John 18:12-27 “Denial Ain’t Just a River”

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As we open God's Word together again this morning, I mean, what a gift it is that we

get to do that, right?

That we get to open the Word of truth and hear the truth of God's greatness and read

it together.

We're going to return to John chapter 18, John's account of this fateful night where

John 18 · chapter mention

Jesus is actually going to head to the cross.

He has just been betrayed by Judas and his band of several hundred men, Roman soldiers,

Jewish leaders.

And John has kept our attention fixed firmly on Jesus.

All the way through.

He's the last man standing, controlling all the others, protecting his disciples.

It reminded me this week of this iconic photo from 1989, the day after the Tiananmen Square

massacre massacre in Beijing, China, when one man, you can barely even see him down there.

He stood alone before a line of military tanks and he brought them to a halt.

Tank man, he's known as.

He was going to have to do this.

Stepping forward bravely to stand against unjust power for the sake of others, even if it costs him.

And now in these next verses, John turns our eyes back and forth from Jesus to Peter and back again.

It seems a little bit odd the way John mixes these scenes together.

But actually, if you think about it, this is a literary convention that you've seen or read hundreds of times.

Right?

It's in so many movies.

When you go back and forth to draw a contrast.

Right?

To highlight specific differences in the two scenes or the two characters you're watching.

Maybe you remember it most famously in a movie that cuts back and forth between a baptism in a church and violence on the streets.

Let's pick up our reading at verse 12 of John 18.

With our eyes still on Jesus, the last man standing.

And let's read this first scene.

Remember, just a few moments before, those guys had all fallen to the ground before the I am of Jesus.

The last man standing in total control of the situation.

But now he helps them back up.

And they complete the arrest.

First they led him to Annas.

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.

So many priests here, it can be easy to get confused.

Now, Annas has been a high priest for a decade.

Okay?

But whereas the Jews elected him to that role and appointed him there for life,

the Romans didn't want it to work that way with positions of power.

They wanted a lot more turnover.

And so Annas' sons and son-in-law Caiaphas have been taking turns serving as high priest.

But Annas is still looked to by many Jews as the real high priest.

So John takes this opportunity when he's telling us about this to remind us that Caiaphas,

the son-in-law of Annas,

had advised the Sanhedrin not long ago

that even though some people might be upset,

having this Jesus die would be best for the rest of them.

One man die for the people.

Two reasons I think John highlights it here.

The first is that it makes really clear to us that Jesus is willingly going to an unjust trial, right?

These guys he's standing before have already decided,

they're already on the record that he should die.

That would be a good thing if this guy would die.

But more importantly, just as we saw back in chapter 11,

Caiaphas spoke better than he knew, didn't he?

John tells us he was prophesying actually.

Jesus would indeed die for the people

and all the other people who would be gathered to him,

people like you and me if we trust him.

God is using the wicked words of men for a greater purpose.

Love how he does that.

John reminds us yet again that Jesus is heading to the unjust trial

and the biased rulers and the awful cross in our place.

Jesus stands for us.

Jesus stands for us.

And then, as he stands, the camera pans back behind us,

this large group that's escorting Jesus,

and it finds Peter following at a distance.

Verse 15.

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.

Now, you might wonder who that is.

We don't know for sure.

Many people think it's John himself,

the author of this gospel who sometimes refers to himself

without using his name,

but it doesn't matter too much,

whether it was John or another of the 12 disciples.

But that disciple was known to the high priest.

So since that disciple was known to the high priest,

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

but Peter stood outside at the door.

So that 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 was with them,

standing and warming himself.

Now, let's not be too hard on Peter, okay?

I mean, look, at least he's following, right?

At least he's there.

Most of the other disciples have left.

They've gone to look for safety or sleep.

Peter probably goes here following behind Jesus

with the intent of being courageous,

loyal, even heroic, perhaps.

You can tell already tonight

he's been looking for a chance, hasn't he?

But he fails.

There's no other way to put it.

It's even more painful than that

in the original Greek

because we remember the power.

Peter's heard the words.

Jesus has just said,

ego, a me, I am.

And Peter says,

uke, a me,

I am not.

But the contrast couldn't be clearer

than the two of them.

Jesus' embrace of the truth.

Peter's denial of the truth.

