Luke 22:54-71

Luke 22 verses 54-71. So there's a statistic about these four books we call the Gospels.

Luke 22:54–71

! And that makes it very clear that these Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, they were never intended to be biographies of Jesus.

They were always, always intended to be a Gospels, a kind of genre of literature to itself.

They were to be messages of good news. And the stat is this, from about 35% to 50% in one of the Gospels,

we find that the Gospel is devoted to the last single week of the Lord Jesus' life.

One of the Gospels, on all of the Gospels, in all of them, something like 10-40% covers the last 24 hours of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now that isn't how you write a biography, is it? That's how you do it.

But it is what makes these books good news. They are all about the death of the Lord Jesus.

Because in each case, it indicates to us that the authors understood what is fundamental,

and what is absolutely essential to the life and the ministry of the Lord Jesus.

It is not just the great things that he said, or the great things that he did, or the wonderful works and miracles.

The Gospels are here to teach us, in the form of the narrative,

that the Lord Jesus, what he came into the world to do, quite specifically,

was to die for the sins of his people.

That is what Christianity is all about.

That is what the Gospels are all about.

That the Lord Jesus came into the world to die for sinners.

And that is why the focus is on these last days, and especially on these last hours.

And woven into Luke's Gospel, that we've been studying,

we not only learn what happened to the Lord Jesus,

but Luke tells us the story in such a way,

that we're able to understand why it is the things that happened to him, happened to him.

And there's a sense in which the key to those verses,

that we've read today, is found in verse 67.

Can you see it?

They say, if you are the Christ, tell us.

And these verses, in one way or another,

have all got to do with either recognising or refusing the Lord Jesus Christ as the Christ.

As the Messiah.

It means the anointed one.

So in the Old Testament,

there are particular individuals that are anointed

by God to lead his people.

There were prophets.

And there were priests.

And there were kings.

And they were anointed by God to lead his people.

So, in various places in the Old Testament,

God has promised one day that there would appear a great prophet.

A great prophet.

A greater prophet than Moses.

One whom the people of God should listen to.

And he promised that one day there would be a greater priest.

A greater priest than Melchizedek.

Who would come and who would appear.

And he would be the great sacrifice for his people's sins.

And one day a king would appear,

who would sit forever on the throne of David.

And would rule his people from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth.

And so it is very, very striking.

That here, the Sanhedrin,

the Jewish ruling council,

that they are asking Jesus,

and they are not really interested in the answer Jesus makes clear.

They are asking Jesus,

are you really the Christ?

Are you really the fulfilment of all Old Testament prophecy?

How about the coming saviour?

And it's fascinating to see,

how these three offices of the Lord Jesus,

that he is the prophet,

he is the priest,

and he is the king,

are woven by Luke into this passage.

And strikingly, in each case,

what Luke shows you,

is he is rejected.

He is rejected as king,

he is rejected as prophet,

and he is rejected as priest.

So let's look at that.

I'm going to try and be brief,

both morning and evening.

So in the first case,

he is denied as king.

He is denied as king by Simon Peter.

In this deeply poignant event,

Peter, who clearly loved the Lord Jesus,

who is almost later,

he is almost later,

begging Jesus to believe him.

He says to him at the end of Luke's gospel,

Lord, you know that I love you.

You know that I love you.

And he said a few hours earlier in this event to me,

he said,

even if all the other disciples run away and desert Jesus,

I will always follow you.

I will always follow you as king and as master.

And then Luke so cleverly,

though he is speaking geographically,

there is a double entendre there,

isn't there,

in verse 54.

He says, doesn't he,

and Peter was following at a distance.

Now that was true in space and time,

wasn't it?

It was true geographically,

but it did begin to be true in the heart.

The physical distance between Peter and the Lord Jesus,

spoke of his desire for his own safety,

and his own security.

And Simon Peter was to learn that night,

wasn't he,

that night,

that when a man or a woman or a boy or girl

seeks their own safety,

with respect to the Lord Jesus,

that is when we find ourselves in greatest danger.

And so it was here with Simon Peter.

This cold spring night,

he is in the courtyard of the high priest,

and somewhere up there on the second floor,

perhaps,

even within here's shot,

perhaps with an eye shot,

the Lord Jesus,

as we read in verse 63 to 65,

the Lord Jesus is being abused.

And Simon Peter is desperately frightened.

And though he loves Jesus,

which is why he is there in the first place,

he is effectively denying that Jesus is king.

Actually,

this passage is a very striking example,

isn't it,

of something that we all know in our lives,

of what is a common example,

a common principle,

that if we're in a new situation,

we're with new people,

we face a challenge to our Christian faith,

and we don't respond faithfully,

the first challenge is brought to us,

and we don't respond faithfully,

then the second challenge comes,

and it makes it very difficult,

doesn't it?

And then the third challenge comes,

and we've not responded faithfully,

and it's almost impossible.

For us to stand for Jesus Christ,

and many of us know,

we've been in that situation,

we've failed when the first challenges come.

