The Gloom of the Cross: God was in Control

Bible Reading

My name is Esther Njonde. I’ll be taking us through the reading for this afternoon and it comes from Luke chapter 22 from verse 47 all the way to 65. Those with our church Bibles can turn to page 829. Page 829. Luke chapter 22 from verse 47- 65. And I read,

“While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.”

And that is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Thank you so much, Esther. Good afternoon. Let us pray.

Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word. Tell me the story most precious, sweetest. Father, we could never hear enough about Jesus, therefore we pray once again, that you would show us Christ in this passage and move our hearts to adore him and to love him. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Now we’re going to pick it up where we left off earlier on, so we’re going to begin in verse 47. We’re walking with Luke in this passion account. Earlier on, we poured over the account in Gethsemane and there we saw Jesus as the Shepherd that cares, the one that is deeply concerned about you and I. We also saw him as the servant that is thoroughly compliant. Now this afternoon, we shall focus on the account of the arrest of Jesus, so this happens in the garden, and then we’re going to see Peter’s denial of Jesus and wind up by looking at the mockery of the soldiers.

Just as we did in the morning, I would like us to just cut through the details of this text and zoom in on Jesus, yet again, and behold his God-embodying beauty. Jesus is beautifully presented to us in this passage. So I invite you, as we walk through this passage, to consider with me yet two other portraits of Jesus – two portraits of Jesus. And firstly, I would like us to see the portrait of Jesus as the captive who is sovereign. Jesus as the captive who is sovereign. Secondly, and lastly, we’ll consider Christ, sorry, Jesus as the Christ who is sympathetic. Jesus as the Christ who is sympathetic. So let us start with the first one: Jesus as the captive who is sovereign.

The Captive Who Is Sovereign

Now this word “sovereign” speaks of control and majesty and authority. Now there in verse 53, the latter part of that verse, Jesus cues us into exactly what’s going on here. He reveals to us that what is happening on this night is satanically charged. It is enabled by the power of darkness. It says, “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” (Luke 22:53)

You see, dear Saints, the events of this night are not just happening in the dark, in that is at night, they’re also empowered by the power of darkness. So the darkness in this story is not just literal, it is also symbolic. It tells us what is going on. On this night of the arrest of Jesus, it is as if the hounds of Hell have been let out of the pens and the devil is going to do his worst. But I want you to notice one thing my friends, that in this hour of darkness, when the devil is doing his worst, Luke wants you and I to see and to know that no amount of darkness can overpower the one who is the Son of light.

It will seem, for a short while as we walk through this passage, as if darkness is winning, but I want you to know that Jesus Christ is never more in control than when the devil is active. When the devil is working, Jesus is always overworking.

And Jesus in this story is letting the devil do his worst, and truly the devil will do some bad things here, but Jesus is only allowing this because he wants to get to the cross. Remember, he wants to drink of the cup that the Father has prepared for him, and therefore, nothing and no one is going to stand in the way of his drinking of that cup. And so, as we watch Jesus arrested and as we watch Jesus mocked and accused in this story, we dare not miss the fact that Jesus Christ is actually the one directing the script here. Everything is on schedule. Everything is going the way Jesus wants it to go.

Now I’m not just saying this, because there is plenty of evidence here, and that is what I want us to look at. In this story Jesus in the words of Ephesians 1:1 is working all things according to the counsel of his will. His majesty, his power, his control, his absolute sovereignty is on display, even on the night of his arrest and his humiliation. So let us confirm my claim by considering a few things.

I want you to notice for starters that in verse 37 Luke tells us, “While he was still speaking…” (Luke 22:37) So what was Jesus saying? Back up to verse 46. Jesus is telling the disciples to pray because, in a bit, they’re going to be tempted. (Luke 22:46) And the moment of temptation that Jesus was referring to was actually the moment of his arrest. While the words of Jesus are still on his lips, while Jesus is speaking about the moment of temptation, here comes the crowd.