You with Jesus?

I am not.

It seems unlikely Peter planned this response,

doesn't it?

But confronted by the question

of a mere servant girl,

his knees buckle,

his strength fails,

and the one who had said

that he would be with Jesus,

he would die with Jesus,

he can't even admit to living with them.

Perhaps it was a small denial

to one not very intimidating person,

maybe nobody else heard,

but it opens the door

to a night of denial

of his Lord, doesn't it?

Before we apply this to ourselves,

let me observe something here

for those of us who struggle

with the Bible stories

of Jesus being true.

Did this really happen?

I want you to think,

here are Jesus' disciples now,

all of them,

either abandoning him,

betraying him,

or denying him,

as in Peter's case.

The future leader of the church

putting his failures

on public record.

That, friends,

is a very strong mark

of historicity

when you're reading

a written account.

When the authors of Scripture

write of their own failures,

failures,

and maybe you think,

no big deal,

you don't really care

if this story is true,

I mean,

you don't follow Jesus,

so no big deal

if it is,

you don't,

if you deny

that you follow Jesus,

that's just telling the truth,

right?

Just being honest.

But if this story is true,

what about all the others?

I mean,

what about his dying

on the cross?

Next chapter.

Or his rising from the dead,

the next chapter.

If everything John writes

about him is true,

then you can find

a life in Jesus.

You must find

your life in Jesus.

I mean,

which one is it?

It's one or the other.

Either they made

all of this up

and threw themselves

under the bus

in the process

just for good measure

because they liked

to embarrass themselves.

Or they told

these embarrassing,

exposing stories

because they're true.

That's what happened.

Back to our failures.

I remember a couple years ago

when Bill Nash

was teaching us

about sharing Jesus

with our neighbors.

I don't know

if that sounded right.

I didn't mean Bill Nash

was our biggest failure.

Sorry, Bill.

Back to our failures.

Bill Nash.

It's not the way

I thought about it

the first time.

I actually remember

Bill teaching us

about sharing Jesus

with our neighbors.

And he said,

a basic beginning

is making sure

that the people you know

know that you're a Christian.

That you actually follow Jesus.

That you're a disciple of His.

Peter wants to keep

that information

to himself here,

doesn't he?

He doesn't run Jesus down.

He doesn't yell

terrible things at Him.

He just avoids

associating with Him.

I don't know

if you're like me,

but I often find

that it is easier

than I realize

to keep my mouth shut

about Jesus

day in and day out.

often even

without planning to.

I used to be committed

to telling people

about Him.

I'll tell you about

college, Will.

I went to Clemson

and surprisingly,

perhaps,

to some of you,

I was a bit intense

back then.

I used

banned book week

on campus

as a chance

to read from the Bible

on a microphone

in the Clemson Amphitheater.

Saved them all.

When the syllabus said

pick one of four books

to read,

I bought all four of them.

I was that guy.

And I came to that first class

with a copy of each one

and a guy sitting

in front of me,

he hadn't gotten

any of them

and so he asked me

if he could have

one of mine.

Of course.

And he said,

hey,

how much was it?

I said,

just keep it.

Jesus has given me

way more than that

for free.

I'm happy for you

to have it.

You want to know

about Jesus?

That's freshman Will.

That's what I was like.

It's the way I am

on a missions trip, right?

Boy,

if you put me

on a plane

on a missions trip,

then you better

watch out

because the Muslim guy

next to me

and the Buddhist guy

sitting right in front of me,

they're going to tell me

their whole life stories

and get a gospel presentation

on scratch paper

before that plane lands.

I'm in representative

of Jesus mode

that whole trip

and in the taxi,

at the restaurant,

all the time.

It feels like

I'm in enemy territory.

I can't wait

to tell people about him.

But just last week,

I was sitting at a restaurant

with some friends

and our kind young waitress

asks me this,

can I get you

some of our free

homemade sourdough bread?

And I say,

is that a question?

If I ever say no

to free

homemade sourdough,

please check my pulse.

But I went

the entire meal

with no comment

about the free bread

Jesus has given me.

It was like she was

asking for it.

I mean,

it crossed my mind

to ask her

if she knew

about Jesus' free gift

and how much

he gives us,

but I just decided

it was easier not to.