You're in school,

you're a student,

you're in a new job,

you've moved into a new flat,

there's new friends,

there's new colleagues,

and the opportunity comes,

and the challenge comes,

and you effectively say,

I don't know Jesus,

and I'm not going to speak for Jesus.

And you know, don't you?

How much more difficult it becomes.

And how impossible it can be,

when that third challenge comes.

And so Peter's story is my story.

And perhaps it's your story too.

A man who loves Jesus,

but denies Jesus as a king.

And what was his mistake?

Well it's actually portrayed here very graphically.

It's a mistake that Simon Peter's made once before,

isn't it?

You remember Jesus had called him to walk on the water.

And on that occasion he walked on the water,

and as long as his eyes were fixed on the Lord Jesus,

he's been able to do that, hasn't he?

In some extraordinary way to walk on the water.

But as soon as his eyes move from the Lord Jesus,

and the fear of his circumstances begins to dawn on him,

well it's the moment he begins to sink.

And it's exactly the same in Luke 22.

He turns away from the Lord Jesus,

to think,

how can I keep myself safe?

And how can I defend myself?

In case anybody knew that he was a disciple of the Lord Jesus.

And so it's impressive we take our eyes off the Lord Jesus,

it's so simple and yet it's so obvious, isn't it?

And yet it's the greatest problem in the Christian life.

You're in a situation where the thing,

where you need,

you know that to be kept safe,

in that situation,

you need to kind of give up on the Lord Jesus.

It's very, very costly, isn't it, to follow Jesus.

But Peter discovered in this passage,

it is even more costly not to follow him.

And so here the king is on trial.

The king is on trial.

And he denied him.

And as we notice, actually in the passage,

an hour or two passes,

Peter is in the courtyard.

Do you notice that verse 59?

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.

And so we're meant to understand this,

Luke makes this clear,

that while this was happening,

something else was happening in the high priest's house.

And verse 63,

the men are holding Jesus in custody,

at the same time,

in an ongoing way.

They are mocking him,

and beating him,

and blindfolding him,

and insulting him.

And they say to him,

prophesy.

Prophesy.

Who is it that struck you?

And so even as Peter is denying Jesus as king,

the soldiers are mocking him as prophet.

He was the one who spoke the truth of God.

You know that,

in the Old Testament,

one of the words that is used for a prophet

is that of a seer.

A seer.

Somebody who is able to see

into the secrets of God.

Somebody who is able to see

into the hearts of man.

Somebody who is able to see

what God is going to do in the future.

The prophet was a seer.

And so do you see what they are doing?

They say,

so you are a seer.

You are a prophet.

Let us blindfold you.

And now tell us what you see.

And so they slap him.

And they abuse him.

And they play with him.

And they molest him.

Sometimes you find yourself in a situation

where you think Jesus cannot possibly

understand this situation.

Well, you just need to read the Gospels,

don't you?

To find that there is no situation in life

for which the Lord Jesus

is unable to come to us and say,

I understand your situation.

You think of believers in Iraq this morning

fleeing from their lives.

Jesus can come to them and say,

I know what it is to be abused.

I know what it is to be persecuted.

The thing that strikes me here is this.

We've been told in the Gospels

that Jesus knew Peter was going to betray him.

In a sense you can say,

Jesus was mentally prepared for the moment.

And this passage makes it clear

that he is in command of the moment.

But what can prepare you for this?

What can prepare you for this awful isolation?

The terrible drinking of this cup of desolation

at the hands of the officers of the high priest's house.

Imagine how this began for these men.

They may have heard his word.

They may have heard him preach, some of them.

They may have rejected his word.

They may have seen his followers

and found themselves inwardly mocking Jesus.

And they couldn't help themselves.

You can imagine when these soldiers went home that night

and they told their wives what they'd done.

How could you possibly do that to Jesus of Nazareth?

And they could have said,

well it was out of character.

Other people made me do it.

But if their wives had any sense

they would have said to them,

no, it wasn't out of character.

It was a revelation of what your character is really like.

You see, it is a trajectory, isn't it?

You begin by harboring your heart,

it's Jesus' word,

and rejecting him.

And then slightly mocking him

into a superior attitude.

And then you find yourself hating him.

And so Jesus here is on trial as king.

And he shows his regal dignity

as he is also mocked as prophet.

And here is the tragedy.

They blindfold him.

But it is they themselves are blind

to his true identity.

They blindfold him.

And yet it is they who are blind

to his true identity.

And we need to know that.

As our Lord Jesus is mocked and scorned

in the world in which we live.

As his word is treated terribly

in the world in which we live.

As he is mocked and scorned

it is they who are blind,

not the Lord Jesus Christ.

So even as he shows his royal dignity,

that royal dignity is denied

by Peter in his life.

And even as he is the prophet

whom God has sent

about people who said,

no man ever spoke like this man.

We find that he is mocked as prophet.

And then in a very striking way

we find that he is sacrificed

as high priest.

He is sacrificed as a high priest.

Now how does this come about?

It's very interesting isn't it?

Here you've got these two events

that go side by side.

You have the guards

and the soldiers.

