus’ tone so he ordered one of the officers to punch Jesus in the mouth?
So see the scene?
• Jesus is before Annas; Peter is before a servant girl
• Jesus is being punched in the mouth; Peter is being looked at intently.
• Jesus remains faithful, Peter fails.
And then at this point, as I told you,
They haul Jesus up into Caiaphas’ house where Peter is not allowed.
So Peter just stays out by the fire in the courtyard keeping warm.
(58) “A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man I am not!”
Incidentally, Mark reveals that the “another” here is another servant girl.
Mark 14:69-70 “The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!”
It is obvious that her announcement triggered the attention of the men sitting around which explains why Peter said, “Man I am not!”
But again the point.
• Jesus is up in Caiaphas’ house being accused and tried by the Sanhedrin; Peter is again being accused by a servant girl.
• Jesus is facing a jury of Jewish elders; Peter is facing a jury of common men.
• Jesus is facing false witnesses raised up against Him; Peter is facing one true witness.
And again Jesus stands his ground and Peter caves.
THAT WAS STRIKE TWO.
And then we come to the third.
(59-60) “After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was 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.”
“After about an hour had passed” gives us indication as to how long Jesus was in Caiaphas’ house getting falsely accused.
• But now that trial is over and it is nearly morning (hence the rooster)
• Since it is almost daylight they’re taking Jesus back through the courtyard
• To His 3rd trial, which is that phony one meant to look legitimate.
And as Jesus is passing through we get Peter’s 3rd chance.
“Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” But Peter said, “man, I do not know what you are talking about.”
John’s gospel says that this 3rd accuser was actually a relative of the man whose ear Peter had just cut off.
John 18:26 “One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”
That means that this could very well be one of the arresting officers,
Now leading Jesus to the next trial is identifying Peter.
The sun is coming up, things are clearing up, and one of the officers actually says “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”
This is a bit more serious than the previous two confrontations.
Two slave girls is one thing, but now we have a guy with some clout.
But Peter isn’t taking any chances and says “man, I do not know what you are talking about.”
Now, again Luke is gracious to Peter.
Matthew reveals:
Matthew 26:73-74 “A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!”
“curse and swear” doesn’t mean Peter started cussing.
It means Peter started saying things like, “May God strike me dead if I’m lying” or “I swear on my own health”, etc.
He was calling down curses on himself in order to prove he was telling the truth.
THAT IS STRIKE THREE
While Jesus is being hauled for one more trial, Peter has his 3rd.
And again, where Jesus stands strong, Peter fails.
His great confidence has collapsed.
Peter wasn’t nearly as strong as he thought he was.
And we read those famous words:
“Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.”
• Peter is giving it everything he has to prove he is innocent
• And defend his lie that he doesn’t know Jesus
• And the only one competing with him to be heard was that pesky rooster in the background.
And the words of Jesus are fulfilled.
Incidentally, many have said that since that day
That the rooster has become a symbol in the church of repentance.
Since this rooster would signify Peter’s failure, lead to his bitter weeping, repentance, and restoration by the Lord.
So the next time you lay in bed and hear a rooster crow
Just consider it a message from God that you need to repent.
(Or at least roll ever and remind your wife that she needs to)
But you see that Peter has blown it.
Jesus is succeeding, Peter is failing.
Peter’s Self-Confidence; Peter’s Documented Collapse
#3 PETER’S CRUSHING COMPREHENSION
Luke 22:61-62
No words are here spoken, but I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest
That this was the loudest sermon Peter ever heard.
“The Lord turned and looked at Peter.”
The timing of Peter’s third denial was divinely orchestrated
While Peter is speaking, the rooster is crowing.
While the rooster is crowing, Jesus and Peter make eye contact
I don’t what the look was.
• Was it the look your dad gave you when you messed up big?
• Was it the look your wife gives you when she “told you so”?
• Was it the look your grandma gave you when you were hurt?
I tend to think there was probably a look of compassion there.
A “Yes you blew it, but I still love you” look.
I don’t know.
But I do know what that look brought to Peter’s mind.
“And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
As soon as Peter made eye-contact with Jesus
He immediately remembered that arrogant argument
He had the night before.
Luke 22:33-34 “But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
I’ll go to prison with You Jesus!
I’ll die with You Jesus!
Well here was Jesus, in the hands of His arrestors, on His way to death
And Peter was given the opportunity by one of the officers
To join the team and Peter ran from it with everything he had.
(62) “And he went out and wept bitterly.”
Why did he weep?
• Certainly in part because of what was happening to Jesus.
• Luke told us how in the garden that they were “sleeping from sorrow”.
The greater portion of Peter’s weeping had to do with the fact that Peter had just been slammed against his own weakness.
Peter just got an honest look at Peter.
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
Peter had just been laid open by the sword of God’s word.