Another day,

just two days after that,

I went to drop off

some donations

at a thrift store

and the young man

asked if I wanted

a receipt.

No thanks.

He said,

but you don't want

credit for it?

No thanks.

I mean,

I had a schedule

to keep.

I was in a hurry,

but not even one comment

about Jesus giving me

all the credit

that I could ever need

or anything like that.

I had somewhere to go.

I didn't even talk

to him about Jesus.

In those small,

non-intimidating

interactions,

are we with Jesus?

Are we not

his representatives

then too?

Does he have to send you

on a plane

across the world?

I'm not suggesting

that you need

a corny pun

to bring Jesus

into conversation.

It's not really

recommended.

But are you looking

for an excuse

to leave him

out of it?

What I've seen

in myself

is that those habits

of denying,

even silently,

just living so much

of my life

without reference

to him,

I'm denying

my relationship

with him.

Those habits

are easy to make

and they're hard

to break

if I'm focused

day in and day out

on my comfort,

my safety,

my schedule.

While Jesus

is standing,

Peter

has fallen.

Maybe we can relate.

Is Jesus

still standing?

What's going on

with him?

Scene three

goes inside the house

to Jesus again.

Verse 19,

the high priest

then questioned

Jesus

about his disciples

and his teaching.

Do you still have

a bunch of followers

out there

that you've incited,

you've stirred them up

to cause trouble?

What have you been

telling them to do?

What should we expect?

Now the problem

with this

is that this is not

the legal way

to handle

this arrest.

This is not

what should be

happening.

Witnesses

are supposed

to be called

first

and that should

actually start

with witnesses

for the defense.

The accused

doesn't get

questioned

in Jewish law,

certainly not

by the high priest

and Jesus

points this out.

Jesus answered him,

I have spoken

openly to the world.

I have 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 have heard me

what I said

to them.

They know

what I said.

Call a witness.

It's public

knowledge.

Nothing will

surprise you.

Your men

just watched me

tell my followers

to put their

swords away.

Those who have

heard and seen

me teaching

are the ones

who should be

testifying.

That's how

this should work.

And 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?

Annas then

sent him bound

to Caiaphas,

the high

priest.

I'm speaking

the truth.

Jesus says,

I'm urging

him to do

this the right

way.

I'm telling

you that you

don't have to

worry about my

followers starting

a riot.

Even though

with a slap,

the violence

against Jesus

has begun.

Now here's

someone a bit

more dangerous

and influential

than the servant

girl, right?

Jesus is being

threatened unjustly.

A pattern that's

going to continue

throughout his

trial.

And the Jews

are rushing this

trial overnight

because they

fear the Passover

feast and the

upcoming Sabbath

will delay their

big chance,

their chance to

finish Jesus

while they finally

have him.

They're going to

do things they'd

never do otherwise.

Let's get him

under the cover of

darkness in the

wee hours of the

morning with no

one to testify on

his behalf.

Here he is,

now he's really

trapped.

Is Jesus

intimidated?

Is he caught

into self-protecting

silence where he'll

deny the truth?

Not hardly.

He responds boldly,

truthfully, even

indirectly instructing

the high priest

himself about the

just manner to

proceed.

Jesus declares the

open statement of

the truth.

He's not hiding from

anything, is he?

His message never

changes.

No matter where he

is or to whom he's

speaking, he may be

bound, he may be

slapped, but he

speaks boldly and he

stands firmly no

matter the pain or

the cost.

So he's off to

another home, but

that's next week.

John wants first to

finish Peter's part of

the story here.

Verse 25, back where

we left Peter at the

warm, crackling,

charcoal fire.

Peter.

Now Simon Peter was

standing and warming

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.

While Jesus is

standing, succeeding

for Peter, Peter

keeps failing, denying

again, uke me, I am

not.

I bet Peter never

thought he would

deny Jesus.

He's a pretty

confident guy.

It was just earlier

this evening that

Peter had passionately

proclaimed that even

if everyone else ran

away, he would stand

with Jesus to the

death if need be.

Just tonight.

I will never deny

you.

But denial ain't

just a river, you

know.

You'll get that in a

minute.

Credit to Andrew

Peterson.

It's a helpful

line because denial

is not just a one-time

thing.

It's something you get

caught in, isn't it?

