Hearing the Rooster Before it Crows
By Rev. Dan Mahan
Luke 22:60 But Peter said, "I don’t know what you are talking about." And as soon as he said these words, the rooster crowed.
There’s a commercial I really like on television. Have you seen it? It’s a Chevy commercial. The sun is rising and the rooster jumps on the fence rail to do its morning duty. However, when it opens its beak to crow, no arousing “Cock-a-doodle-doo” comes out. Instead, a weak squawk is what pops out of his mouth. The rooster tries several times, but to no avail. It reminds me of your pastor during sermons sometimes. I open my mouth to boldly proclaim His word, and there’s no voice! I know how it feels to lose your voice during important duties! It’s panic-time for the rooster. He starts looking around frantically. Finally, he spies something across the barnyard. He scurries over and flies into the open window of a Chevy Monte Carlo. Then he starts pounding his beak against the car horn—waking up the neighborhood to the sound of honking instead of crowing.
In society today, you see warnings everywhere you look. You find warnings on medicine bottles, food labels and on cigarette packages. We have traffic warnings. You see warnings on television ads. Have you ever noticed how the ads for prescriptions drugs have more words warning about the product than words promoting its benefits and uses!. We even have warnings on cups of coffee we buy at fast food places, letting us know—because some apparently do not realize it-that the hot coffee you are drinking is indeed “HOT”! The Christian comedian Mark Lowry says that he wishes that all mothers had warning lights on the back of their heads, that starts blinking 5 seconds before mom has “had enough”. He said you can make a lot of tracks in 5 seconds.
These warnings tell us what to do and what not to do. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a warning signal before we said something or before we did something. Don’t you wish at times that you had a warning light telling you “don’t say that” or “don’t do that” BEFORE you did say or do it.
I wonder if Peter felt that way after he had denied Jesus. Before Christ’s death, Peter vowed; “Lord, I will die for you!” But Jesus’ answer to Peter was a warning, found in Luke 22: 34: “Peter, let me tell you something. The rooster will not crow tomorrow morning until you have denied three times that you even know me.” Now, it is amazing to me that Peter, the man of questions before, had none for Christ that day. Peter did not ask, “How? What do you mean, Jesus? What can I do to prevent it?” No, Peter’s only response was “I will die first, Lord before I would do that.” Now, Peter had been around Jesus for 3 years. He saw the miracles Jesus had performed. He saw the power that Jesus had over illnesses, nature, demons, even death. He had been there when Jesus had read people’s minds, told them what they were thinking. He had heard Jesus pronounce what would happen in the future. Peter himself had proclaimed in Matt 16:16. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” You would think Peter would realize Jesus knew what he was talking about. You would think Peter would have taken Jesus’ warning more seriously than what he appeared to have done. “Take heed. Watch out, Peter.” But Christ’s words of warning to Peter went unheeded.
After Jesus’ arrest; Peter followed the crowd from the garden to the house of Calaphas, the high priest. Jesus was brought inside. But in the courtyard outside, we find solders, servants, and the religious leaders. There were passersby like Peter, waiting to see what would happen to this man Jesus. Peter was admitted through the gate. It was dark, perhaps he thought no one would recognize him in the darkness. Peter knew that he was in enemy territory, but he thought the darkness would protect him. He walks past servant-girls to stand by a fire in courtyard to get warm. But suddenly one servant girl exclaims “YOU were with him”. Peter was shocked. Somehow she had connected him to Jesus. The accusation by the servant girl was unexpected. Peter was totally unprepared. He used the same old dodge that are kids often use when we address them about something they have done:“ I don’t know what you’re talking about” “No, it wasn’t me. I don’t know who it was.” Repeatedly when I asked my kids who had done something, I would get the line “I don’t know.” I use to tell my children “if I eve got my hands on “I don’t know”, he is not going to be able to sit down for a week!”.
