Read the background story on Peter’s denial of knowing Jesus in Luke 22:54-64.
Luke 22:60-62
But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.
Today we can relate to Peter. Today we can understand how Peter is not all that different than you and me.
Peter is caught lying!
Peter’s denial of Jesus reveals his most vulnerable weaknesses!
Peter’s denial of Jesus becomes the central theme of the entirety of the cross, his death, and resurrection of Jesus. A lie precedes the Truth!
Lies have their origin in a fallen world - in a world of sin! Human nature is on full display, and none of us are excluded. Lies make us prisoners, in chains we are captive.
Can you hear them? Have you spoken lies to yourself? Have you lied to others?
The lies we hear....
In our children, we know them well enough that we could even hear the lies they tell us. Catching our kids with their hand in the cookie jar. We ask, what are you doing? They respond, “NOTHING!”
In our closest friend, we know them well enough that we can even hear the lies they tell us. We ask, “How are you doing?” Catching them in a lie, we ask about that one thing that brings them burdens as they respond, “NOTHING IS WRONG!”
In our spouse, we know them well enough that we can even hear the lies they tell us. We ask after a long day at work, “What did you do today?” Catching them in a lie, we know that look anytime as they respond, “NOTHING IMPORTANT!”
You and I hear lies every day! Typically there are subtleties that we pick up on. Other times they are obvious. At yet other times, we know the truth already!
Jesus knew a lie when he heard it! Half truths that are disguised as the right answers....
IF you are the Son of God.... (Matthew 4)
Jesus knew the truth! No matter what he heard — though the lies were convincing — Jesus answered the accuser by the Word of God!
In the reading of Peter’s denial....we can hear the lies that were told.
In this short exchange of the last supper and around the smoke of a campfire, there is both a confrontation of a lie as well as a message of the Truth of redemption.
The lies we tell....
- The lies we tell ourselves...
They are all too common. We say we are strong enough, likely, we attempt to convince ourselves. We pride ourselves in our abilities and overlook our vulnerabilities. We say that we are strong enough!
The lies we tell ourselves are not all that different than what Peter told himself. “I am strong enough!”
The lies we tell ourselves are many...each one of us are capable of telling ourselves lies! We do this daily! We hear a lie and potentially convince ourselves of it’s substance and tell ourselves those lies.
Have you heard and believed those lies?
- I am worthless.
- I am not capable.
- I can’t!
- I doubt it!
- I can’t believe that!
- I ...precedes ...the lies we hear and tell ourselves.
Most of our untruths are things we were told to believe and we repeated these lies by telling them to ourselves!
Too often we have deceived ourselves. We believed ally that we heard and we have repeated that lie to ourselves. Peter found himself at that moment repeating what he has heard and believed from the master deceiver himself, Satan
But there is more!
- The lies we tell others....
When confronted by Jesus during their last supper together, Jesus predicted the betrayal. Perhaps deep down inside Peter knew to defend himself against what has become the inevitable. “Lord, I will be with you! I will not leave you!”
But Jesus knew better. He could peer into the very heart of Peter - as too in all of us.
He knows Peter best. Jesus spent three years with his disciples but he knew them even before we met them. Jesus, as God in creation knew the vulnerabilities and the trespasses & deceptions of a man’s heart!
The lies we tell...
Stemming from the lies we tell ourselves are the lies that we tell others. You can see, as we attempt to convince ourselves, in own strength, apart from the power of God in our lives, we convince ourselves!
We may believe that we can do far more than what we can in reality. We even verbalize those beliefs by telling others.
We believe a lie, convinced of its merit, and repeat that to others!
Perhaps, it’s the lies that we were told, those half truths that we were convinced of that make this passage real for us today!
We identify with Peter who was caught in a lie; in his tragic exchange during his denial, the rooster crowed! He looks up to see Jesus looking back at him!
- his hand is in the cookie jar.
- his dishonesty to his best friend is brought to light.
- his report to his spouse of his day was worse than he first admitted!
On this Good Friday, with the overshadowed darkness that was to consume the earth through the death of Jesus, we are confronted with the lies we hear, and the lies we tell ourselves, and the lies we tell others.
We are filled with guilt but God’s grace is filled with an abundance of hope!
Through the cross, we are confronted with sin but in this we discover the Truth of God’s amazing Grace!
It is NO LIE...
... we are redeemed through the unselfish love of a mercy we don’t deserve,
...a hope we cannot manufacture,
...a grace we cannot buy,
...a redemption we receive,
...which is unmerited favor of God through Jesus Christ!
Lies make us prisoners but, through Jesus Christ, the truth shall set us free!
