Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien
January 7, 2024
INTRO
Good morning. It is good to be back with you. My family had a wonderful time visiting our extended family in California. We packed in a full week with Christmas celebrations, new years, a birthday party, and many activities with our siblings and nieces and nephews. Thank you for making it possible for us to get away to spend time with our family.
Well, we are continuing our series in the gospel of John and we are on the home stretch! We’ve been spending the last few months studying the Upper Room Discourse, which is the final series of teachings from Jesus to his disciples at the Passover meal on the evening before he is crucified.
John’s gospel is unique in this way. Right as the action is starting to pick up and the Pharisees and teachers of the law are plotting to kill Jesus, John slows down the story to focus on the intimate details of Jesus’ teaching in the Upper Room. Why does he do this?
ILLUST — Pastor and theologian Eugene Peterson points out that this record of the conversation in the Upper Room is more than 3 times as long as any other dialogue in the gospel of John. Peterson says that this is deliberate. He describes what John is doing in this way: (SLIDE 2) “John is slowing us down. John is quieting us down. John is asking us to stop talking and listen and pay attention to this story that we think we know so well. John is inviting us into the company of Jesus for a time of spiritual formation. John is getting us ready.”
Maybe you need to slow down this morning. Maybe you need to quiet your heart after all the busyness of the last couple months. Friends, we are going to be looking at the accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection over the next few weeks, and maybe you need to hit the pause button on all the distractions and pay attention to this story and hear it afresh. Maybe you need to sit in the company of Jesus and get your heart ready. (SLIDE 3, title)
You see, the gospel of John has been building anticipation for what is about to happen in these next chapters. We need to ask ourselves: Are we ready? Are we prepared to witness the events that achieve our redemption with hearts that are soft, hearts that are repentant, with hearts that are ready to receive God’s grace in Christ?
Eugene Peterson once told a story about a phone call he received from his son and daughter-in-law: “Mom, dad…we’re pregnant.” It was their first grandchild.
A few days later, Eugene and his wife Jan drove two hours to go visit their son and daughter-in-law to celebrate with them. Eugene’s wife Jan was overflowing with excitement.
But Eugene found himself feeling rather flat and unemotional. He didn’t get excited like he thought he should. He should be brimming with pride and waiting with eager anticipation. He confided to his wife on the drive home, “What’s wrong with me? Why don’t I feel anything? What am I supposed to do?” Jan replied, “Build a cradle.”
Eugene loved wood-working, so he went home and researched cradles, sketched out plans, and picked out choice pieces of Honduran mahogany. He decided to build an early American hooded cradle, and he would spend evenings over the next 6 months in his wood shop measuring, cutting, shaping, and sanding this beautiful piece of hand-made furniture. He decided to finish it with multiple applications of tung oil, which is an oil that penetrates into the wood fibers. He worked each piece with fine sandpaper, over and over. Then fine steel wool, over and over. Each application of tung oil deepened the color and made the wood seem to glow from within.
All this time, he was pondering and praying for the new baby who would lay in this cradle. As his hands worked the wood, as he anointed each piece with oil, he imagined the new life that was to come. And by the time that cradle was ready, he was ready.
You see, Peterson says that we should think of Jesus’ conversation with his disciples in the Upper Room like cradle-building. In fact, the whole of John’s gospel has been a labor of love to build anticipation for what is to come: The Light of the Word who will conquer darkness, the Bread of Life who will satisfy our spiritual hunger, the Resurrection and the Life who will go to the grave and then rise again to give us new life.
So friends, here we are. We’ve been prayerfully laboring and anticipating as we have worked our way through the gospel of John for the last 18 months. Now we are entering the pinnacle moment of the story of redemption, the pivot-point of all of history, the climactic revelation of God’s goodness, justice, mercy, and love. Are you ready?
Open your Bible’s with me to John 18:1-27. We are going to read the account of Jesus’ arrest and Peter’s denial. This passage develops a contrast between Jesus and Peter, which we will discover as we go along. Listen to this account of how Jesus affirms who he is as the Messiah, and how Peter denies who he is as a disciple. READ John 18:1-27.
ORG SENT — The first things we need to do is observe a number of predictions that are fulfilled in this account. Then we will examine the contrast of Jesus and Peter as a way of highlighting the unique redemptive work that Jesus is about to do.
MAIN 1 — Predictions Fulfilled. (SLIDE 4a)
A few connections to point out as we look back at where we’ve been in the gospel of John:
(SLIDE 4b) In John 6:39, Jesus promised that “I shall lose none of all those [the Father] has given me.” And in John 10:28, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and no one will snatch his sheep out of his hand. These promises are fulfilled here as Jesus protects his disciples from being arrested with him, and yet it anticipates the ultimate protection that Jesus provides for his followers even to the end of history.