A small denial

becomes a big

problem.

It snowballs into

these repeated and

more passionate

denials of Christ.

Peter gives in to his

sin.

He cracks the door on

indulging his fear,

his pride.

Maybe this is a good

place for all of us to

consider the warning

that Paul gives in 1

1 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 10.

Therefore, let anyone

who thinks he stands

take heed lest he fall.

especially when you're

sure you're going to be

good.

Watch out.

When you know you're

strong, when you think

you're better than

everyone else, Peter,

watch out.

Peter thought he would

stand.

Yet again tonight,

where the spirit is

willing, the flesh is

still weak.

Peter blows it again.

Perhaps the first time he

was just taken off guard,

right now he'll get,

nope, now he's stuck in

the lie.

Now he's committed to

distancing himself from

Jesus rather than

standing by his king.

Peter swore it would

never happen like this.

And then it did.

I bet most of us can

relate.

You know that feeling?

Oh, it's awful.

You ever failed to stand

with Jesus or speak for

Jesus when you said you

would?

Just last week, you may

notice I'm not having to

go far back for these

struggles in my life.

I met with a group of men

I love and we're talking

about the rhythms and the

habits in our lives that

either draw us towards

Jesus or kind of lead us

away from Jesus.

And I zeroed in for that

day on one small change

I committed to making.

Even just privately in my

own home, that's all it

was.

The first few minutes when I

get out of bed in the

morning, I want to talk

first with Jesus.

To contemplate Jesus.

To start my day with him.

This Friday I committed to

the same thing because I

was 0 for 7 this week.

Wordle, ESPN, the news on

my phone, that they kept

getting my attention first.

It was a small thing.

It seemed so easy.

I was really embarrassed

that I didn't do it.

When I said I would.

This is something Jesus

wants me to do.

I said he wants me to be

with him.

He welcomes me to be with

him.

I'm going to do that.

And again, no.

Where have you fallen like

Peter?

Like me?

Whom have you kept running

down?

What have you kept clicking

on?

When have you kept silent?

What is Jesus calling you

to do?

And you know he is, but you

are too self-protective to

leave your comfort to stand

with him.

Even when you come here

every week and open his

word every day and you see

Jesus standing there succeeding

in much more dangerous and

trying circumstances than you,

you find you keep failing.

Even when you're sure you

won't.

Even in the areas you're

convinced you've got this

one.

It should break our hearts,

shouldn't it?

Even though our failures

aren't recorded in Scripture

for perpetuity like Peter's,

I mean, there's still denials

of our Savior.

It's unfaithful to the

faithful one.

And this episode with Peter is

not going to be the series

finale and wrap everything up

nicely.

We have to wait till the end of

John's gospel to wrap up Peter's

story here.

But there is a cliffhanger.

There's a cliffhanger here in this

passage that is full of hope.

And if you're discouraged right

now and if you feel the failure

that I've felt and feel, you need

to get this part.

Peter again denied and at once a

rooster crowed.

What will come of Peter, we wonder,

as the scene closes?

Before we leave him, John wants to

point us back to Jesus' upper room

prediction just a few hours ago.

Jesus says to Peter, will you lay down

your life for me?

Are you so sure?

Truly, truly, I say to you, the

rooster will not crow until you've

denied me three times.

Certainly not.

Peter was so confident.

Three times tonight?

Yep.

See, Jesus anticipates our failure.

He knows our weakness.

He's not surprised by our sin, is he?

And, listen, this is so hopeful.

He doesn't reject us because of

those things.

He didn't send Peter away.

Go home, Peter.

You're going to blow it.

He didn't tell him not to bother

coming to the garden to pray with

him or try.

No.

No, instead of rejecting us, he

invites us to repentance.

And there's no question the sound of

the rooster's crow was bad news for

Peter, right?

Can you feel that moment?

It cut him to his heart.

It exposed him as the denier that he

was in that moment.

I bet he remembered that moment on

many more days when he heard that

sound to start his day.

Can you imagine waking up to that

noise?

In Luke's gospel, when Jesus tells

Peter that he's going to deny him,

Jesus also tells Peter that he has

prayed for his faith to stand and for

him to turn again, to repent.

To repent means to turn from your sin

in your heart to hate it because it's

a denial, isn't it?

