Betrayal and Denial in the Courtyard Luke 22v47-62

1-0-5-8 in the Church Bible, starting in verse 47.

While he was still speaking, a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them.

He approached Jesus to kiss him.

But Jesus asked him, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?

When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, Lord, should we strike with our swords?

And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

But Jesus answered, no, more of this, no more of this.

And he touched the man's ear and healed him.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come for him,

Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?

Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me.

But this is your hour, when darkness reigns.

Then seizing him, 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.

A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight.

She looked closely at him and said, this man was with him.

But he denied it.

Woman, I don't know him, he said.

A little later, someone else saw him and said, you also are one of them.

Man, I am not, Peter replied.

About an hour later, another asserted, certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.

Peter replied, man, I don't know what you're talking about.

Just as he was speaking, the cock crowed.

The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.

Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord had spoken to him.

Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times.

And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Let's pray.

Father, thank you for this account of the Lord Jesus and his followers.

Written to tell us the true events of the life of Jesus.

Father, we pray that we, as we listen together, would be able to enter into this account.

That you would show us where we fit in this story.

And ultimately, that you would show us how we desperately need the Lord Jesus.

So speak afresh to us today.

We ask in your name. Amen.

Well, how do you feel when people hurt you?

When a friend turns their back on you?

Or someone breaks a promise they've made to you?

How do you feel when that happens?

Isolated and alone?

Broken and crushed?

What do you think should happen to someone who hurts you?

Well, Jesus had a close circle of friends, the disciples.

Carefully chosen by Jesus.

They'd lived and worked together for the last three years.

They'd been through some amazing experiences together.

We could say they trusted one another.

But those who claimed to be his closest friends all deserted Jesus.

In fact, one betrayed Jesus and another denied Jesus.

Three things we're going to look at this morning.

Darkness falls.

Disciples fail.

And grace flows.

First of all, darkness falls.

It is night.

It's dark.

Jesus is with his disciples in the olive grove.

He's been there praying.

But it's not just the darkness of the night.

There is the darkness of Satan's work.

In just a few hours, Jesus will be put to death, brutally executed.

But first, his arrest.

Look at verse 52.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders who had come for him,

that is, had come to arrest him,

Am I leading a rebellion that you come with swords and clubs?

Look, every day I was with you in the temple courts,

and you did not lay a hand on me.

But this is your hour when darkness reigns.

Yes, the religious authorities have been plotting and planning to get rid of Jesus.

But behind their schemes is this sinister work of Satan.

As it says at the end of verse 53,

This is your hour when darkness reigns.

Of course, Satan has been present all along through the account of Luke's gospel.

Way back in Luke chapter 3,

Luke 3 · chapter mention

we read of Satan's temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.

This is how Luke records it.

When the devil had finished all this tempting,

he left him until an opportune time.

And it seems that now that time has come.

The hour of darkness reigns.

All the forces of evil are coming together under the direction of Satan.

Have a look back at chapter 22, verse 3.

There we read, chapter 22, verse 3,

Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the twelve.

Verse 31.

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.

This is what Satan does.

His aim is to destroy the work of Jesus and his followers.

But what Satan sets out to achieve,

let us remember, it is ultimately under the control and the plan of God.

God allows.

It's like he gives permission for these evil forces to kill Jesus.

That's why Jesus says to them,

This is your hour.

This is your allotted time when darkness reigns.

Oh, you had that opportunity to arrest me,

but it wasn't my time.

But now you can.

For now this is the hour, the time when darkness reigns.

But little do they know that the death of Jesus is the means by which he will destroy and defeat the work of Satan

and provide salvation for all who will trust him.

So as Jesus heads to the cross,

the darkness falls.

Second,

the disciples fail.

As the evil forces scheme,

those closest to Jesus fail.

First,

betrayed by a kiss.

It couldn't have come at a worse time.

Remember,

Jesus has just faced the reality of going to the cross.

He will have to drink the cup.

He's going to face God's judgment.

He will experience hell.

Jesus is in physical and emotional breakdown.

Back in verse 44,

we're told that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

So,

if you need support,

now is the time.

You need your friends at this moment to gather around you,

to support you,

to pray for you,

to be there.

But that's not what happens.

Verse 47,

while he was still speaking,

a crowd came up

and the man who was called Judas,

one of the twelve,

was leading them.

Judas is one of the disciples.

