Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

This month we are going to spend some time discussing the prediction of Peter's denial, the denial itself and finally the aftermath of the denial. All four gospel accounts discuss this story line and tell us about the confrontational back and forth between Jesus and Peter as Jesus tells His followers that they are going to stumble. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Well, hello, and listen, uh, thank you for listening to the Cultivating Growth Podcast. We are at the beginning of another month, the beginning of another theme, another subject. And this time we're gonna be looking at the pages of the New Testament, specifically at a character in the New Testament, one that a lot of you will be familiar with, the Apostle Peter. But we're gonna kind of hone in on a not so great moment in the life of Peter, specifically the events surrounding his denial of Jesus when Jesus was arrested and going to the cross. So we'll spend some time talking about first in this episode kind of Jesus' prediction and kind of the foretelling of that event. Next week, we'll spend some time talking about the denial itself. In week number three, we'll talk about the aftermath of the denial, maybe spending some time towards the end of the Gospel of John. And then week number four, we will have a guest in, and we'll spend some time talking about all of those things once again together. And I'm really looking forward to not just this specific topic, but even this conversation. So let's get right to it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Well, Jeremy, you mentioned that we're gonna be talking this month about the Apostle Peter and his denial of Jesus and the events that surround that. We're gonna talk today specifically about Jesus predicting the denial that Peter will ultimately partake in. And I found it interesting and telling that all four gospel writers record uh this conversation that Jesus has with Peter as they talk about this impending denial. And all four gospel writers make a point to showcase just how against this Peter was. And that creates a very interesting conversation and an interesting dynamic between Jesus and the Apostle Peter. Peter is one of those apostles that has been in Jesus' inner circle throughout his ministry. He has been with him at some of the most uh crucial moments of Jesus' ministry and his time on earth, and someone who will ultimately play a major role in the spreading of the gospel after Jesus' ascension back up into heaven. But there but there is this time period in his uh walk with Jesus where he is really gonna struggle with how to deal with uh people uh that are against and opposed to Jesus and what he stands for and those who are with him. And Jesus is going to try to help him by offering some words in advance of that. And so we're gonna talk about some of that. I uh we kind of talked about at the outset. Maybe we start in uh Mark's account. We'll also talk about John's account because John kind of helps with the timeline of these things. This conversation is happening just hours before Jesus is on the cross. I mean, it's right at the end of everything, and that even adds to the weight and to the emotion of the conversation that takes place between these two.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Well, it's not a conversation that he's going to forget. I think you're right on. Especially John's gospel really, really helps with this when Jesus foretells that this is going to take place. So we'll get into that specific conversation here in just a moment. We're not days or weeks or months or years where you know something happens and Peter's like, oh, that seems familiar. We are hours away from the exact same, you know, thing that Jesus said was going to happen, you know, is going to happen. And I I think a lot of ways, just by kind of real life kind of application, it's it's so easy to, you know, read text like this and even to get to his actual denial, which we talk about we'll talk about more next week, and to really be throwing stones at Peter. And it's very easy to play the you know, not me card. I mean, if I was there, that you know, not me. And I think it's important for us to take note, especially in our conversation today, when when Peter utters the words that he does, he he he's not li he's not lying. He this is something he really, really believes. But yet just hours from now, his actions will end up being very different. And I think that is something that we can struggle with, you know, even today, of making sure that our life and our words and our actions and our heart and all of those things are lining up because it it it will ultimately come down to the actions that'll happen, you know, just a little bit from now. But yeah, Peter's gonna be pretty strongly opposed to what Jesus says is absolutely going to take place, and I think he believed uh in that completely, but he was just miscalculating his own strength, I think, and and the difficulty of what really uh will lay ahead for them.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Yeah, I mean, Jesus says plainly in Matthew, Mark, Luke, all of you will be made to stumble because of me. This night. This night. That that is the the proclamation that Jesus makes. All of you speaking to his apostles, all of you are going to be made to stumble because of me this night. That that's a pretty uh bold proclamation to make. And uh you can understand why Peter might react the way that he does, but what Peter says is listen, everybody else might, but I won't. There there is certainly an element of pride at play here. There is also a level of boldness that uh takes me off guard just a bit because essentially Peter is saying, Jesus, you're wrong.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

It's exactly what he's saying.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

That that is not something that that is not a step that we have seen his apostles take with Jesus before. They've struggled at times with their faith, they've struggled at times with their belief, they've made some decisions that they shouldn't have made. But but Peter in this moment looks Jesus in the eye and says, You're wrong. And that that is a a scary place to be for someone like Peter. It's a scary place for anyone to be. Mark will use the word that that Peter spoke even more vehemently. He he was passionately talking in this situation and passionately telling Jesus listen, I know you're the Son of God. Peter believes that, and I don't doubt that. I I believe at this point that Peter understands that Jesus has all power, but Jesus, you've got this one wrong. That that is where Peter is in this situation because he can't see a situation in which he would stumble. That is pride. And this is where pride can get us if we're not careful, and that's why God so frequently and so passionately tells us we have to be careful with this. You have to put pride away because pride can get you to the point where you're looking Jesus in the eye and telling him he's wrong.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