It's a denial of the goodness, the

sufficiency, the care of Jesus.

You're going to find those things

somewhere else.

Turn from that back to Jesus.

That's repentance.

When Peter hears the rooster, meets

Jesus' gaze passing by the courtyard

apparently, and considers what he's done,

he weeps bitterly.

Friends, our failure, our weakness,

our sin is worth weeping over

and repenting of.

When we turn back to Jesus, as worthy

as it is that we be weeping in that

moment, he does not meet us with a

soul-crushing gaze.

Can you imagine how capable he would

have been of doing that to Peter in

that moment?

Maybe we'd expect it, but Jesus doesn't

run us off.

He welcomes us back.

See, Jesus loves failures.

Don't miss or forget that today.

If you have failed even big time, there

is great hope today because the gospel

is not about you being strong enough or

successful enough.

The gospel is about God being gracious

enough.

Amen?

There's forgiveness here with Jesus

because he has succeeded where we've

failed.

He has spoken boldly where we've been

silent.

He has sacrificed himself when we've

protected ourselves.

Your denial, your failure, your sin is

not bigger than his grace.

Please know that.

Please see that here.

In his great kindness, Jesus makes Peter

a leader in his church, an author of

holy scripture, a trophy of his grace.

That is the kind of king that he is.

Don't you love that?

There's no other kind you can have.

You've blown it too many times.

I've messed up again.

And listen, here's the deal.

I don't want you to think that it's just

that forgiveness is out there.

It's this thing, this intangible idea.

Y'all, if that's all there is, if it's just a

transaction, forgiveness in place of my

denial, I'll just do it again.

I mean, I'm not waking up early when I could

get extra sleep and forgiveness.

Is that all it is?

I'll deny him again.

Right?

What helps us change?

What makes us different?

What gives us hope to stand?

It's that when we repent, when we look back

with tears flowing down our face, Jesus is still

standing there and not to condemn, but to welcome us

back into a relationship with him.

Not a cold transaction.

Not a pill to take.

A relationship.

A relationship.

I'm not going to wake up early for condemnation.

To feel shame.

I know that.

But this Jesus stands for me.

He speaks boldly to injustice where I've failed.

He prays for my restoration rather than my condemnation.

He doesn't merely pass out forgiveness.

He offers himself as the one who forgives.

The forgiving friend that you can have and be with

all the time.

That makes me long to be with him.

So do that for your heart.

It makes me want to stand for him.

It makes me eager to speak for him to everyone,

everywhere.

He's that worth talking about.

Do you see him standing there for you?

See the love, compassion in his eyes?

You see him take the pain that you deserve?

Don't you want to stand and speak and live with him and for him?

To be not merely a denier.

I know it.

We've all been there.

But a repentant, forgiven, and restored follower?

A friend of Jesus?

Don't you want that relationship?

John Newton was infamously the captain of a slave ship.

Awful.

Denying God's very existence at the time.

Running from God.

When he met Jesus and finally became convinced that Jesus loved even him in spite of himself,

he struggled deeply with his failures and sins.

So when he became a preacher, he always preached of amazing grace that saved a wretch like me.

He wept often over his sins until the day he died.

But Newton had turned to see one thing bigger than his big sin.

The grace of his Savior.

As his mind failed him and he neared his death, he said,

My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things.

That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.

He couldn't stop talking and singing about Jesus, the Savior, with amazing grace enough for all of us.

In a few weeks, we'll be back around the charcoal fire and listen to Peter talk with Jesus about his love.

But for now, the rooster's crow is the sound of conviction.

The call to repentance.

And so wonderfully, it is the voice of gospel good news.

Hope.

Mercy.

For you.

The God who knows your weakness stands strong in your place as the last man standing and invites you and me

in our greatest failures to run or crawl or even just cry out back to him this morning.

He will lift you up to live with him and for him.

Let's ask for his help.

Wonderful, merciful Savior.

Precious Redeemer and friend.

We give you thanks for your forgiveness and that you have given us not merely a pardon, but yourself.

Thank you that those of us with nothing else to offer, who've denied you way more than three times,

find a rich welcome back to you.

You are so good to us and we worship you for your grace.

And we praise you today, Lord Jesus.

Amen.

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