You see, the reason Luke writes the way he does is because he wants us to take notes. It says, “While he was still speaking…” Dear friends, Jesus not only knew he would be betrayed, Jesus knew all the details regarding his betrayal. He knew who would do it, when it would be done, and how it would be done. And while he is still talking about it, his captors arrive.

You see, this is part of the reason Jesus went to Gethsemane. In John 18, we told that Jesus had come to this garden the whole of this week. Remember, this is the passion week. Jesus came to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This is Thursday. And every night in this week, Jesus would go to Gethsemane with his disciples, including Judas. This is the only time Judas is not with him. So Jesus went to Gethsemane because he essentially wanted to make it easy for Judas to find him, because only Judas would have known where Jesus was. By the way, that’s what John says in John 18. Judas knew where to find him because he had been to this garden with him.

Now I love to play hide-and seek with my little daughter. And when you’re playing hide-and seek with a one, a one year and a half little girl, you hide in plain sight, ‘cause the point is you want her to find you, so that she can feel like she found you! And essentially what Jesus is doing here; he’s gone to Gethsemane because he knows what Judas is about to do. In fact, he told him, “Go do it quickly.” And he has situated himself in a place where Judas will find him. So Judas thinks that he’s got him, but that’s what Jesus wants. Jesus wants to be found by Judas. So while Judas thinks he’s in control, Jesus has the master script and Judas is doing exactly what Jesus wanted him to do.

So Judas comes and he’s leading this crowd of the captors, but that fact alone is not enough proof that Jesus is in control. But Luke gives us ample proof. So consider secondly, Jesus is not just controlling the events in that regard, Jesus is controlling the timing of everything that is happening here.

Now in verse 60 we read, “But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.” (Luke 22:60)

Now, Jesus had already talked about that very thing, so let’s go back to verse 34. “Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:34)
Did you see how verse 60 reads? It says, “And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.” (Luke 22:60)

My friends, Jesus is controlling every character in this story, including the rooster. He had determined at what point the rooster would crow. This is not an incidental detail. I think Luke wants us to notice that, because everything is happening the way Jesus had said it would happen. Those are two evidences.

I want us to observe further that Jesus is controlling the people here. In verse 63-65, there’s the account there of the Temple guards mocking him and blindfolding him and telling him to prophesy. Luke wants us to notice the irony here, because the only reason the Temple guards are beating Jesus up and asking Jesus to prophesy is because Jesus had already said that is what they would do.

In Luke 18:31-32 it says, “And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.”” (Luke 18:31-32)

Prophesy, the guards are telling Jesus to prophesy. And it’s almost as if Jesus is muttering under his breath saying, “I already prophesied; that’s why you’re beating me up! You’re doing exactly what I would, I had said that you would do.”

Do you also see, do you also see the irony of these people blindfolding Jesus and thinking that the one who knows all things can be kept from knowing all things by a blindfold?

So these people think they’re in control here, but let me ask: who’s in control? Is it the soldiers or is it the captive? It’s the captive. It’s the prisoner here that is truly in control.

But we are not done. There’s one more evidence of Jesus’ sovereignty here. We are told in verse 50 that one of the disciples attempted to defend Jesus. Now from the other accounts, we know that this is Peter. So he draws out a sword and he does what he wanted to do with the sword, an ear falls off. But in verse 51, Jesus speaks to him and gently rebukes him and the rest of the disciples and he says, “No more of this!” (Luke 22:51)

But when you read the account in John it has a little bit of detail that Luke kind of leaves out. Jesus said more to Peter. In John 18, “Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”” (John 18:11)

Jesus has already chosen to drink the cup and nothing will stand in his way. Now if you read the account in Matthew, there’s another detail that is not here. Jesus says a bit more in Matthew 26. He says, “Are you not aware that I can call on my father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)

Jesus wants everyone to know, “They’re not seizing me; I’m surrendering to them. If I didn’t want to be arrested by them, they would not arrest me.” So, who’s in control: is it the captors or the captive? It’s obvious, Jesus has not lost control. Jesus is choosing his arrest.

