Easter Through Peter’s Eyes
John 13:31-38,18:15-18,25-27,20 & 21:15-19
I was listening to a radio program about how the tragedy of September 11th had affected people’s behavior. They interviewed one woman who’s husband worked in the World Trade Towers. He was at a meeting in another site when the tragedy happened and was spared. She shared how they had had an argument that morning and had left each other with harsh words. She was so struck by the fact that if he had been at his desk, their last words to each other would have been in anger, not in love. She said that they agreed together to never leave each other on harsh terms, to work out issues when there is enough time. Since you never know what the day will bring, you never know which of your words to your partner will be your last.
You can imagine how Peter might have felt when the last words he spoke of Jesus before his death were that of denial.
Peter’s mouth was often getting him in trouble. He was great at saying the most blessed and the most stupid things in the same breath.
The Transfiguration – Mark 9:2-8 “Three Shrines!”
Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain. No one else was there. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance changed, 3and his clothing became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly process could ever make it. 4Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.
5"Teacher, this is wonderful!" Peter exclaimed. "We will make three shrines[1] --one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6He didn’t really know what to say, for they were all terribly afraid.
7Then a cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." 8Suddenly they looked around, and Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus was with them. 9As they descended the mountainside, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until he, the Son of Man, had risen from the dead. 10So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by "rising from the dead." - NLT
“You are the Christ!” – Mark 8:27-33
27Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
28"Well," they replied, "some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets."
29Then Jesus asked, "Who do you say I am?"
Peter replied, "You are the Messiah." 30But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31Then Jesus began to tell them that he, the Son of Man, would suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and three days later he would rise again. 32As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and told him he shouldn’t say things like that.
33Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and then said to Peter very sternly, "Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s." - NLT
“I will lay down my life for you!” – John 13:31-38
31As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me. 32And God will bring[5] me into my glory very soon. 33Dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me--just as I told the Jewish leaders. 34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
36Simon Peter said, "Lord, where are you going?"
And Jesus replied, "You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later."
37"But why can’t I come now, Lord?" he asked. "I am ready to die for you."
38Jesus answered, "Die for me? No, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me. - NLT
John 18:12-18, 25-27
This time it is very serious; instead of saying merely stupid things, out of fear, he denies that he even knows Jesus – the savior of his soul
After Jesus is arrested Peter and another disciple (most likely John) follow the mob to the High Priest for questioning. John is let in to the courtyard because he has connections, but Peter is left outside the door until John gets him allowed in. As he is walking through the door, the girl that let him in says “You are not one of his disciples are you?”
Peter replies “I am not”
It was a cold night, and so peter went and joined some others as they huddled around a fire, someone else sees him in the firelight and again asked, “You are not one of his disciples are you?”
Again Peter denied it saying “I am not!”
Then a cousin of the servant that Peter struck with the sword said, “Didn’t I see you in the olive grove?” And again Peter denied it – other accounts say he pulled out his fisherman’s talk and denied it with oaths and curses.
As soon as he says it, the rooster crows and Peter knows what he has done. Luke tells us that at the moment that the rooster crows Peter’s and Jesus’ eyes meet, Peter remembers what he said and runs out in tears.
Jesus is led away to be crucified, and all that Peter knows is that the last thing that his friend and lord ever heard him say was to swear that he never knew him.
But…
Jesus didn’t go to the cross because Peter denied him – Peter could have don little to stop Jesus’ death.
Jesus didn’t go to the cross because Judas betrayed him, or because the rulers hated him, or the crowd cried out “crucify him!” Jesus didn’t go to the cross because Pilate sent him there.
Jesus went to the cross because he is the Son of God. Our sins: the things that we do wrong in our lives, have kept us from the relationship with God that we were created to have. You can see this in Peter: his fearful denial of Jesus hurt their relationship – it put walls up between them that needed to dealt with.
The same thing happens to us when we do things that or wrong we hurt ourselves, and the people around us, but we also break our relationship with God our creator and father. In fact, our relationship is so broken that we deserve death for the things that we have done.