(SLIDE 4c) In John 11:49-51, Caiaphas as High Priest had prophesied that Jesus would die, saying, “It is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” Jesus’ sacrifice as a representative and substitute for God’s people is fulfilled.
(SLIDE 4d) In John 13:18-30, Jesus had predicted that Judas would betray him. Here we see this come to pass exactly as Jesus had said.
(SLIDE 4e) In John 13:31-38, Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny him. This also comes to pass exactly as Jesus said.
We could go on and make more connections to the Old Testament and to other promises or predictions that were made about Jesus, but here’s the point: John goes out of his way to connect these promises and fulfillments in order to show that (SLIDE 5a) Jesus has sovereign control throughout all these events. We see this clearly as the text describes how Jesus is arrested:
Go to verse 1. Jesus leaves the Upper Room and goes across the Kidron Valley, which is a 200 foot deep ravine east of the Temple Mount, and then he and the disciples scale the the hillside facing Jerusalem to the west, and they enter a walled garden of olive trees called Gethsemane, which means “oil-press”.
Verse 2 tells us that this was a typical hang-out for Jesus and his disciples. It is possible that a wealthy landowner became a follower of Jesus and allowed Jesus and his disciples to use this enclosed garden as a place to meet privately away from the crowds of Jerusalem. Since it was the Passover, there were rules about how far devout Jews could walk outside the city during festivals like this, and Gethsemane would have been within the boundary that was allowed.
John captures these details for a reason: (SLIDE 5b) Jesus is not hiding. He is not avoiding Judas, he is not trying to evade arrest, he is not running from the brutal crucifixion that is to come. In fact, Jesus goes to a place where he knows it will be easy for Judas to find him.
Then Judas arrives guiding some Jewish officials and a detachment of Roman soldiers. ILLUST — This word “detachment” is a technical term in the Roman military. It refers to an auxiliary cohort of 1000 men (760 foot soldiers and 240 cavalry). In practice, a detachment was rarely 1000 soldiers. It was often between 200-600 men, and these soldiers were typically stationed at the Antonia Fortress on the north-west corner of the Temple Mount during Jewish festivals to prepare for crowd control.
(SLIDE 5c) It is possible that as many as 200 or more soldiers accompanied Judas to the garden, likely because they had heard of the supernatural power of Jesus through his miracles and healings. They wanted to be prepared!
But did you notice what happens? Look at verses 4-6. READ vv. 4-6.
The text says that Jesus knew all that was going to happen (SLIDE 5d), so he went out of the gate of this walled garden to meet the mob of Jewish officials and Roman soldiers face-to-face.
Don’t miss this: (SLIDE 5e) Jesus initiates the conversation. He asks them who it is that they want to arrest. When they say, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus replies with the simple words “Ego emi,” which we’ve heard before in the gospel of John: “I AM!” (SLIDE 5f)
And as Jesus says this key phrase again, which for us readers of John’s gospel who know the repetition of 7 “I AM” statements from Jesus that testify to his divinity, we see in this moment the Great I Am himself speaking with sovereign power in such a way that the Jewish officials, 200 Roman soldiers, and Judas himself draw back and fall to the ground as though slain by the Holy One! WOAH!
I’ll say it again: Jesus is in perfect sovereign control in every aspect of these events!
This is where we start to see the contrast of Jesus and Peter develop, which points to the unique redemptive work that Jesus is achieving through the cross.
MAIN 2 — Contrast of Jesus and Peter. (SLIDE 6a)
As we see this narrative unfold, Jesus is willingly giving himself up, exercising his sovereign power, in perfect control of the situation. He initiates the conversation, he speaks with authority, he blows away this mob with two simple words.
And yet Peter takes a completely different tactic. He tries to take matters into his own hands. READ vv. 10-11.
The absurdity of Peter’s actions shouldn’t surprise us. Peter is a “shoot first, aim later” kind of guy. Yet this is extreme. 200 Roman soldiers? And you’re going to pull out a small dagger, a pocket-knife really, and try to fight your way out of this situation?
Jesus’ rebuke of Peter again brings the sovereignty of God to the forefront: “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Jesus is resolute. He knows that the wrath of God for sin is about to be poured out upon him, and yet he calmly and willingly takes the next step toward the cross.
The next three sections from verses 15-27 alternate between Peter and Jesus. John presents these events like a masterfully written movie script, with jump-cuts from one event to another as these two men diverge into two completely different paths simultaneously.
(SLIDE 6b) Here’s the first scene in verses 15-18 where Peter is questioned:
Peter gets into the inner courtyard because of the “other disciple,” who is likely the Apostle John, who apparently knew some people in the inner circle at the Temple.
As Peter enters, a servant girl asks him a question that is really an accusation: “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” (v. 17). You can hear the derision and judgment in her voice.