And they cease,

they stop their viciousness

to the Lord Jesus.

And they are it seems

taking Jesus to be tried

by the Sanhedrin.

And there is an event

that is described at this moment.

It's the last time

Simon Peter denies him as king.

It's the end of the soldiers

mocking him as prophet.

And just at that point

the eyes of Simon Peter

and the Lord Jesus meets.

Do you see that in verse 61?

And the Lord turned

and looked at Peter.

And Peter remembered

the saying of the Lord.

How he had said to him

before the cock crows today

you will deny me three times.

But Luke tells us

only a little bit

of what the Lord Jesus

had said to him.

Do you remember

what Jesus had said to him?

It's there in verses 31.

to verse 34.

What Jesus said was this.

Simon, Simon,

behold Satan

demanded to have you

that he might sift you

like wheat.

But I have prayed for you

that your faith

may not fail.

I have prayed for you.

Can you think of that moment

when Simon Peter

goes out

and he weeps

bitterly in the darkness

in the cold

of the Jerusalem night

with the prophecy

of his denial

still ringing

in his ears.

But there was also

that promise

of the Lord Jesus

wasn't there?

That he would be

Simon Peter's

great high priest.

I will pray for you.

I have prayed for you.

That he would be

to Simon Peter

what the high priest

was to God's people.

He would wear

on his breastplate

with jewels

engraved on it

the names

of the tribes

of Israel.

That he might

carry them

on his heart

before the presence

of God

and he would pray

for his people

in all their weakness

and their failure

and their needs.

And so in amazing

in an amazing way

Jesus is a priest.

Indeed he is a high priest.

That Jesus is taken

before the Sanhedrin

and there before

the Sanhedrin

he is sacrificed

as a priest.

There's two interesting things

and woven it.

I don't think the high priest

probably knew this.

But it's interesting

the only way

that a high priest

could be tried

and condemned

is if he was tried

and condemned

by the whole ruling council.

And that is what

is happening in Luke 22.

And there's another

strange oddity.

Before the great

day of atonement

other priests

kept the high priest up

and awake

all night.

And it's almost

as if those two traditions

that had grown up

around the liturgy

of ancient Judaism

they are coming true

before their very eyes.

The high priest

was doing the very things

that they would do

to a high priest.

And now they turned

this great high priest

into a sacrificial beast

upon the altar of Calvary.

And in this amazing way

despised

and rejected of man

a man of sorrows

and acquainted with grief.

It is though Luke

is saying to you and I

do you see

what is happening here?

That the king

is being rejected

that the prophet

is being despised

and that the high priest

is being made a sacrifice.

Don't you see

he is exactly

the saviour

he is exactly

the Messiah

he is exactly

the Christ

that he promised

to be.

And there are lots of ways

we can apply this

let me apply this

in one way

it is this

think about Simon Peter

Jesus came into this world

for failures

failures like Simon Peter

failures like you

and failures like me

and he came into the world

for people who would

deny him

and people who would

demean him

and reject him

and that he would

die for us.

I was with Dick Lucas

the other week

and Dick Lucas is fed up

because William Taylor

the minister of St. Helens

William Taylor's son

has got a cockerel

and a cockerel

every morning

at about 5 o'clock

crock-a-doodle-doo

it starts

you know

when you are 88

that is a bit tired

isn't it

and every morning

he is woken up

by this cockerel

and it got me thinking

about Luke 22

can you imagine

for Simon Peter

even in the cities

in those days

there would have been

cockerels

can you imagine

every single morning

every single morning

he was woken up

by a reminder

that he denied

his saviour

that was his alarm call

every single morning

there was a reminder

that he denied

his saviour

three times

but every single morning

there was an alarm clock

there was a reminder

of God's grace

that Jesus Christ

had said to him

Simon Simon Peter

I am the high priest

who prays for you

it's what gripped

the apostle Paul

wasn't it

in Romans chapter 8

Romans 8 · chapter mention

do you remember

who is going to bring

any charge

against God's elect

it is God

that justifies

who is going

to condemn me

when Christ

has died for me

and has risen for me

who is at the right hand

of the throne

of the most high

and he intercedes for me

failure

we've all been there

haven't we

you have been there

the times

when I denied

the Lord Jesus

the sins of my heart

the sins

that haunt me

day in

and day out

and we can get

no release from them

and where are you

going to look

where will you look

for salvation

and for mercy

we are to look

to this

you see that again

in verse 32

I have prayed for you

that your faith

may not fail

and that is something

isn't it

that we have to hang

on to

when we struggle

but the Christ

who has come

to reign over us

is the Christ

who has come

to die for us

he is the Christ

who ever lives

at the right hand

of his father

to make intercession

for us

so when Satan

tempts me

to despair

and tells me

of the guilt within

at what I look

and see him

there

who made an end

of all my sin

and that is it

isn't it

and so when we say

we need to fix

our eyes

on the Lord Jesus

it is not some

pious platitudes

it is because

when our eyes

are fixed

on the risen

ascended

and seated

Lord Jesus Christ

we know

that we are his

and we know

that we are safe

let's pray