What's he up to?

Why is he with this crowd?

Why wasn't he with the other disciples?

Well,

look back to the beginning of chapter 22,

verse 1.

Chapter 22,

verse 1.

Now,

the festival of unleavened bread,

called the Passover.

Remember,

the Passover was the time,

the annual celebration

of that great rescue from Egypt.

The rescue from slavery.

That's what they're celebrating.

So,

the festival was approaching.

Verse 2,

and the chief priests

and the teachers of the law

were looking for some way

to get rid of Jesus,

for they were afraid of the people.

Then Satan entered Judas.

That is,

he came and tempted him.

Called Iscariot,

one of the twelve.

And Judas went to the chief priests

and the officers of the temple guard

and discussed with them

how he might betray Jesus.

And they were delighted

and agreed to give Judas money.

Judas consented

and watched for an opportunity

to hand Jesus over to them

when no crowd was present.

There is nothing worse

than the betrayal of a friend

that you love.

And then the betrayal happened.

Look at verse 47.

The end of verse 47.

Judas approached Jesus

to kiss him.

But Jesus asked him,

Judas,

are you betraying the Son of Man

with a kiss?

A kiss

is for a friend,

someone you love.

The only other time

a kiss is mentioned in Luke,

I wonder if you can remember it,

is when the sinful woman

came into that crowd,

into Simon's house

and, well,

she kept kissing

Jesus' feet.

It was an expression

of deep love

and devotion.

But the kiss of Judas,

well, it was like

a stab in the back.

Judas betrayed Jesus.

How do you feel about Judas?

What do you think

should happen to him?

Well, the most disturbing thing

in all of this is,

I am Judas.

And you are Judas.

Because we all betray Jesus.

Jesus.

Look again what Judas did

back in chapter 22,

verse 4.

Judas went

to the chief priests

and the officers

and the temple guard

and discussed with them.

They planned

and talked it through together

how he might betray Jesus.

And they were delighted

and agreed

to give him money.

Jesus had called Judas

to be a disciple.

They'd been together

for three years

as close friends.

Jesus was going to die

for Judas.

But for Judas,

Jesus wasn't enough.

He wanted something more.

He exchanged Jesus

for something else.

In this case,

he got money.

And that's what betrayal is.

It's turning your back

on someone else

to gain something else.

And that's what I do.

And that's what we do.

We turn our back on Jesus

to get the things

that we want.

Because Jesus doesn't give

what I demand

and what I want

when I want,

well, I betray him.

I turn my back on him.

We exchange him

for other things

and other people.

So there is the betrayal

by a kiss.

Second, there's denial

by lies.

You see, Judas wasn't

the only one

to turn his back

on Jesus.

In fact, Jesus said

that Peter would

deny him.

Peter is horrified

at the very thought of it.

Go back to chapter 22,

verse 33.

So Jesus has just said

to Peter

that he's going

to deny him.

Verse 33.

But Peter replied,

Lord,

I'm ready to go

with you to prison

and to death.

Jesus answered,

I tell you, Peter,

before the cock crows today,

you will deny

three times

that you know me.

What must Peter

have thought?

Jesus must be mad.

There's no way

I would turn

my back on Jesus.

Well, yeah,

others might,

but not me.

Well, in a few hours,

Peter had the chance

to prove himself.

Verse 54.

Then seizing Jesus,

they led him away

and took him

into a 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.

Just even in that

little phrase,

sitting down

with them,

he's become a part

of that little crowd.

A servant girl

saw him seated there

in the firelight.

She looked closely

at him and said,

this man

was with him.

But Peter denied it.

Woman,

I don't know him,

he said.

A little later,

someone else saw him

and said,

yes,

yes,

you,

you also

were one of them.

You're one

of those disciples.

Man,

I am not,

Peter replied.

About an hour

later,

another asserted,

yes,

certainly

this fellow

was with him,

for he is a Galilean.

I recognize

the accent.

Yes,

you're one

of those people.

Peter replied,

man,

I don't know

what you're

talking about.

We could perhaps

understand one

denial

and then kind of

remove yourself.

We might have a little

sympathy for two

denials,

but three?

Peter had at least

an hour to think

of what he might

say,

but when the

pressure came

on,

Peter crumbled

in a heap.

Just as he

was speaking,

the cock

crowed.

A few hours

earlier,

he was claiming

to be the strongest,

the greatest

disciple.

