Judas, Peter, and Jesus (John 18:1-27)

Father, we do praise you. Thank you for the privilege to

come and praise you this morning.

We pray now as we give our attention to your word, that you

would help us to give it the attention that it deserves

because it comes from You. And so Lord, help us to silence

the distractions or help us to lean in.

Help us to be all here. Lord, I believe you have a word

for us and Lord, make us good soil to hear it that it might

bear fruit in our lives. For your glory we pray in Jesus

name, Amen. Our text this morning is John 18

verses one through 27. Please follow along in your

Bible or in the bulletin. When Jesus had spoken these

words, he went out with his disciples across the Brook

Kidron where there was a garden which he and his disciples

entered. Now Judas who betrayed him also

knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.

So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers

from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with

lanterns and torches and weapons.

Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came

forward and said to them, Whom do you seek?

They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus said to them, I am He. Judas who betrayed him was

standing with them. When Jesus said to them, I am

He, they drew back and fell to the ground.

So he asked them again, Whom do you seek?

And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus answered, I told you that I am He.

So if you seek me, let these men go.

This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken of.

Those whom you gave me I have lost not one.

Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the

high priest servant and cut off his right ear.

The servant's name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, Put your

sword into its sheath. Shall I not drink the cup that

the Father has given me? So the band of soldiers and

their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and

bound him. First they led him to Anas, for

he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest

that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised

the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should

die for the people. Simon Peter followed Jesus and

so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to

the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the

high priest. But Peter stood outside at the

door. So the other disciple who was

known to the high priest went out and spoke to the servant

girl who kept watch at the door and brought Peter in.

The servant girl at the door said to Peter, You also are not

one of this man's disciples, are you?

He said I am not. Now the servants and officers

had made a charcoal fire because it was cold and they were

standing and warming themselves. Peter also with them, standing

and warming himself. The high priest then questioned

Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

Jesus answered him. I've spoken openly to the world.

I've always taught in synagogues and in the temple where all Jews

come together. I've said nothing in secret.

Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard me and what

I said to them. They know what I said.

When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by

struck Jesus with his hand, saying, Is that how you answer

the high priest? Jesus answered him.

If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong.

But if what I said is right, why do you strike me?

Anas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming in himself.

So they said to him, You also are not one of his disciples,

are you? He denied it and said, I am not

one of the servants of the high priest.

A relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off asked, Did I

not see you in the garden with him?

Peter again denied it and at once a rooster crowed.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God, please be

seated. Some sermons you prepare with a

smile on your face, and others you prepare with a tear in your

eye. The difference between all the

light in John 17 and all the darkness in John 18 is striking,

and it demands a different kind of sermon.

In John 18 we have some of the darkest moments for Judas, Peter

and Jesus. Jesus has moved from the upper

room where he was with his friends to the Garden of

Gethsemane where he will encounter many enemies.

But shockingly, 2 of his friends, Judas and Peter fail

him. In his Gospel, John has given us

the most exalted picture of Jesus.

Think of the I AM statements and the teachings and his

relationship with the Father and the miracles.

But now John also gives us the most humbling picture of

humanity, of us, the Word of God.

It's like a mirror, and we hold it up and gaze into it.

But as we do that this morning, just like so many other

mornings, the picture is not pretty because we see a

reflection of ourselves in Judas and Peter, these weak and flawed

men who fail. And they remind us that we are

weak and flawed men and women who fail in our own ways.

We've betrayed and denied the Lord, and we don't need clever

illustrations to bring it to life right here.

Judas and Peter are the living illustrations of our false

discipleship. But in their failures, we also

see the faithfulness of Jesus, who presses through betrayal and

denial in faithful love for his people.

So we're taking time this morning to learn from these men

and their failures and the faithfulness of Jesus.

So in chapter 18, we really see the failures of Judas and Peter.

We have to go back in the story to understand what happened.

How did they get here? Why are they like this?

And so we'll go back and then we'll come forward and see what

we can learn from Judas and Peter and then Jesus.

So as we start with Judas, we learn that we can live close to

Jesus and not know him. Judas had all the benefits of

living close to Jesus. Jesus called him to be one of

the 12 part of his inner circle, friends, Co laborers.

He had access to everything that we want for ourselves and our

friends and our children. Judas lived close to Jesus

teaching and his example and his miracles.

Think about it. He heard the sermon on the

mount. He was in the boat when Jesus

calmed the storm. He was there when Jesus raised

Lazarus from the dead. Judas spent three whole years

travelling and ministering with Jesus.

