Peter- Dismay in the Garden
Mark 14.22-42
Answer a question for me: How can you go from ‘I will never deny you, I will die for you, to ‘I don’t know him in less than 12 hours?’ That was Peter’s experience on that fateful night. How did it happen? What contributed to such a fall from the one whom Christ had named ‘Rock’? For just a moment listen to Peter:
How could it happen to me? How could I deny him after I promised, unlike the other disciples, I would never leave him? I mean I said I would die for him. How could it have happened to me? You know as a fisherman I look out and look forward to anticipate a coming storm. I put more ballast in the bottom of the boat when a storm is approaching so that we remain stable in the midst of the storm. Why did I not do the same in my life? Why did I not listen when Jesus told me that ‘satan wanted to sift me as wheat?’ I mean, he did not say that he was forbidden or prevented from sifting me. Jesus said that he prayed for me that I would not fall into temptation. I mean I should have listened, but I didn’t. And look what happened?
Do you just think that maybe that was the conversation had with himself, or others after this night recorded for us in each of the gospels? Well let us see what we can learn from this night in the life of Peter.
Context.
A few hours earlier Jesus had just celebrated the Passover with his 12 disciples. He had asked Peter to prepare the room and meal for the Passover. Jesus had broken bread and proclaimed that his body would be broken for them. He poured out wine and proclaimed that his blood would be poured out for them and for us. During the meal Jesus took off his outer garment and performed the task of the lowest slave in washing the disciples feet, including Judas, the one of whom he had predicted betrayal. Judas leaves the 12. He goes off into the darkness to betray Christ. Then Christ takes the other 11 to Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives and leaving 8 of them at the entrance he takes Peter, James and John on into the garden to pray. That is where we pick up the story again in verses 32-42.
Jesus Prays while the Disciples Sleep
Look at verses 32 following. Christ falls down under the weight of the sorrow in his soul at what is to come. He speaks to the disciples (verse34) of the agony, the trouble and the anguish of his soul and he requests that they ‘watch and pray.’ Mark tells us, from Peter’s eyewitness account, that the weight of sorrow upon Christ was so great he physically collapsed in prayer. Christ prays calling God ‘Abba’ (Father) – whereas Jews would use ‘Abinu’(our Father) when addressing God. At this moment in his life Christ desires that intimate personal relationship with His Father. He not only desires it he needs it to face what is to come. He cries out to his Father if there is any other way then let this cup pass from me – and yet he concludes with humble submission and obedience. Genuine obedience is not doing what we want but submitting to the last thing in the world we would do. The prayerful obedience of Christ made the cross possible. When Christ returns he finds the three disciples asleep and yet it is Peter whom he addresses. Why just Peter? Could it be because of his insistence on following Christ even to death? Possibly because Peter is the one Christ has identified as the leader of the 12. Whatever the reason you can hear the disappointment in the voice of Christ as he challenges Peter – read verse 37. You can also hear the urgency in his voice as he warns Peter in verse 38. Yet to no avail – because on two further occasions they are asleep again. On the second occasion they are at least embarrassed enough not to speak – verse 40. Luke tells us that when he came back the third time Peter and the other disciples were ‘exhausted with sorrow.’ On this occasion Jesus speaks ‘Enough! the hour has come.’ The word ‘enough’ there means ‘the bill is settled’ or ‘it is established.’ At the beginning of the gospel Christ had said ‘the time is near’ now he says ‘the hour has arrived.’ They were to watch for the coming of Judas and the soldiers – instead it is Christ anticipates them and hears them coming. He tells them it is time to go for the hour of my death has arrived. Here is the betrayer and the soldiers come to arrest me. Would they go with him? So far and then they will flee and desert him. So that is the account of Gethsemane – but what do we learn from Peter that can benefit us spiritually this morning? Well let me take a few moments to share with you why Peter fell.
Self-Confidence.
I believe one of the lessons we learn from Peter here is the danger of being confident in your own abilities and spiritual strength. In Peter’s life this allowed pride to enter into his heart and it led to him failing his Lord. Look at verses 29-31. Peter is so confident here. In fact he sets himself up above the other disciples – ‘even if all fall away, I will not.’ Pride is a subtle sin because it feeds on our good points. Pride was the downfall of satan – read Ezekiel 28.17. Peter had forgotten Proverbs 4.23 – which warns us to guard our hearts because it is the wellspring of our very lives. Peter never guarded his heart that night and he disappointed his Lord. Peter was over-confident in his own ability. He was also concerned with his own spiritual position. Do you remember the incident of the disciples disputing who was greatest in the kingdom of God? Or their refusal to wash one another’s feet that night? Peter, unlike his Lord, had forgotten his need of the Father. He had become puffed up in his own position and ability. Listen to what he would write years later – Read 1 Peter 5.5-7.