Lastly, notice his control in how the conversation between him and his captors unfolds. In 52 to 53, “Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”” (Luke 22:52-53)

So Jesus pauses in this moment and he takes a moment to teach them. They don’t even understand fully what’s going on so Jesus volunteers to tell them what’s happening. And he’s telling them, “First of all, you guys are cowards and you’re hypocrites, because I’ve been with you the whole week. I was with you in the temple the whole of this week, this is Passover week, and you guys could not arrest me.” Why? We are told at the beginning of this chapter that they feared the crowds. They knew if they dared touch Jesus there would be a riot, so they go to him in the night at the place of prayer to arrest him.

But even they don’t quite understand that there is more than what they are doing. They don’t understand that they’re doing this because they are being energized and empowered by the power of darkness, so Jesus is teaching them.

But that’s not all because, if you read John 18 again, John tells us that more happens during this exchange. He narrates it a little bit differently. He says that when they came to arrest Jesus, Jesus “came forward and asked them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.”” (John 18:4-5)

Now verse 6 of John 18 contains an important detail. It says so, “When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” (John 18:6)

Picture this scene: this crowd is armed to the teeth. Did you see? They have swords and clubs. And it is many people: it is composed of chief priests, Pharisees, elders, Temple police and Roman soldiers and they’ve come to arrest him. And what does Jesus do? He just speaks his name and we are told that they recoil and they fall back in a huddle before him. Now they fell because of the majesty that Jesus revealed when he said “I am.” This is God’s name, “I am” and the power of that declaration made them all fall to the ground.

Now, to add insult to injury, as if Jesus has not proven enough that he’s the one controlling everything here, Jesus heals the ear of one of his enemies. Right in this moment, Jesus performs a miracle. Notice, the guy hadn’t asked to be healed, but Jesus said, “No more of this! Peter, where is that ear?” and then he sticks it back.

Do you see what Jesus is doing? Jesus is wielding his sovereignty, not to kill his enemies, but to heal his enemies.

So Judas thinks he’s in control because he’s the one leading the crowd. The disciples are trying to take control with swords. The crowd thinks it is in control because they were able to buy Judas off. The devil thinks that he’s in control because now Jesus has finally been arrested. Everybody in this story thinks they’re in control but there’s only one person who’s truly in control, and that is the captive. Jesus is the captive who is sovereign. Jesus is not a victim in this story. The reason they are able to seize him is because he surrendered willingly because he wants to go to the cross.

Human Stubbornness Needs Christ’s Intervention

But I want you to contrast the sovereignty of Jesus in this story with the stubbornness of these captors. See their stubbornness. It is ridiculous, is it not, that after Jesus has shown these people all these things, they still go ahead to arrest him? These people had fallen to the ground, they get up and they still arrest him.

Even the guy whose ear was healed did not switch camps. At this point, you would have wanted to switch camps. But he does not switch camps; he’s still with a crowd that wants to arrest Jesus.

And if you’re a Christian, the lesson here is plain. We are all so blinded by sin, we are all so dead in sin, before Jesus saved us, that it only takes the sovereign grace of Jesus to get you out of that blindness. What is it that these people cannot see at this point? The words of 2 Corinthians 4:4 are true that the Prince of this world, who is the Prince of Darkness, has blinded their eyes so that they may not see the light of the glory of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

They’re missing Christ. He’s right there but they can’t see him.

Now in verse 59 there is an interesting detail there. There is this man who speaks after an interval of an hour and he says, “Even you, you Peter, you are with him. You look like a Galilean.” (Luke 22:59) Now that man who speaks there in the other accounts we actually told who he is. We are told that he was in the garden and we told he’s a relative of the guy whose ear had been chopped off. So whether that was his cousin or his uncle or his brother, he had witnessed that act and even he did not change his mind. In fact, he’s here harassing Peter and saying, “Even you, you were with him.”