We have to assume Judas was sent out with the rest to preach and

heal and cast out demons. We have to assume that it must

have gone well, that he had a fruitful ministry.

He had all the evidence that should lead to a life changing

faith. But in the end, in chapter 18,

we see Judas betraying Jesus. And I want us to see two

striking things about the betrayal.

First, Jesus knew it would happen.

Jesus knew it all the way back in John 670.

You remember the Bread of Life sermon.

And people can't handle what Jesus is saying.

And a lot of people go away and are no longer following.

And Jesus asks his disciples, do you guys want to leave too?

And that's when Peter says, Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.

The very next verse Jesus says, did I not choose you?

The 12 And yet one of you is a devil.

Jesus was talking about Judas. He knew this was going to

happen. I believe he knew it from the

very start. So let that sink in that Jesus

knew Judas would betray him and he called him anyway.

As strange as it sounds, Judas was part of the plan and Jesus

knew it. But it's also striking.

The disciples didn't know it. They didn't see it coming.

They didn't know it. In John 1321, after the foot

washing, when Jesus says truly, truly, I say to you, one of you

will betray me. John says right there.

The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he

spoke. And in Matthew 26, the disciples

are just distraught and they all start asking, is it I Lord?

Is it I Lord? Is it I Lord?

They had no idea Judas life had given no indication that he

would betray Jesus. Judas was the pastor who goes

off the rails and no one saw it coming.

He was the spouse who walks out on the marriage and then walks

out on their faith. And no one would have predicted

it would be that person. God's hand seemed to be upon

Judas's life. The disciples didn't even get it

at the table when Jesus said it is he of whom I will give this

morsel of bread when I have dipped it.

Which makes me think that Judas had to be sitting close to Jesus

that night, close enough to share the same bowl.

Think about that. close enough for Jesus to say to him what

you're going to do, Do quickly, and close enough that maybe he

said it quietly enough. The disciples hardly caught it

because John says in 1328 no one knew why Jesus said this.

They thought Jesus was telling Judas to go buy something, they

need it. Think about it.

If the disciples actually knew what Judas was going to go do,

do you think they would have let him walk out the door without a

fight? We know Peter has a sword, even

if he's not good with it, so what's the point?

The disciples had no clue Judas was orchestrating the most

infamous betrayal in history. Behind the scenes.

He has struck this deal and he is about to hand Jesus over.

What a warning for all of us. We can live really close to

Jesus and not actually know Jesus.

We can be in corporate worship every Sunday.

We can read the Bible and Christian books, we can be

active in ministry and not actually have a saving

relationship with Jesus. Listen to Jesus terrifying words

in Matthew 721 through 23 words. I imagine Judas sat and listened

to not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the

Kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father

in heaven on that day. Many will say to me, Lord, Lord,

did we not prophecy in your name and cast out demons in your name

and do many mighty works in your name?

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you.

Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

It's the ultimate warning for Judas and for anyone who lives

close to Jesus without knowing him.

It's easy to think of following Jesus like baking a cake.

So we take these different ingredients and mix them

together and outcomes a cake. So for us and for the people we

care about, think, oh, we'll take some word of God and prayer

and fellowship and worship and mission and mix it together and

out will come a disciple. But the transformation happens

when we bake a cake. Why?

Because you put it in the heat, you put it in the oven, and it

becomes like a whole new thing. And that's what seemed to be

lacking in Judas's life. The light, the heat of the Holy

Spirit. Because we can live close to

Jesus, but apart from the work of the Spirit, our eyes will not

be open, our heart will not be caused to beat.

We'll remain dead. Our life won't be changed.

We'll just be a mix of ingredients.

Without the fire, we'll be a whitewashed tomb, beautiful on

the outside, hiding dead bones on the inside.

Does this describe you? Are you in all the right

Christian places, saying all the right Christian words, doing all

the right Christian things? But if you're honest, lacking

life, lacking heat, if that's you, do you feel the warning

from Judas's life? In John 12, four through 6, we

get one clue about what was going on in Judas heart.

You remember the scene? Mary had anointed Jesus with

this expensive ointment and Judas complaints that it's been

wasted. Why would you waste this on

Jesus? And Judas asked why was it not

sold in the money given to the poor.

He acts like he has this genuine concern for the poor.

But John tells us he said this not because he cared about the

poor but because he was a thief and having charge of the money

bag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

I don't know when John figured that out.

That's not clear. I bet he put it together later.

But this is clear. Judas had unconfessed sin in his

life and it was greed. He was a thief.

He was stealing money people gave to support Jesus ministry

and he was acting like he cared about the poor.