This is critical: Look at Peter’s reply. “I am not.” (SLIDE 6c) It is the grammatical opposite of “I am he” that we saw from Jesus earlier. In fact, Jesus twice said the words “I am” and twice we see Peter say “I am not” in this passage.
(SLIDE 6d) Let’s look at the second scene in verses 19-24 where Jesus is questioned:
We jump now into the high priest’s chambers where Jesus is being questioned by Annas, one of the most powerful men in all Israel.
Background — According to Jewish law, questioning the defendant was not strictly legal. A case must be made against someone by witnesses or evidence. According to procedure, it was required that witnesses in favor of the defendant speak first. Then the witnesses against the defendant spoke last. So, for Annas to directly question Jesus secretly in the middle of the night is a mistrial.
What does Jesus do? He calls for witnesses in his favor. He challenges the procedure. (SLIDE 6e) He calls for justice. READ v. 21-23.
This is the proper procedure! Jesus asks for witnesses in his favor first, but is slapped in the face. Then he asks for witnesses against him, and he gets the silent treatment.
In every way, Jesus is patiently and resolutely remaining faithful, even in this perversion of justice.
(SLIDE 6f) And now the third scene in verses 25-27 where Peter is questioned again:
Meanwhile Peter is still at the fire. And the servants around the fire look intently at him in the dancing firelight, thinking they recognize him from all the stories they’ve heard about Jesus. And they ask him once again: “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” The same accusation, and same opportunity for Peter to stick with Jesus as he promised he would. But he fails: “I am not.”
Then in verse 26, even when he is confronted with the evidence from an eye-witness, a relative of the man whom Peter attacked with his knife, Peter denies it. (SLIDE 6g) In every way, Peter fails the test at the very same moment when Jesus remains steadfast.
Let me lay out the full contrast here as we’ve seen it unfold in the text:
Jesus initiates the questions, and when he is confronted about who he is, he responds by affirming “I am he.”
Peter receives the questions, and when he is confronted about who he is, he responds by denying “I am not.”
Jesus is on trial before a high priest and a council of Jewish elders who wield incredible power and could sentence Jesus to death, yet he remains faithful.
Peter is on trial before a servant girl and a rag-tag jury of nobodies who have no power to condemn Peter, yet he is faithless.
Jesus speaks openly and encourages witnesses to be brought to testify about him.
Peter hides and lies to an eyewitness of his wrongdoing.
ILLUST — One New Testament scholar puts it this way, “John has constructed a dramatic contrast wherein Jesus stands up to his questioners and denies nothing, while Peter cowers before his questioners and denies everything.”
APPLY
Here’s the point in this contrast as developed by John in this passage:
Peter was one of Jesus’ closest followers, a leader among the disciples, and likely the oldest and most mature. He talked a big game, he made lofty promises about his ability to stick with Jesus, and he thought he could stand on his own two feet by his own strength and merit.
Yet, even this most loyal disciple disowns Jesus at the moment of truth. Jesus is now all alone to bear the wrath and pay the penalty for our sins and defeat evil and death.
It is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah when Isaiah spoke of the treachery of the leaders of Israel and the abandonment of the Messiah. Listen to these words from Isaiah 59 that are an eery foreshadowing of Annas and Peter, (SLIDE 7 and 8) “Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways. For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.” (Isaiah 59:7, 12-13, 15-16)
Friends, the account that we’ve studied this morning in John 18 of Peter’s denial and of Jesus’ faithfulness is not merely a cautionary tale or moral lesson: Don’t be like Peter, try harder! Rather, this account is intended to humble us in our weak and sinful flesh AND to elevate Jesus as the faithful one, the supreme and sovereign Lord who is in control, and who is the sinless Savior who went to the cross in our place, even while we fail, so that we would receive God’s grace, the unmerited gift of redemption and new life.
(SLIDE 9a) Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
While Peter was still a sinner, Christ died for him. While Brent was still a sinner, Christ died for me. While you were still a sinner, Christ died for you.
We have to remember that Peter’s denial comes before the cross and before he is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. This isn’t the last we hear of Peter. He is reinstated and entrusted with the leadership of the early church, not because he was so strong and so faithful and so impressive… (SLIDE 9b) but because he was a blood-bought child of God who knows the depth of his own depravity and his desperate need for salvation in Christ alone.
We may encounter the same questions or accusations as Peter:
You don’t believe all those religious myths, do you?
You can’t possibly believe that Jesus is the only way, do you?
You aren’t a Christian, are you?
May we stand firm and steadfast in our faith, answering “Yes, I am,” and “Yes, I believe,” not because we could possibly do better than Peter, but because we fix our eyes on the crucified and risen Christ, seeing him for who he truly is: Our only hope and our only salvation!