This speaks of our blindness and deadness apart from the intervention of Jesus. The only reason you have seen Jesus, the only reason you profess faith in Jesus, my friends, is because the sovereign grace of Jesus has subdued and overcome your stubbornness. Apart from this power, apart from this kind of glory and sovereignty, you would be dead in your sins. But praise be to God because Jesus is able to call dead sinners and blind sinners to himself and overcome their stubborn wills.

I love that song that we sing often that, “I was once lost in darkest night, yet thought I knew the way.” And then the last line reads, “And if you had not loved me first, I would refuse you still.” If Jesus had not gone first to break our hard hearts, we would all refuse him. Praise God! He has gone ahead.

Jesus Has Never Lost Control

Now it is possible to agree with me up to this point, that Jesus is truly in control. Jesus is exercising sovereign control even on the night of his arrest, but I wonder if you think this is relevant for you today, right now, right here. As you think about the economic crisis that you’re in, as you think about your emotional turmoil, as you think about all the social ills around us, all the moral evil and the natural evil that we see, as we think about all this LGBTQI+ crisis, as you think about the sinfulness of the world around us – are you tempted to think that Jesus has probably lost control?

Luke wants you to remember that Jesus has never lost control. This is the one night we could have said Jesus was not in control, but we are told that he was in absolute control. Do you think he has any less control now that he is in Heaven and he’s no longer a prisoner? No my friends, it looks like the darkness is winning but Jesus is going to win – it’s just a matter of time. It’s coming – the cross is coming.

Lastly in this point, notice that we are told that this is an hour of darkness. That doesn’t just refer to a moment in time. Luke wants to highlight the shortness of this moment. It’s but an hour. When this hour, that has been ordained by God, is over, it will become clear that Jesus is in absolute control. But for now, Jesus is headed to the cross. Jesus is the captive who is sovereign.

The Christ Who Is Sympathetic

Secondly, notice with me that Jesus is the Christ who is sympathetic. Beginning in verse 54, we have this heart-wrenching, heart-breaking account of Peter’s three-fold denial of Jesus and this is a really awful episode; you just wince as you read this account. And what really makes Peter’s failure in this account sting so hard is the record of his presumptuous confidence earlier on. In verse 33, Peter had said, “Lord (notice he called him Lord, which is interesting) I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” (Luke 22:33)

That he calls him Lord invokes his title of authority and this is a befitting title for Christ. Christ is Lord. Now let me step back a little at this point and explain one thing: we need to realize that Peter’s failure, as we’re going to see it in this account, is not unique to Peter. Oftentimes, we berate Peter as if to suggest that Peter is the only one who failed Jesus on this night. No, every disciple of Jesus failed him on this night. In Mark’s account of the Lord’s Supper, when Jesus told them that he’s going to be delivered over to the Jewish leaders and he’s going to die, it is at that point that Peter says, “Not me, if I must die, I will die with you and I will not deny you.”

But in Mark 14:3, Mark adds a detail that the rest of the gospel writers do not add. He says, “And they all said the same.” (Mark 14:3) All the disciples of Jesus said what Peter said: “Even if we die, there’s no way we are going to deny you!”

But, you know how the story unfolds. By the time Jesus is in cuffs, these people have already fled. In fact, Peter is the only one who had a little courage because we are told there that Peter was following at a distance. At least his courage had not failed completely. He was still following you to see how this thing was going to end.

But let me draw your attention to this: what Luke wants to highlight here is not the grievousness of Peter’s failure, and it is grievous. Peter feels really terrible here and we see his accompanying shame. We’re told that he went out and wept bitterly. He was ashamed at his failure. That is not what Luke wants us to linger on. Luke wants us to see the greatness of Jesus’s sympathy and his accompanying restoration. Peter’s failure will not have the last word.

Now in that account beginning in verse 56 all through to verse 60, Peter denies Jesus completely and he denies Jesus emphatically. He denies him three times as if to deny him one time for every year he spent with him. But he also denied him so emphatically because the other accounts tell us that he was calling curses on himself.

By the way, do you know Peter had a moment to change his mind? Between the second and the third denial there was a time lapse of about an hour. Don’t you think Peter should have thought, “What have I just done? I’ve denied him twice!” One hour later, he denied him a third time. This was complete and it was emphatic.

