Luke 22:14-22, 31-34, 39-47, 54-62
the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, we watch Peter go from saying, Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death! to saying three times that he didn’t even know who Jesus was. What causes Peter to fail so dramatically? What causes him to fall away and deny Jesus? If we can answer these questions, then maybe we can learn how to stand strong in our own faith and not fall away when things get difficult.
The first thing that causes Peter to stumble is pride. While Jesus is trying to warn His disciples about the difficult hours to come and that He was praying that they would stand strong, Peter seems to ignore Jesus' concern and boldly states, “I’ll go with you to the end.” Peter dismisses Jesus’ warning and doesn’t take His concern seriously. Peter sees himself as being strong enough on his own to do all that is needed. It’s as if he is telling Jesus, thanks, but I don’t need you.
The
Bible is clear that pride leads to our failure.
Proverbs 16:18, Pride
goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Jesus knows this is going to happen to
Peter. He sees through Peter’s pride and
knows he won’t be able to stand so Jesus tells him that he won’t just deny
Jesus once before morning, but three times.
Even then I’m not sure Peter takes Jesus seriously because when they get
to the garden and Jesus asks Peter, and the rest of the disciples, to stay
awake and pray, he doesn’t. Peter still
thinks he can stand strong and do it on his own. He doesn’t see his need for God. His pride leads to his failure.
Pride always causes us to fall away from God and it only makes sense. If we think we can do everything on our own, then there is no need for Jesus. Pride tells us that prayer isn’t needed. Pride tells us that help and support from others isn’t needed. Pride tells us we don’t need God which obviously puts distance between us and God.
While pride leads to our downfall, humility will lift us up. In His final moments with His disciples, Jesus called them to be humble and then showed them what humility looked like.
First Jesus washed their feet and called them to serve and love one another as a servant. Think of others before yourself, Jesus said. Be a leader who serves. Then Jesus served the meal and offered Himself in the bread and cup. Give yourself for others, Jesus said. Be willing to sacrifice yourself for the wellbeing and life of others. Then Jesus took them to the garden where He humbled Himself again, this time before God. Pray for strength, Jesus said. Pray for God’s power to lift you up. Three times Jesus showed Peter and the disciples what humility looked like and told them if they would humble themselves, God would give them strength.
What protects us from pride is humility. It’s serving others. It’s sacrificing ourselves and carrying a cross. It’s surrendering to God. The more these become the hallmarks of our lives, the more of God’s grace and power we will receive, and the closer to God we will remain. Pride causes us to fall away, humility keeps us not only close, but strong.
The second thing that leads to Peter’s downfall is that he is sleeping when he should be praying. Jesus took the disciples to Gethsemane which was their place of prayer and He told them that difficult times were coming. His entire tone had gotten serious, and yet when Jesus invites them to stay awake and pray, they all fall asleep.
What causes us to stumble in our faith is when we are sleeping when we should be praying. Now I’m not talking about actual sleep, I am talking about being too distracted to pray. We fill our days with work, family, entertainment, activity, and even service, but forget to take time to connect with God. We empty ourselves and then forget to go back to the source of all strength to ask for help. It is even possible to get so caught up in doing good things, and Godly things that we forget to stop and pray and ask God for the direction and strength to do it all in His name and for His glory.
I have seen people get burned out doing good things in the church because they have forgotten to connect with God. I have seen people fall away from their faith because they have gotten burned or burned out and never turned to God for healing, help, or hope. You have to wonder how Peter’s night might have gone if he had prayed for God’s help? Would an angel have come to strengthen him? Would he have stood closer to Jesus during the difficult times instead of running away?
To keep us close to Jesus, prayer needs to be an ongoing part of our lives, but it can be hard to pray when things get difficult. If we are disappointed with our lives, if we are feeling let down by God, it’s hard to keep praying, but that is just the time we need to be honest with God and keep praying. Jesus is honest with God. He doesn’t want to take up the cross. He doesn’t want to die. He makes this clear when he says, let this cup pass from me, but because he is still praying He finds the strength to stay faithful, yet not my will but thy will be done.
Honest prayer strengthens us. Honest prayer humbles us and lifts up our eyes so that we not only see God’s will for us but we see God actually with us. When Luke says that an angel came to strengthen Jesus, it was his way of saying, God is here to strengthen you. God heard Jesus' prayer, understood His cry, and came to give Him strength. Consistent and intentional prayer keeps us focused on God. Prayer keeps our faith strong and our lives moving in faithful directions.
The
last thing that causes Peter to fall away is that he chooses to follow Jesus
from a distance. Luke 22:54-55
Then seizing Jesus, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.
Jesus was arrested and led to the home of the high priest and while we can give Peter credit for following Jesus, he followed from a distance, Following Jesus from a distance is never a good thing. Being a part time believer, will never strengthen our faith and keep us faithful.
That you have joined us tonight means that you desire to draw closer to Jesus. Many of you are active in small groups, Bible studies, Sunday school classes, and ministry teams because you want to stay close to Jesus. Daily devotions and times of prayer help us stay close to Jesus. Being with other people of faith also helps us stay close to Jesus and to stand strong in difficult times
I have often wondered how Peter would have fared if he had James and John by his side, or maybe his brother Andrew. The wisdom of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament tells us that, Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up! Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
But Peter was alone. He kept his distance from Jesus and stood alone trying not to be noticed, but what if two more had been there? What if Peter had chosen not to follow from a distance but to stay by Jesus’ side? He may have been physically beaten and arrested, but my guess is that he would have preferred that physical pain to the emotional and spiritual pain he felt when the rooster crowed.
While
pride can cause us to stumble, and sleeping instead of praying can weaken our
faith, trying to stay faithful alone and at a distance from God will never
work. If you are feeling isolated and
alone in your faith, I would encourage you to seek out others for study, or a
group to serve with, so that you aren’t walking alone. It is always easier to stay close to Jesus
when we have people by our side.
As we share in communion tonight, we have the opportunity to stay close to Jesus. We need toconfront our pride and humble ourselves. We need to reflect on our pride and confess our sin. This meal shows us once again how it is only through the humility of Jesus, through His body and blood, that we are forgiven and saved. So let us humble ourselves.
And let us remain awake and alert as we come to Jesus because it is here at the table that we can ask God for help and for the power of His spirit to keep us strong. As a meal of God’s Holy Spirit, this is a place where we can be strengthened by God if we will ask for the Spirit to come and dwell within us.
And tonight let us remember that we don’t come to the table alone, but with everyone who is gathered with us. Even if you are joining us online, you are present with us, and together we acknowledge that we are all sinners in need of a savior. We gather in humility knowing that we need God and one another if we are going to stand strong.
Peter
fell away, but we don’t have to if we will humble ourselves, stay awake, and
together follow Jesus.