Remember Paul's words in first Timothy 610 and think about

Judas as you hear this. For the love of money is a root

of all kinds of evil. It's through this craving that

some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves

with many pangs. Can you relate to this?

Maybe, like Judas, you just wish you could have a little bit

more. And because of that love of

money, you can be bought. There's a price at which you

will walk away from Jesus. I think about Esau in the Old

Testament basically trading his birthright for a cup of Stew.

What would you trade Jesus for? For Judas, it only took 30

pieces of silver. It's probably about four months

wages back then. And this is the closest thing we

have to a chink in Judas armor, like a foothold that Satan could

use to get into his life. And I think that's what happened

because Judas refused to bring his darkness into the light.

He sat on that secret and he gave Satan an inch and Satan

took a mile. So Luke says Satan entered into

Judas, and John says the devil put it into his heart to betray

Jesus. But this was only possible

because Judas made it possible. He opened the door of his heart

for the Prince of Darkness to enter.

Imagine Judas sitting at the table with Jesus, hearing some

of this most amazing teaching from the last few chapters.

But he didn't know Jesus. He sat there pretending to be a

disciple, and then he walked out, grabbed some soldiers, and

betrayed Jesus with a kiss, with a sign of affection.

Do you have unconfessed sin in your life?

Is there some dark secret no one knows?

If you do hear this, just like Judas, people won't know it.

But Jesus knows it. And if the story of Judas

doesn't scare you, I fear for you.

I don't want any of you to live close to Jesus but not know him.

So consider Judas this morning. Cry out to God, Holy Spirit,

open my eyes. Help me to bring my darkness

into the light. Jesus, forgive my sins and make

me new. So if you're living close to

Jesus but don't know him, I pray that even this morning he would

save you by the power of his grace.

Now, as we turn our attention to Peter, we're reminded of a

different lesson. It's this.

We can know Jesus but not understand his mission.

We can know Jesus and not understand his mission.

The author Michael Card argues that Peter is the only other

fully formed character in the Gospels.

Think about that. We have Jesus and we have Peter,

and everyone else is kind of a bit character.

But what a gift that it's Peter, right?

This man who's so like us, so ordinary and relatable, No

formal education. He loved to fish.

He was a small business owner. We learned so much about Jesus

just by the way he interacts with Peter.

So think about Peter's story from the beginning.

He was drawn to Jesus. His brother brought him to

Jesus, and he comes and he's excited.

Peter loved Jesus from the start, but he didn't love Jesus.

Mission. This is clear in Matthew 16 when

Peter has one of his highest highs and one of his lowest lows

back-to-back. First Peter confesses you are

the Christ, the Son of the living God, and Jesus is excited

and calls him blessed and tells him the Father has revealed this

to him. Very next text says Jesus starts

to explain to the disciples that the Christ will have to suffer

and be killed and be raised on the third day.

I really think Peter missed the raised part but he didn't miss

the suffering part. So he hears that the Christ will

suffer and he he just goes crazy.

Peter takes Jesus aside and starts to rebuke him says for

far be it from you Lord, this will never happen to you.

And in this moment, Jesus says to him, get behind me, Satan.

From high to low. Jesus came to die for his

people. And here's Peter standing in the

way of that mission. In that moment, Peter was

opposing God's will. He was more devil than disciple.

So Jesus would talk to the disciples multiple times about

his plan, about his mission, but they never seemed to get it

because they had no category for a savior who would suffer or

even a savior who would serve. So Jesus washes Peter's feet and

takes this place of a servant and Peter resists that.

And then in our passage, Jesus hands himself over to be

arrested and Peter resists that. He takes up his sword and starts

swinging. He's fighting for Jesus.

Thankfully he wasn't great with a sword.

He probably wanted a head and just got an ear.

And you know, in another text that says Jesus on the spot

heals that ear, Peter turns to violence because he doesn't

understand Jesus mission or he understands it all too well and

just doesn't agree with it. Jesus planned to save his people

and build his church through suffering and sacrifice through

costly love. But Peter thinks the movement

should be more about power and privilege.

Peter loves Jesus, but he doesn't love his mission.

He has his own agenda. So Peter does the wrong things

you could say for the right reasons.

He loves Jesus. He wants to save them from

suffering and that's what he tries to do, but Jesus doesn't

thank him for it. Peter probably expected a thank

you for standing up for me. And Jesus rebukes them.

Put your sword into its sheath. Shall I not drink the cup that

the Father has given me? Can you relate to Peter?