But now we come to the last part, and this is like the peak of this drama. As they say: this is when the plot thickens! Because in verse 60 to verse 62, we see that moment where Jesus turns and looks at Peter after Peter had denied him and the rooster crows. Verse 61 says, “And the Lord…” Notice the title. Peter had said, “Lord, I will not deny you.” And who turns now? Lord. Luke changes the name. He doesn’t say Jesus, he says Lord, as if to draw attention to Peter’s earlier profession. And he says, “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter…” (Luke 22:61) Notice those two verbs: he “turned” and he “looked.”

If you think of this as a movie, this is where they begin playing suspenseful music and this is where it goes in slow motion, as Jesus is turning to look at Peter. If you grew up in an African home, you know that sometimes looks speak louder than words. Some of you may remember those times when we were little visitors would come to our homes and, you know, kids are just kids, we would try to take advantage of the moment and do something that is prohibited.

Usually, it would be the mom, and your mom would just turn in your direction and she would just give you the look. And immediately, you would be able to decode the message! You knew, even without being told, you knew what your mom was saying. Your mom was simply saying, “My son, just prepare to die ‘cause when these visitors leave, when these visitors leave, I’m going to kill you.” You know!

But seriously, what do you think Peter saw when he looked back at Jesus? What do you think is happening in that visual exchange? Do you think Peter saw disgust in the eyes of Jesus? As if Jesus is saying, “You pathetic brat, after all we did together for 3 years!” Do you think Jesus saw… I mean, do you think Peter saw disbelief in the eyes of Jesus? Like Jesus was saying, “I can’t believe it, Peter! You just said yesterday night that you won’t deny me and what did you just do Peter?”

Or maybe it wasn’t disgust and maybe it wasn’t disbelief. Do you think it was disappointment? As if Jesus is rolling his eyes and saying, “I knew you were just like the rest. You’re even afraid of a slave girl.” Or do you think it was this wicked sparkle of delight, as if Jesus was saying, “Haha! Told you so, Peter! I told you. You see? My word has to come to pass. Now you’ve just denied me.”

My friends, I would like to submit to you that when Peter looked back at his Lord, what he saw in the eyes of Jesus was not disgust, it wasn’t disbelief, it wasn’t disappointment, it wasn’t a sparkle of wicked delight, as if Jesus was gloating over him. I know that because of how Peter reacted. Verse 62, “And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord and he went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:62)

You need to understand the sense of what Luke is saying. It’s not as if Peter was a little misty -eyed and he was just balancing some tears there. No, we’re told that he wept. Peter is completely undone. We’re told Peter remembered. What did he remember? He remembered Jesus’ prediction. Jesus had already told him. Jesus had already predicted this failure.

But dear brothers and sisters, that prediction is not the only thing that Peter remembered, because that’s not all Jesus said. If you would go back with me to verse 32, Jesus says, “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and when you (the you there is singular) and when you (Peter) have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32)

Peter looked at the eyes of Jesus, at the face of Jesus in that moment, and he got the message. He remembered what Jesus had said. He remembered that Jesus had not only predicted his failure, Jesus had given him a promise of restoration. And immediately, that made Peter catch a glimpse of the heart of Jesus; it melted Peter. He just broke down. He went out and repented.

God’s Kindness In Repentance And Restoration

In Romans 2:4, Paul writes to us and he says that it is the kindness of the Lord that leads to repentance. In 2 Corinthians chapter 7:10 we read that “…godly sorrow produces a repentance which leads to salvation without regret.”

Peter was led to repentance and the reason Peter was led to repentance is because he remembered that Jesus had said that, “when you have turned again.” He doesn’t say, “if you turn again.” Jesus spoke with certainty. He told him “When.” “It’s going to happen, Peter. You will turn again. When you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” You see, Jesus was not surprised by the failure of Peter. Peter was surely surprised by his own failure. Jesus was not frustrated by Peter’s failure; Peter was frustrated with Peter’s failure .