Lord,

I'm ready to go

with you to prison

and to death,

but when it

really mattered,

when it

really counted,

Peter couldn't

even bring

himself to say

that he just

knew Jesus.

He couldn't

say it.

Well,

I'm sure we

could all do

a lot better

than Peter,

couldn't we?

Well,

the sad

reality is,

I am just

like Peter.

Peter.

You are just

like Peter.

We all

deny Jesus.

Peter,

I mean,

Peter's not

stupid.

He knew what

was happening.

Jesus had been

saying all along

that he would

be arrested,

that he would

die,

and now he

realizes that

Jesus is going

to die.

And Peter

knows that if

he's associated

with Jesus,

well,

he might die

too.

And in the

cold and

dark reality

of the

courtyard,

Peter decides

that saving

his life is

more important

than loving

Jesus.

And we're

no different.

When the

pressure comes

on,

our life

becomes more

important than

loving Jesus.

If letting

people know

that,

well,

yes,

I'm a

Christian,

means that

life is

going to

be tough,

then I

choose

comfort.

If standing

up for what

I believe

means I

might lose

one of my

friends or

I might fall

out of favour

with my

boss,

well,

I'm going to

choose my

friends every

time.

We deny

him.

Our lives

are more

important

than loving

Jesus.

you see,

as followers

of Jesus,

in the

darkness of

temptation,

we all

fail.

The

darkness

falls,

the

disciples

fail,

but

wonderfully

grace flows.

Jesus

offers

grace.

Look at

how Jesus

responds to

all that is

going on.

Think of the

darkness that

is weighing in

upon him.

Think of the

failure of

those closest

to him,

and look at

how Jesus

responds.

Look at

verse 48.

Judas

approached

Jesus to

kiss him,

but Jesus

asked him,

Judas,

are you

betraying the

Son of

Man with

a kiss?

Are you

sure?

Are you

sure you

want to go

through with

this,

Judas?

Don't you

realise who

I am?

I am the

Son of

Man,

the one

with absolute

power and

supreme

authority.

I have

power to

judge you.

but I

have

authority to

forgive you.

There is

a way back

from this,

Judas.

Listen

to my

word of

grace.

The same

opportunity is

given to

Peter.

Look over

at verse

61.

Try and

picture yourself

in that

moment.

The denials

have just

happened.

you've

heard the

cock

crowed.

The

Lord

turned and

looked

straight

at

Peter.

Across

the

courtyard,

amidst

all the

noise,

through the

flicker of

the flames,

their eyes

connect.

It seems

what must

be like

an eternity.

Jesus

and Peter

just locked

looking at

each other.

Jesus

looks

and Peter

remembers.

Rest of

verse 61.

Then Peter

remembered the

words the

Lord had

spoken to

him.

Before the

cock crows

today,

you will

disown me

three times.

Jesus

knows Peter

has failed.

Peter

knows that

he has

failed.

But Jesus

looks not

just to

condemn

him,

but to

forgive him.

Yes,

Jesus shows

him his

guilt.

The guilt

is exposed

as he

looks.

But Jesus

longs for

Peter's

restoration.

no words

are spoken,

but in

that look,

Peter,

Peter,

will you

receive

my grace?

You see,

as darkness

falls,

as the

disciples

fail,

grace

flows

from

Jesus.

And it's

no different

for you

and I.

In the

darkest

moment

of our

lives,

in the

midst of

our

greatest

failure,

Jesus

speaks his

word of

grace to

us.

There is

a way

back.

You

can be

forgiven.

Receive

my

grace.

Well,

how can

we experience

this grace

for ourselves?

Well,

there's a

wrong way

and there's

a right

way.

First,

the wrong

way,

remorse,

like

Judas.

I guess

we can

be like

Judas

and respond

with

remorse.

Luke's

gospel

doesn't

actually

tell us

how

Judas

responded,

but when

you read

on in

Luke's

continued

account

into the

book of

Acts,

if you

go to

Acts

Acts 1 · chapter mention

chapter

1,

we see

what Luke

has to

say about

Judas.

it's

not a

pretty

picture.

Just go

forward.

Luke,

John,

and then

Acts

Acts 1:17

chapter 1

verse 17.

So this

is after

Jesus has

died,

after the

resurrection.

The

disciples are

together

and they're

thinking about,

well,

who is

going to

replace

Judas?