Some of you here this morning are right where Peter was that night. You are a follower of Christ but pride and I would dare to say arrogance has entered your spirit and you are relying on your own abilities to get you through. Friends your Gethsemane is right a around the corner – satan has asked to sift you as wheat and the Lord prays that you do not fall into temptation. But as sure as Peter failed because he was Self-confident so will you. Some in here are closer to denying Christ than you ever dreamed possible.
Lack of Prayer.
The second glaring problem in Peter’s life that night was lack of prayer. No prayer led to no power when the temptation came. Peter slept when he should have been praying. Isn’t it amazing that the example they had been set for three years was prayer, prayer and prayer again. Before every event in his life Christ prayed. Now at the greatest moment of testing he prays. Christ prays for them and they fail to stay awake. How could they sleep at this moment? But that is exactly what they did. The words Christ spoke to them should have made a difference but it didn’t. Friends we are no different this morning. Some of us pray just enough to feel spiritual but not enough to be empowered for the time of testing. Peter was not alert and the truth is neither are we. So lack of prayer led to failure.
You know one of the good things about HT is that people pray for me, for Jack, for everything that happens here. We pray before the service begins in the vestry, the music group pray before they play, all the organisations pray before they begin, prayer is the lifeblood of this church – and one of the reasons God blesses us so.
Human Effort.
When Peter wakens and sees the soldiers and Judas he races forward drawing his sword and lops off an earlobe of Malchus. Luke, the doctor, gives us the forensic insight into the fact it was an earlobe and not an ear which Peter cut off. It would appear Peter was trying to cut the throat of Malchus. Friends Peter was sharpening the wrong sword. When he awoke it turned immediately to physical strength because he had no spiritual strength. He had no spiritual resources or reserves and it was to the natural that he turned in this situation. Peter failed and disappointed his Lord because he had no spiritual strength to meet this time of trial and testing. Friends some of you are right there this morning. When trial and testing comes, as it will, you have no spiritual resources or reserves to meet the moment. The result of lack of prayer and self-confidence, self-reliance is that you rely on human effort and it will fail you.
Peer Pressure
Peter ran away with the other 11 disciples. He took the path of least resistance. Look at Mark 14.50 – they fled. They did not drift away nor walk away. They fled, they ran away. In fact one of them is so frightened he flees naked into the night. Friends when the time of testing comes and you have no spiritual strength because of lack of prayer and self-confidence you will take the path of least resistance. You will bow to peer pressure and you will flee, deserting the Lord.
Followed at a distance
Yet Peter follows the Lord and that leads to a further failure on his part, his denial which Jack will deal with next Sunday. Peter followed Jesus after his arrest. He followed close enough to assuage his guilt but not close enough to be identified with Christ. Close enough to touch but not to be touched. Some of you are in that position this morning. You follow at a distance. You follow close enough to make you feel spiritual and to assuage your guilt but not close enough to be identified with Christ. Close enough to be warmed by a fire whilst a few metres away your Lord is being beaten and spat upon. Close enough to hear his cries, to hear the mocking but not close enough to be caught up and identified with Him.
Peter never received any blessing from following at a distance and neither will you.
Failure is never final.
Friends it would be doom and gloom for me to end at the list of failures on Peter’s part. I want us to take great comfort and encouragement this morning from the fact that failure with Christ is never final. We have looked at a moment of failure on the part of Peter. He failed to watch and pray. He ran away, deserting the one he said he would die for. Yet this same Peter would be one of the founding fathers of the Christian church. This same Peter would be gloriously restored by Christ after the resurrection. Failure is never final with Christ. This morning you may be about to face your Gethsemane, you may even be in the midst of your Gethsemane. Learn from Peter – by doing the very things he failed to do – watch and pray.
There are some people here who are willing to pray with you if you need prayer for something. Or if you need some encouragement or advice about prayer then come and talk to us – none of us are experts and none of us have all the answers – but we can and we want to encourage you in your prayer life.
Amen.