In Mark 16, when Jesus rises from the dead, the angel meets the women there and this is the message the angel gives to the women: he tells them, “Go to the disciples and go to Peter.” You see? It’s as if he makes the distinction there. Tell Peter and tell the disciples that Jesus is going to meet them in Galilee. (Mark 16:7)

Why is the angel singling out Peter?

In 1 Corinthians 15:5 we are told that when Jesus rose, “he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” In John chapter 21, we have that wonderful account of the restoration of Peter. So Peter is actually restored. And that is to mean Peter did repent of his failure.

But Peter was not the only one who was restored, the rest of the disciples were restored. And in the book of Acts, we see them in motion and in action and they’re serving the Lord that they had previously denied. That’s what restoration looks like. It’s almost as if Jesus was only wanting to humble them with failure, in order to make them more usable.

Warning And Promise

So I want us to close off by just thinking about a few things. First of all: this story contains both a warning and a promise for us. As we read about Peter, as we read about the disciples here and the events of this night, we need to be warned and we need to be encouraged. We need to be warned and we need to be very careful of pride and presumption and self reliance and prayerlessness. Remember, who slept in Gethsemane? It wasn’t Jesus – it was the disciples. And Jesus had already told them, “Guys, pray, pray. Please pray.” But they didn’t pray and what happens? When the temptation came, they fell.

You see, Peter honestly thought that other people could fail and fall but he was the exception. As Jesus is talking to them during the Last Supper, it’s as if Peter thinks Jesus is talking to the other guys. He’s telling Jesus, “I know, I know you’re trying to predict what will happen, but that thing you’re saying we will do, they will do? Me, I won’t do it.” Does that sound like presumption and self-reliance and pride to you?

Dear Saints, even a sincere over evaluation, an overestimation of the strength of your devotion to Christ is dangerous. These men loved Jesus. We know they did because history tells us that they died for him, but it is as if they had an overinflated sense of just how devoted and committed they were to Jesus. And so, when Jesus tells them to pray, they don’t pray. When Jesus tells them what’s going to happen, they think Jesus is just babbling. This was a night of humbling for them. That’s a warning for us. We need to be careful about pride.

1 Corinthians 10:12, “Let him who thinks that he stands take heed lest he falls.” That’s a warning to Christians.

But this is also a story of hope, friends. There is a lot of hope in this story. And given that we’re talking about the disciples of Jesus, this is our story too. Who doesn’t know, who among us, disciples of Christ, doesn’t know that discipleship is full of turns and dips and our love for Jesus, even if sincere, tends to ebb and to flow?

The Bible says in James 3:2 if you don’t believe it, we all stumble in many ways. All includes all of us, if you’re a Christian, you all stumble in many ways. And anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect.

And therefore, as you sit here today, I want to ask you: are you surprised by your own failures? As you consider your walk with Jesus, your discipleship, are you, like Peter, surprised that you could fail? Could it be that, like Peter, you feel like you have failed Jesus in the one area you never thought you would fail him? I think Peter thought he could have failed Jesus in many other ways, but denying him? No way! But in the one area he thought he wouldn’t, he failed.

Maybe you never thought you would fail Jesus in your marriage. And before you got married, as a woman, you wondered why women struggle to submit their husbands. And now you’re married, and you know that Jesus says to submit to your husband, but you keep failing every day. Are you surprised by that failure? Husbands, are you surprised at your failure to love your wife the way Jesus says to love her?

In your place of work, before you got your job, you wondered how people sleep in and how people don’t work when they go to the office. And you swore to Jesus and you told Jesus, “The day you’ll give me a job…” And now Monday morning comes.

Or is it in your just walk with Jesus? You keep doing the very thing you said you would never do. You keep watching that thing you said you will never watch. You keep saying that thing you said you will never say. See, as we look at this story, I want you to know Jesus is not surprised. You may be surprised, but not Jesus.

