IN THE COURTYARD
Matthew 26:67-75
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
St. Matthew 26:67-75 [67] Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, [68] saying, “Prophecy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” [69] Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” [70] But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you are saying.” [71] And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” [72] But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the man!” [73] And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” [74] Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. [75] And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.
Dear fellow redeemed in Christ our Lord… It is frustrating when someone says one thing and then does another. I know I get frustrated when someone tells me they will do something, and then it either doesn’t get done or I end up having to do it. And I know that I have frustrated others who have asked me to do something, and for whatever reason I was unable to keep my word. If you are like me, you get even more frustrated with yourself when you don’t follow through on what you have said that you would do. Sure, it’s almost always something minor that slips through the cracks, but it’s still a problem. Christians ought to be dependable. They ought to do what they say they will do.
But human beings, no matter how reliable they might seem, are not really dependable in the end. Sometimes they will perform as promised, and sometimes they won’t. We see this quite clearly in Peter tonight.
Peter was our Lord’s chief disciple. He was known for being solid and stalwart, which is the reason he is called Petros by our Lord, meaning “the rock”. It was Peter who made this bold confession concerning Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And we saw last week that it was Peter who, heedless of his own safety, attempted to rescue Jesus from those who came to arrest Him, striking out with the sword against the entire armed mob. Our Lord scolded him for this, but at least this futile and wrong-headed attack showed bravery and dedication to Christ. It showed that Peter had meant it when he said to Jesus earlier that same night: “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
But how a few hours and a change of setting can wreak havoc on a man’s determination and bravery. Now we see Peter – that same night – in the courtyard of Caiaphas as Jesus is put on trial. Peter is approached by a servant girl who says to him: “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” There is no hint of accusation in what the girl says; there is no threat there. But the simple statement that Peter was with Jesus causes him to say in fear, “I do not know what you are saying.”
According to St. John, this servant girl was the doorkeeper to the courtyard of Caiaphas’s house. John was the one who had spoken to the girl and gained entrance for Peter. Clearly the disciples had nothing to fear from this servant girl, and clearly she knew who John was. And yet Peter is afraid of being found out by her and by the others in the courtyard, and so he denies knowing Christ.
Peter got up and went out to the gateway and onto the porch, hoping to avoid the suspicions that had now been aroused around the fire. According to Luke’s gospel the servant girl saw him again and said to others that he was with Jesus. And this other person mentioned by Matthew looked at him and said: “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
And now Peter is more than a little frightened, and he says with an oath, “I do not know the man!” And then a little while later, others came up to him and having recognized that He was a Galilean from his accent, said to him: “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.”
According to John, the relative of Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off, said to him, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Now Peter is terrified and begins “to curse and swear, saying: ‘I do not know the Man!’” And immediately a rooster crowed.
Luke tells us that at that very moment Jesus looked over at Peter. At once Peter recalled that Jesus had said he would deny Him three times. And Peter, catching the Savior’s knowing eye, feeling his own cowardice and sin, knowing that he had not kept his word to Jesus that he would never deny Him, and knowing that He had denied His Lord and friend in His hour of suffering and need, went out and wept bitterly.
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So much for the immovable rock. So much for reliable Peter. Why did Peter fail? He failed because he who had been so bold was now afflicted by the old enemies. To his mind the world was attacking him seeing in Him one who followed Christ, and holding out to him worldly well-being if he would simply deny it. His own flesh attacked His faith, fearful of the consequences that might come from being Jesus’ disciple, and clinging to the hope that those consequences might never need to be felt if Jesus were denied.
And finally, the devil attacked him in his weakness, for Jesus had said that Satan had asked for Peter and wanted to sift him like wheat, as he had sifted the prophet Job centuries before. Of this scene Martin Luther writes: “Let us pay due attention to the conduct of Peter, so that we may learn properly to know ourselves and other people, and beware of presumption. For if such a denial of faith can proceed from Peter, who, above all the other disciples, had a heart filled with loyalty and love for the Lord Jesus… how much more easily can such denial come from us poor mortals, who are much inferior to Peter…, and in all respects, much more faint and frail? Be on your guard, therefore; be not irreverently bold; think not that you have climbed the mountain and are out of danger; remember that your flesh is totally corrupt!”
Luther is correct. We must never forget that our old enemies of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh are constantly trying to push us into denying Christ. Our corrupt flesh longs for the acceptance of those who do not know Jesus. It does not want to put itself on the line through bold confession of faith. It would much rather remain silent, and if pushed to confess, to deny the Lord.
And you may be certain that the unbelieving world wants that denial, for it cannot stand the thought of Christ. And behind the scenes is the devil, seeking to sift you like wheat, seeking to devour you like a lion. Luther reminds us further, “You would, therefore, be lost, should God not stand by you with His Holy Spirit. You can neither govern nor restrain yourself one single hour.”
And so I say with Luther and with St. Peter, be on guard. If you think for even a moment that you are out of danger, observe three things: fear God, be watchful and sober, and pray without ceasing! For although you must still feel temptation – and sometimes you will fall because of weakness – God, through His Holy Spirit, will lift you up again, and not permit you to remain a victim of temptation.
Did God lift up Peter again? He most certainly did. For even though he wept in pain and shame, Peter was brought to repentance. He did not go out and hang himself like Judas, but returned and stayed with the other disciples. Peter is the one who rushes into the tomb on Easter morning in loyalty to His dead Lord’s remains, having heard from Mary Magdalene that the Lord was not there, already showing the fruits of repentance. And He is restored to faith by the risen Christ Himself who commanded Peter to care for and feed His flock.
Clearly Jesus lifted Peter up again. And He will do so for you too when you sorrow over your sins and turn to Him for mercy. But to have such repentance you must believe Christ’s promises and cling to them by God-given faith. For this reason it is necessary to read and hear the Scriptures often, so that when you come into trouble, you may already have the Word in you which will protect you, and if you happen to fall, will sustain your faith and bring you back from despair.
Now, while God does not want you to fall into sin, neither does He want you to despair on account of your sins. Nor does He want you to despair of these current circumstances where the world, at least in part, seems to have gone mad, when the economy of our nation seems to be in chaos, when many people are falling ill and dying, and when we are unable to gather together – in person – as a whole congregation for worship.
Please remember this – let me stick this into your ears yet again: Jesus Christ, the very Son of God became man and died on the cross for the very purpose of banishing such evils. His death to sin gives you life. His death to sin is your death to sin. His resurrection is your resurrection. His life is your life and eternal joy. And beyond anything we might seek to gain back in this life, the life of the world to come is guaranteed to those who cling by faith to Christ and His gifts of Baptism, Absolution, Gospel, and Supper.
Though it is true that you and I will never be as reliable or as steadfast or as trustworthy as we should be or want to be in this life, and even though we are attacked by many and powerful enemies that would have you deny your Lord Jesus and lose heart in this current battle, cling to the grace of Christ and pray for His help.
For in Christ you know that your eternal life is secure. In Christ you know that your sins are all forgiven. In Christ you know that you do not stand on your own power or success, but on His grace, and that He alone keeps you in the one true faith unto life everlasting.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