He and he doubles down on it. I mean, really, it it's shocking to try to play this, you know, kind of scene out in your mind. When you do, you're like cringing. Like you just don't want to be there. But you know, from Matthew and from Mark and for Luke, Peter doubles down on Jesus, you're wrong. When he says, Hey, all of you guys, speaking to all 12, hey, listen, you're you're all gonna be made to stumble. And Peter's like, nope, not maybe those guys, but not me. I'm not gonna be made to stumble. And then Jesus hones in on Peter specifically, and he says, All right, you're actually going to deny me. Not once, not twice, but three times. And again, here Peter doubles down, he's like, Miss again, strike two, is what he basically is gonna say to Jesus. I'll give my own life, I will die before I deny you. And so it it isn't just the one time, it it he doubles down on this with Jesus of saying, Listen, no way it's not gonna be me. And I do I don't want us to miss. I I know this is gonna be very Peter Forward for sure in the next you know three or four weeks, but it it all all of them, Matthew, Mark, and Luke will include, especially at the very end. I'm in Mark 14, 31, he spoke more vehemently. Uh, if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. And they all said likewise. And so the the other apostles are kind of right in here with him. Yeah, but Peter, you are exactly right. He says, You have gotten this one wrong, and then he says, You also got that wrong. And yeah, it is pride, and it will bite him very, very quickly, just hours from this moment.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

Yeah, well, you made mention of it. You know, Peter will go on to say, If if I have to die with you, I won't deny you. He he he's saying, I'll I'll I'll give up my life before I will deny you. I think he believes that. Sitting in that room, he does for sure. Yes, he believes that. That he is he's not lying to Jesus here. He believes that to be true. And I I've heard this point made before, and I think it's a really good one, and it's a point of application from this story. Uh, as husbands, uh, we we would frequently say something like, Listen, I would die for my family if I needed to. And I've I've heard husbands say that and fathers say that, I'll die for my kids, I'll die for my wife, I'll take a bullet for them. I believe them. I believe them. I do. I think they would. But then the follow-up is, well, would you be willing to put your phone down for them? Right. Would you be willing to cancel a tea time for them? And I think Peter is using an extreme here because he believes that, and I think he would, he would, he would take a bullet for Jesus. But in the face of accusers, will you say that you know him? And that's where Peter Peter stumbles. And the same happens to us all the time. Yeah, I'll take a bullet for my family, but will I put my phone down for him? Or will I say to a friend, no, I'm not going out with you tonight, I need to spend time at home. That that's where the real rub comes for us sometimes, and that's the trap that Peter fell into. He was just asked about weren't you with Jesus? He wasn't he wasn't being put on the cross next to Jesus. Yeah. He was just asked, weren't you with him? And that's where he's gonna stumble. Jesus could see that. Peter couldn't. Peter was looking to the extreme and saying, I'll die for you, and he couldn't see where the real temptation was gonna come from.

SPEAKER_00 10:57

Yeah, and I mean listen, we'll talk more about this next week, but it'll ultimately be in the quiet moment where he will stumble and fall, right? I mean, it'll be in the moment where Jesus isn't sitting there right next to you. Listen, it's easy when Jesus is right there with you. Yeah. You don't say, Not me, I'm going all the way with you, Jesus. And I think you're right on. I think Peter, this is this is what he thought. But he is letting pride, no question, drive the boat right now. And uh you made mention of John, and before we're done, I think it is important for us to kind of you know, you know, to go to that spot. You know, John does a really good job of us, certainly from 13 through 17, of giving us this lengthy conversation. And I think it's important for us to note this was an emotional time for Jesus and his apostles. There is a lot of stuff that's happening, you know, from Jesus washing their own feet and Peter, you know, having, you know, kind of get worked up even, you know, about that, and seemingly to move to this, you know, very quickly. He's gonna make mention of uh of Judas and uh him betraying him, and that's got everybody all worked up, and then he kind of tosses this. Hey, everybody's gonna be made to stumble. And I know we're just worked up even more. This was a high octane octane time for Jesus and his apostles, and uh and Peter can't he can't get a hold of himself a little bit, and ultimately, when all of that goes away and the quiet time appears, he he it is exactly what Jesus said was going to happen.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Well, let's let's wrap up this conversation in John chapter 17. This is in the same context as this discussion that Peter and Jesus have that we've been talking about. But after Jesus has made this declaration that his apostles are going to stumble that very night, before they wrap up with their time together in this upper room, Jesus is going to pray. And he's going to pray specifically for these apostles, specifically for these believers who are going to stumble. He knows that, and he approaches his father in prayer in regards to them. And so I want to leave us with these words as we stop today from John chapter 17 and verse number nine. Jesus says, I pray for them, speaking about his disciples. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me. For they are yours, and all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast, whatever platform you're listening, rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk again next week.