The Disciple Peter - Slip Leads To Slide - Part 3 Of 4 Series

THE DISCIPLE PETER - SLIP LEADS TO SLIDE - PART 3 OF 4

THE CHARACTERS IN JOHN’S GOSPEL

UNINTENTIONAL FAILURE --- SLIP LEADS TO SLIDE --- FAILED BY MY OWN WORDS -- WHY DID HE STAY?

John 18 v 10 “Simon Peter therefore having a sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his right ear, and the slave’s name was Malchus. John 18:11 Jesus therefore said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath. The cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

We come to a most solemn passage in John’s gospel, a passage Peter’s friend and fellow worker, John, must have been pained to recall and write down. No one likes his or her failures to be written out, and least of all, by your closest friend, but John did so as he was led by the Holy Spirit to do. It was written out for the whole world to know, now for 1 900 years, like it just won’t go away. The same things can be said about David’s great failure that has been detailed for 3 000 years. David and Peter are two of the greatest characters in the bible, so why did God choose to expose these men with shame and failure? Why not just omit that from the scriptures? It is important to look at that question, and not just sweep it under the carpet. God has included these events in the bible for our instruction. Do you remember what Paul wrote about the scriptures? 2Timothy 3 v 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, 2Tim 3:17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. The bible is our instruction book. The fact that the great men can slip and fail, is encouragement for us who also slip and fail. What if the great bible heroes were all perfect? Well it would look pretty terrible for all of us. Take instruction and encouragement from these great men.

Can you picture there a chapter in the manual called “What to learn from failure”? I wonder how many pointers we could give for that chapter. Just think for a moment, “What can we learn from failure?” I wonder if you got any of these:-

1. Failure needs not be permanent. Repentance leads to forgiveness.

2. God is gracious in failure and leads us to repentance.

3. Failure is on the list for everyone of us.

4. God often uses another person in our failure to stand by us.

5. Failure happens when we least expect it.

6. The stronger we think we are, the more likely we are to fail.

“O Jesus I have promised to serve Thee till the end”, and yet we fail to serve.

“I will love Thee in life; I will love Thee in death”, yet our love grows cold.

With that short introduction we are going to move to the most regrettable episode of Peter’s life. Regrettable, because he did not want it to happen that way, but Peter did not mention it ever in any writings or discourse of his, so he climbed up from failure to the heights of service for his Lord. Let us look at the verses in John, 18 v 14-27.

John 18 v 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people. John 18:15 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, John 18:16 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 in Peter. John 18:17 The slave-girl therefore who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”

Almost without thinking, it slipped out. He did not mean to say that. It seemed an automatic reaction to the question, but he had said it and could not retract it, for to do so would throw doubt on his character and put him in a real confused mess. We are going to look into the passage more. Caiaphas, the high priest was not of God. He was false. If he was true he would have recognised Jesus as the Messiah but he was opposed to the Lord. He was a slippery snake who slithered between political factions but never doing what was right; a crawling cockroach going from one place to another. His advice that it was better for one man to die on behalf of the people, had absolutely nothing to do with the Lord being a Substitute for the nation or the world. He counselled to get rid of Jesus to keep the peace and to appease the Romans and to make it easier for himself. He was as slippery as the slippery politicians are today.