Do you know and love Jesus but struggle to get on board with

this mission? You hear him saying deny

yourself and take up your cross and follow me and you're like,

yes, Lord, I love you. But that sounds really

uncomfortable. Could we maybe just do it with

power and privilege? Could we maybe just save

ourselves and our children from suffering?

Church history is just littered with stories of people doing the

wrong things for the right reasons, relying on the worldly

power instead of the Holy Spirit, conquering our enemies

with quick violence instead of the long Rd. costly love.

Have you ever noticed though, wherever the church seems to

enjoy power and privilege, it seems like decay and decline are

just right there with it. But when God's people faithfully

endure persecution and suffering, the church grows.

There's revival. We see amazing things, but we're

still tempted to find a shortcut around suffering.

Because it's easy. Easy to send people on crusades

and hard to send people to go plant a church.

It's It's easy to send soldiers. It's hard to send missionaries.

It's easier to fight theological battles with people than to lay

down our lives for them. So the big point is it's easier

to grab for a crown than take up a cross.

But Jesus makes it so clear the cross comes before the crown.

So why do we think life will go differently for us?

Well, because we're like Peter. We think we can know Jesus and

not love his mission. But it's a profound disconnect,

isn't it, To love someone and not love their mission.

To say I love you, but I kind of hate what you're about.

And Jesus won't leave us there. And over time, the Lord changed

Peter in beautiful ways. So when an older Peter wrote his

letter First Peter, he had a very different perspective.

And if you go read it this afternoon, you'll see how much

he talks about the reality of suffering in the Christian life.

He calls us to faithful endurance as we suffer for

Christ. He calls us to rejoice even as

we share in Christ's sufferings. And the traditional story goes

that that Peter was crucified upside down because he didn't

think he was worthy to die like his Lord.

So Peter was naturally proud, but the Lord humbled him.

And Peter was naturally violent, but the Lord made him willing to

suffer for the cause of Christ. God used Peter's failure in the

Garden of Gethsemane to make him into a man who would follow

Jesus in his mission. And he'll use our

misunderstandings and failures to get us back on mission. 2IN

John 18 we see Peter lashes out to try to save Jesus from

suffering and then in the next scene he shrinks back to try to

save himself from suffering. We see Jesus trial starting with

Anas and it will continue as we go forward in the coming weeks.

Anas was Caiaphas, his father-in-law.

He was the former chief or chief priest, high priest.

He was like the high priest emeritus, a man with real power,

just no job anymore. But the soldiers take Jesus to

him first. He's kind of the man.

We won't focus on the interrogation because Peter's

really our main concern. But I think John was the other

disciple. He's always so hesitant to list

himself, but he, I think, was the one known to the high

priest. It was John who helped Peter get

in the door. It was John who witnessed this

moment so that we would know about it.

And what John does is highlight the contrast between Jesus and

Peter. Peter denies Jesus in verses 17

and 25 and 27. Earlier when Jesus could deny it

as at his arrest, he said I am he, I am he, I am he.

Now in a similar situation, Peter says I am not, I am not, I

am not one of his. And in between Peter's denials,

what we see is Jesus is on trial.

In the midst of that, Jesus is the one in real trouble.

And yet he denies nothing. Go talk to the people I've

taught out in the open. Go, go hear what I said.

I'm not hiding anything. And Peter's just watching from

the sidelines and he denies everything.

Which is amazing because in Matthew 2635, Peter tells Jesus,

even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.

And it says all the disciples said the same.

But their confidence cracks when the threat gets real.

Can you relate to this? We make these bold promises, but

when the when things get real, we fold.

We do the unthinkable. We act like we don't even know

Jesus. When has the heat gotten turned

up at work or school or in the neighborhood?

Have you ever denied that you're with Jesus or with his people?

When have we denied Jesus? Why do we do this, and what will

it take for us to have the strength not to do it again?

We're not going to find that answer in Peter.

And so we turn our eyes away from Peter, and we turn our eyes

to Jesus. So when we look at Jesus in John

18, what do we see? He is faithful to love us and

give himself for us. In John 18, he's arrested.

In John 19, he's crucified. And yet in both chapters, John

makes it clear that Jesus is reigning.

He's in control. This is in no way an accident.

This is his hour that He's been talking about in John, the

moment for which He came. This is how He'll bring glory to

the Father and salvation to his people.

This is how He'll fulfill the promise of the of the Old

Testament. Prophecies are being fulfilled

even in Judas. This is all part of the plan.

Look at verse 4. Jesus knew all that was going to

happen to him, and he didn't run.

Judas and his army come with lanterns and torches.

They're expecting a search. They're expecting a fight.

But Jesus is in a familiar place.