Well,

what's

happened to

Judas?

Well,

we read

about it

in verse

8-17.

They say,

he was

one of

our number

and shared

in our

ministry.

With the

payment he

received for

his wickedness,

Judas brought

a field,

there he

fell headlong,

meaning that

he had

hung

himself.

His body

burst open

and all

his

intestines

spilled

out.

Everyone

in Jerusalem

heard about

this,

so they

called that

field in

their own

language

akaldama,

that is

field of

blood.

Go back

to Luke.

Judas

was

remorseful.

Being

remorseful

means we

regret what

we have

done because

of the

consequences

it has on

our life.

Judas

feels bad,

he's full

of self

pity,

he regrets

what he's

done because

of what

people are

now going

to think

of him.

He feels

so bad

that he

can't bear

to think

of what

he will

be known

for the

rest of

his life

that people

are going

to think

of him

as a

betrayer.

He

can't

handle

that.

So he

kills

himself.

You see

remorse

will not

get you

anywhere.

Remorse

doesn't

lead you

to grace.

Feeling

bad about

your life

and feeling

bad about

your failures

will only

ruin you

and destroy

you.

But we

can be

like Peter

who responded

with repentance.

Let's

read chapter

22

verse 61

together.

The Lord

turned and

looked straight

at Peter

and Peter

remembered the

word the

Lord had

spoken to

him.

Before the

cock crows

today you

will disown

me three

times.

And Peter

went outside

and wept

bitterly.

Peter was

repentant.

Literally he

threw himself

on the ground

and cried.

He sees

his sin.

He sees

his failure

but more

than that he

admits to

it.

These are

tears not

of self

pity but

tears for

Jesus.

He needs

forgiveness.

And that's

the difference

between remorse

and repentance.

Remorse is

to feel

regret

because you

are found

out and

it leaves

you broken

and you

can't live

with yourself.

Repentance

is to own

up to what

you have

done.

It leaves

you

forgiven.

as we

respond to

God's

wonderful

offer of

grace

as we

repent

we

experience

God's

overflowing

grace

in our

lives.

You see

in Jesus

we find

the greatest

friend

possible.

the one

who will

never

betray

you

the one

who will

never

deny

you

the one

who never

turns his

back on

you

who is

faithful

and loyal

so loyal

that he

has died

for you.

For when

Jesus died

on the

cross he

was treated

as that

betrayer

as that

denier

for you

and for

me.

In love

he walked

to the

field of

blood

he went

to the

cross

and as

the true

and faithful

friend he

was willing

to take

our place

to suffer

my sin.

Jesus

absorbs the

judgment of

God for

us so

that from

the cross

flows amazing

grace.

And when

we experience

that grace

of forgiveness

in our life

it changes

us radically.

Let me

show you

very quickly

how it

changes

our lives.

Look at

verse 50

as Jesus

is being

arrested

one of

his disciples

comes to

Jesus'

defense.

Verse 50

and one

of them

struck the

servant of

the high

priest

cutting off

his right

ear.

Wow.

They've

come to

arrest

Jesus

destroy

him

and kill

him

but Jesus

is innocent.

the servant

is the

guilty

one.

If

justice

is to

be done

then the

servant

should have

more than

his ear

cut off.

Verse 51

but Jesus

answered

no more

of this

and he

touched

the man's

ear

and

healed

him.

This is

an enemy

of Jesus.

One who

was going

to get

rid

of

Jesus

and how

does

Jesus

respond

no more

and he

heals

him.

You see

when we

experience

God's

grace

in our

life

we

don't

need

to

take

revenge.

We

don't

need

to

plan

up

and

conjure

up

ideas

of

getting

back

at

people.

Instead

of

angry

words

we

can

now

speak

words

of

healing.

Instead

of

cutting

people

off

and not

talking

to

them

we

can

now

welcome

them

back.

Because

I

have

been

forgiven

of

my

failure

because

Jesus

has

forgiven

me

the

denier

and

the

betrayer

well

I

can

now

forgive

those

who

fail

me.

When

we

own

our

sin

when

we

run

to

Jesus

we

experience

God's

overflowing

grace.

in

Jesus

we

find

the

perfect

friend

the

friend

who

loves

you

the

friend

who

forgives

you

the

friend

who

died

for

you.

Let's

pray

together.

people

I

I

I