James says that God’s word is like a mirror which a man looks into.
Peter had just been given a good look.
More than the coming death of Jesus,
Peter is weeping about the crushing death of Peter.
PETER WAS JUST PUT ON TRIAL before Christ and before God
And it was revealed to him that HE WAS NOT ENOUGH.
Humility is often a painful lesson to learn.
Pride is a hard enemy to kill and it typically takes a crushing blow to take it down.
And I’m NOT SUGGESTING that Peter was lost
And just reach a point of awareness of that fact.
• Peter was already aware that he needed Christ.
• Peter had already confessed Jesus as the Son of God.
• As Luke pointed out, Peter had been standing with Jesus in His trials.
But even the redeemed need their pride crushed.
Even the redeemed need to learn meekness.
Even the saved sometimes learn humility the hard way.
Peter was just reacquainted with the total inadequacy of Peter.
AND IT BROKE HIM.
It is painful when you lose that one thing
You thought made you better than the rest.
Peter had always been able to count on his boldness and strength.
Who was it that jumped out of the boat to walk on the water? Peter
Who was it that wielded the sword to take on the army arresting Jesus? Peter
When Peter told Jesus that even if all the rest fall away, he never would, PETER REALLY BELIEVED THAT.
EXPERIENCE had taught him that when the adrenaline hit
He had way more fight than flight in him.
EXPERIENCE had taught him that when others ran, he stood his ground.
• He was tough
• He was strong
• He was resilient
• He was unafraid
And sadly Peter had begun to rely upon that.
And the fact is that Peter could not save himself by his own strength.
It was a hard but necessary lesson.
Now let’s look at this in perhaps a different light than you are accustomed.
If we go back to those two great realities of Jesus:
His ACTIVE and PASSIVE Obedience.
• That active obedience being the righteousness He earned for us through His actively obeying the Law.
• That passive obedience being the wrath He bore for us through His enduring the cross.
Now, we are well-aware that we need the righteousness of Jesus.
We have often quoted Isaiah:
Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
And I would tell you that Peter knew that.
Peter knew he wasn’t righteous enough to stand before God.
In fact, the first time Peter was confronted with the deity of Jesus, what did he say?
Luke 5:8 “But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
Peter knew he needed Jesus for righteousness.
We know that.
We know about our inability to be righteous before God and that we need Christ.
But do you also know this:
Do you also know about your inability endure judgment?
Apparently Peter didn’t.
• Peter thought he could stand anything.
• Peter thought he could take it no matter how bad it was.
And what did he learn?
HE COULDN’T.
Peter already knew he wasn’t good enough.
Today he learned he wasn’t strong enough.
WHO WAS? Christ.
Only Christ was righteous and Only Christ could withstand the judgment.
Do you see why you need Him?
Only He can do what is required.
• Only He was righteous enough to satisfy the requirement of a holy God.
• Only He was strong enough to endure the judgment of a just God.
You are not.
I am not.
Peter was not.
WE NEED CHRIST
And it goes far beyond even goodness or strength.
There are other things people trust in about themselves that they shouldn’t.
• Are you smart enough to get to heaven without Jesus?
• Are you successful enough..?
• Are you a good enough negotiator..?
• Are you faithful enough..?
• Are you pious enough..?
• Are you rich enough..?
Whatever it is, the answer is: NO
Look, Peter wasn’t the only one to ever learn that lesson.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul came to the end of himself as well.
And the truth is simple.
Until you come to the end of yourself
You will never trust or glorify Christ as He deserves.
Here Luke (as did the other gospel writers)
Laid Jesus beside the strongest disciple in the bunch,
And it wasn’t even close.
1. Jesus is the greatest…
2. Jesus is the strongest…
And you need Him because you cannot endure what He endured.
• Have you ever humbled yourself and run to Jesus?
• Have you ever come face to face with your own filth or weakness?
• Have you run to Jesus for what He alone can do on your behalf?
You must if you are to be saved.
But even as those who are redeemed.
• Do you see your continual need for Christ?
• As the hymnist said, “I need Thee every hour…”
Peter would learn that wouldn’t he?
And the good news, the Lord forgave Peter.
The Lord restored Peter.
Remember the rest of that statement from Jesus that was made to Peter?
Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Kind of ironic that the message of Jesus to Peter was
“strengthen your brothers”
Well after this night, whose strength do you think Peter talked about?
It wasn’t his own was it?
HIS HUMILITY LED HIM TO THE GLORY OF CHRIST.
I just want you church to see how badly you need Christ.
• Nothing you possess is of any quality compared to Him.
• Nothing you can do is of any worth compared to Him.
• Nothing you know…
• No ability you possess…
• No trade you have mastered…
It’s all worthless compared to Him.
It’s all a filthy garment.
You need Him in every facet of your life.
And so do I!
He is a great and strong Savior!