It's a place Judas knew well. They had probably had many sweet

times there together, which just adds to the pain.

This is probably the first place Judas would look, and that's

where Jesus goes. And they're ready to hunt Jesus,

but he just hands himself over who's really in control.

In John 17, Jesus wanted his disciples to hear something as

he prayed. That's what Pete said last week.

I think. In John 18, Jesus wanted his

disciples to see something as he surrendered.

He didn't send them off to spare them this moment.

He wants them to see that he's laying down his life willingly.

And so he steps forward and asks, whom do you seek?

They say Jesus of Nazareth. And he says I am he, the

simplest I am statement in John, so simple that a lot of people

don't even consider it an I am statement.

But professional soldiers hear this name and they draw back and

they hit the ground. Has the name of Jesus ever

stopped you in your tracks and caused you to fall to the

ground? Jesus asked them again.

They say they're looking for Jesus of Nazareth.

And he tells them again, I am he.

You remember in Exodus, God revealed himself to Moses as I

am, and he said he was coming down to rescue and deliver his

people from slavery. And now in John, Jesus is

claiming to be I am the God who came to deliver his people from

sin. But how would he do it?

Here we see the power of this name.

I am. We see what he's about.

What is his mission? Jesus uses the power of his

name. I am he.

I am he not to save himself, but to save his friends.

So he says in verse 9, if you seek me, let these men go.

The great I am came to give his life for ours.

If you seek me, let these men go and they let them go.

You would think they would take all of them, don't you?

But Jesus says take me, forgive them.

Jesus was telling them, my life for theirs.

And Jesus would tell you this morning, my life for yours, my

life for yours. Just think about Jesus love for

his people. He endures betrayal and

misunderstanding of his mission and denials here and then it'll

be trials and abuse and ultimately the cross.

But in the face of our failures, Jesus is perfectly faithful to

love us, and he presses forward to drink the cup of God's wrath

so that we can lift the cup of God's salvation.

And that's what Peter came to see one day.

That's what Jesus wants us to see today, that we cannot out

fail his faithfulness. If we will simply look to Jesus,

we cannot out fail his faithfulness.

Peter's denial in John 18 becomes this defining moment in

his walk with Jesus. And Jesus will come back to this

in a few chapters after the resurrection, but just think

about John witnessing this and imagine how hard it would be to

tell this story about his friend.

This one of his worst moments in his life.

I think it's so painful for John that you see at the end he just

says at once a rooster crowed. You can't even say any more than

that. But imagine what Peter must have

felt. And now think about your own

failures. Maybe even this week, this

summer, there's some way that you have failed Jesus.

Deny Jesus, betray Jesus. And if your heart breaks, I want

you to hear what Luke says in the same moment.

This is Luke 2261. And the Lord turned and looked

at Peter, And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he

said to him, before the rooster crows today you'll deny me 3

times. And Peter went out and wept

bitterly. So in Peter's moment of deepest

failure, what happens? The Lord turned and looked at

him. And the question is, what was in

that look? Was it a look of disappointment

and judgement? I don't think so.

I believe Jesus looked at Peter and loved him.

And it was that look of love that broke Peter's heart,

because it was a love that he couldn't understand and he could

never deserve. It was God's unfailing love for

a failing man. And that love would one day take

Simon, who really appears more like a pile of sand, and make

him, by the power of God's Spirit, a rock.

Peter So friends, in the moment of your deepest failure, I want

you to imagine Jesus turning and looking at you, not with a look

of disappointment or judgement, but with love.

And the question is, will you reject that love like Judas, to

your own destruction? Or will you trust in his, in his

faithful love like Peter? Will you let him change your

life? Will you let him swallow up your

failures in His unfailing love? So look to Jesus this morning.

Come to know Him truly, and then know the joy of following Him in

His mission. Love, so amazing, so divine,

demands our soul, our life, our all.

Let's pray together. Father, We're so grateful for

this text. It alarms us, it warns us, but

it also encourages us. I pray for those who feel like

Judas this morning or who feel comfortable, or would you

afflict them and help them to see the danger that they're in?

Should they not turn and run to Jesus or open their eyes, make

their hearts beat for you, and I pray that they would cry out to

you for salvation. I also pray for those who feel

more like Peter, who feel afflicted, who feel the

heaviness of their failures and their weakness and their sin.

Lord, would you comfort them today by the promise of your

unfailing love? Lord for all of us, we pray that

you would draw us closer, that we might know you truly and

follow you in your mission. Lord, take Your word and drive

it deep into our hearts and give us grace to understand it and

apply it now in Jesus name, Amen.