But God loves us so much that he is willing to take the punishment that we deserve upon himself. Through coming as a man in Jesus Christ, he chose, out of love, to go to the cross to pay for our sins.
This is the amazing thing – because Jesus chose to go to the cross and died for our sins, the power that death has over us has been broken
That is why Paul writes
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
"Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"
56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Jesus’ resurrection is the first sign that he has won the victory over death.
So… early on Sunday morning, after the Sabbath Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and she sees that the stone has been rolled away. She fears the worst and runs back to tell the disciples, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and John took off to see for themselves – they were running and John beats Peter to the tomb, John stands outside the tomb, but whe Peter gets there he rushes right it. They see that the burial clothes are there, with the cloth for his head folded neatly off to the side, and they too believe that Jesus’ body has been stolen.
But Jesus himself appears to Mary, and then that evening, when the disciples are gathered together, Jesus comes to them and says “peace be with you!” He shows them his hands and feet and they believe and rejoice that their Lord has risen from the dead.
You can imagine that Peter had mixed emotions – he would have been so glad that Jesus was risen, but there was this matter of the denial – their relationship could never be the same – he had let his friend down in his time of greatest need.
Jesus appeared to the disciples in a number of situations after this first encounter.
One of these times the disciples are out fishing and a man on shore calls out “catching anything?” they yell back “NO!” The guy on shore says Throw the nets on the right side of the boat!” They do, and they can’t pull the net in because it has so much fish! John, the astute one says “It’s the Lord!”
When Peter hears this he jumps in the water and swims to Jesus. The others row in and Jesus has some breakfast ready for them.
After breakfast Jesus asks "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
18Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.“
Peter denies Jesus three times, and Jesus asks him three times “Do you love me?”
It’s hard on Peter – it’s open heart surgery, but in the midst of it, Jesus communicates to peter his love and forgiveness for him.
And it is not just that he forgives Peter, he reinstates him to the place of leadership that he once held!
When Jesus went to the cross, he went there to pay for Peter’s sin, for my sin and for yours.
And when Jesus forgives our sin, he doesn’t say, “Alright, I forgive you, but it is second best for you for the rest of your life!” No, God doesn’t give us second best. He is so powerful and loving that he can take even the greatest failure in our lives and turn it around to give us blessing.
Have you ever denied Jesus in your life? Have you ever said, “no I don’t know him.” John was writing this gospel to churches who had people who had renounced Christ in them. They had been arrested, tortured, and threatened with death unless they renounced Jesus. And some did – they were released, and when they came back to the church, it was hard to know what to do with them –renouncing Jesus is pretty serious business for a people who believed that what we confess with our mouths has eternal ramifications. John writes this story to remind the churches that Even the leader of the church had renounces Jesus – and Jesus forgave him and restored him back into leadership. There is nothing that we can do that Jesus cannot forgive.
Maybe you’ve never denied Jesus with your words, but you have with your actions.
Paul describes some people this way in Titus 1:16
“They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”
Maybe you live like a practical atheist – you call yourself a Christian, but when Jesus presence doesn’t suit you because you want to act like you don’t know him at all, you set your faith aside for the time being, and deny Christ because if you truly loved him, you wouldn’t do these things.
How many times have you done that? Once? Three times? More?
As many times as you have denied Christ he is coming to you and asking you “Do you truly love me? … More than these?” and when we answer yes, he is ready, willing and desiring to forgive us, and remove the guilt and the shame of these things, and place us back in the position that he has for us!
There is nothing that we can do that cannot be covered by Jesus death on the cross. Not even denying him.
Do you want that forgiveness now, Jesus is here, and ready, all we need to say is, yes Lord I love you more than these things.
Maybe you feel like Jesus is coming to you for the first time, and he wants this relationship to begin. He wants to forgive you of the things that you are ashamed of, and take that shame and guilt away so that you can begin an eternal relationship with your creator.
Prayer for forgiveness & salvation