I wonder if Peter thought “well, that’s one. I need to watch it! I’ll try to do better.” No, apparently, it didn’t even register with him that he had one strike against him. Peter turned to leave, when a second servant girl yells “he’s one of them.” “I don’t know the man”, Peter responds. Peter is in trouble. He is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is under enemy fire, but yet he stays. Peter hangs around. Sometime later, Jesus’ interview is over and they are moving him to another location. As they do so, a more hostile voice exclaims “Didn’t I see you in the olive grove?” Now, John tells us in his gospel, John 18: 10,that it was Peter that drew the sword and cut off the ear of the high Priest’s servant. Peter was not some bystander in the darkness during Jesus arrest. He made this bold act and yet when accused of being in the olive grove, he says, “Uh-huh, it wasn’t me. “ Peter began to curse, “I don’t know him, leave me alone”. As the “foul” words came out of Peter’s mouth, another “fowl” sound could be heard—the sound of a rooster crowing. And Luke tells us that when it crowed, Jesus turned to look at Peter, as if to say “Peter I warned you this would happen and you didn’t believe me.” Peter wept bitterly. Peter heard the rooster crow and I am sure that it was a sound that he would always remember. In Galilee in those days, people had roosters. All of his life, Peter had heard the sound of roosters crowing. It was a familiar sound to him-as familiar as an alarm clock buzzer to us. Peter had heard this sound thousands of times. But it was this one rooster, this one time, that would be the crow he would always remember. Poor Peter. I am sure this sound haunted him the rest of his life.
The time to hear the rooster is before it crows. I wish I had a warning every morning that would tell me “Today you need to……….or need not to…” “Today, beware of this……..or that.” “Avoid this today……” “Today this is going to happen. so be prepared to do the right thing.” “Today you will be tempted to do this. Watch out for the rooster crow.”
If only we had such warnings. I wonder if Peter thought each time he heard a rooster crow, “Why did I do that? . Jesus tried to warn me, yet I did it anyway.” Have you ever thought that way? Why did I do this or why did I do that?I wish I’d thought that through first. I wish had done things differently. Oh, if only I had not said that, but the words just popped out of my mouth.
We don’t have any such warnings-- or do we? The way to avoid sin or that temptation is to flee, run away as fast as you can! What if Peter had avoided that place of temptation that day? What if he had recognized his weaknesses?. If Peter had avoided the places where he might fall, he would have limited those opportunities to falter.
We need to develop own roosters or reminders. Peter couldn’t carry a rooster around with him every where he went. There is another tv commercial I love. It is a McDonald’s ad. A man keeps oversleeping and is repeatedly late for work. So he buys a rooster to get him up in the mornings. The ad shows him sitting up on the bed and saying “Now I’m up really early.” But that’s not a bad thing. because he discovered McDonald’s breakfasts. The ad shows him in the car, going to McDonalds for breakfast, with the rooster sitting in the car beside him. He brings the rooster with him. Bring your roosters with you. Develop your own reminders to be alert to making the right choices- a cross on your neck or in pocket, a plaque on your desk. Perhaps even a rooster sitting on your kitchen cabinet. Let these items remind you to be the alert—to be on guard.
Start your morning in prayer. In the Garden, Peter was told by Christ to pray to avoid temptation, but Peter didn’t spend the time in prayer, did he? Instead Jesus found Peter and the others sleeping. Instead of praying, Peter was snoozing. Instead of waking early for a time of prayer, we often hit that snooze alarm again, don’t we? Snoozing instead of praying. Prayer should be the first thing we do each and every morning. Pray to avoid temptation. Pray for guidance. There is a morning prayer Darlene and I have on our fridge. It is the Tweety-Bird prayer. It shows a picture of Tweety-Bird and the prayer reads: “Dear Lord, So far to day, I’m doing all right. I haven’t gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or self-indulgent. I haven’t complained, cursed, or eaten any chocolate… But I will be getting out of bed in a few minutes, and I think that I will really need your help then, Lord!”
We do not know what the day will hold. Pray for wisdom and strength to handle the things of the day in the way Christ would handle them. Seek Christ’s help. Peter didn’t ask Jesus to help him. ”How Lord? What can I do? Help me to avoid doing this thing.” Ask Christ’s help. Pray that you won’t deny Christ by your words, attitudes, or actions. We don’t know what the day will bring. The unexpected occurs. There will be times in our day when we will feel tired, afraid, or weary. It is during those times when we are the most vulnerable to fail Christ. So be prepared.
The time to hear the rooster is before it crows.
Prayer
Invitation:
Have you failed Christ in your words, attitudes and actions this week. Ask Christ to forgive
you. Ask His help in the week ahead. When Peter did hear the rooster crow, he didn’t ignore it. He realized his fault, & he repented. Christ forgave Peter, & He promises to forgive us too!
If you are not a Christian today, Christ has given you a warning. You don’t know what tomorrow may bring. You may not get that second chance Accept his gift of salvation and forgiveness today.
The words of our invitation hymn reads “Time after time, He has waited before and now He is waiting again.” How many times will the rooster crow before you will respond? Don’t delay. Heed the call today. Come as we stand and sing #321 The Savior is Waiting.”