So, I want to invite you to look in this story and see the tender-hearted Lord, the one who is gentle and lowly, the one who does not break bruised reeds or snuff out smouldering wicks. (Isaiah 42:3) I want you to see how Jesus deals with Peter’s sin and shame. Oh dear Christians, this story is meant to remind us that we are all objects and projects of God’s mercy.

Listen, do you think that Jesus could heal the ear of an enemy and turn from you with disgust? You’re his friends! “I no longer call you servants, I call you friends.” (John 15:15) If Jesus in this story is healing his enemies, how much more will he do with his friends when they fail?

So when Jesus turned to Peter and looked at Peter in his worst moment, we can be sure that there was no harshness in that look. We can be sure that there was no vindictiveness in that look. We can be sure that there was no wrath in that look. There was just pity and mercy and tenderness and compassion and sympathy. What else could have melted Peter’s heart? It is the kindness of God that leads to repentance.

And so, as you consider all your failures, my friends, do not think for a moment that when Jesus looks at you right now as a Christian, he’s disappointed or disgusted or in disbelief, just shaking his head in Heaven wondering, “What kind of a Christian is this?”

The Puritan, Thomas Goodwin, says this better than I could in his book The Heart of Christ. He says, ‘Your misery can never exceed his mercy. Christ does not recoil away from his people when they sin. Rather, Christ’s pity is increased the more towards us, like the heart of a father toward a child with a loathsome disease.”

And so as you leave here today, I want to promise you one thing: you’re going to fail again, that’s what we do. This is a congregation of sinning Saints. We are Saints, to be sure, but we sin and we all stumble in many ways. But might I encourage you, if you fail one more time in that area you never thought you would fail, might I encourage you to remember Jesus. Might I encourage you to look to the one who has already turned and looked at you, because he does not turn his face away from you when you sin. He could have looked the other way but we told he turned and he looked at Peter.

So you look to him because he’s the one who has turned to look to you first. In the words of that great hymn, “He has regarded your helpless estate and he has shed his precious blood for your soul.”

But lastly, I want you to notice very quickly that in this story, there are two kinds of disciples. There is a disciple called Judas. He was a disciple up until this moment. And there is a disciple called Peter. Notice a few differences between them. Now Peter’s failure was the failure of a faith that is imperfect, but Judas’s failure is the failure of a faith that is non-existent.

Judas hated Jesus and he kissed him. Peter loved Jesus but he denied him. Peter denied Jesus because of fear, Judas betrayed Jesus because of greed. It was just because of money – 30 pieces of silver. By the way, even by the standards then, that was little money. You know the way Jesus says, “Of what benefit is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) Judas didn’t gain the whole world, it was just 30 pieces of silver and it was little money, but his greed made him betray his Lord.

So my friends, if you’re here and you’re a Judas, this text contains a warning for you because one day you will have to look at the face of Jesus and guess what you’ll see when you look at the face of Jesus on the last day. What you’ll see is not compassion, it’s not mercy; it will be wrath, it will be judgment.

But you don’t have to wait for then because there’s an opportunity for you to become a Peter. You can believe in Jesus today. If you’re a Peter, and that’s all of us, friends, we don’t have to despair because when you fear that your faith will fail, Christ will hold you fast. This is the only reason we’ll make it to Heaven. He must hold us fast.

One last point for my brothers who are pastors: you and I know that pastoral ministry is a minefield of failures. If you continue being a pastor long enough, you’re going to step on a few of those. You’re going to make serious mistakes. You’re going to fail in ways you never thought you would. But let this servant of God called Peter encourage us. Let Peter remind us that though we fall, we can rise. And let us remember the words that we just sung: “But mine is hope in my redeemer, though I fall his love is sure. For Christ has paid for every failing. Christ is mine forever more.”

Christ is yours forever more.

Thank you Lord for these truths. We pray that you’d help us to treasure them now, even as we head out. Help us to remember that we’re deeply loved and Jesus paid for every one of our failings. Grant that this truth will cause us to leave this place, not to go sin and fail some more, but to go and sin less, because we have been given this kind of grace. Blessed be your name. In Jesus’ name we pray.