1/6/03 Mark 14:27-42,66-72.

27"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: " `I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' 28But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." 29Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." 30"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today--yes, tonight--before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times." 31But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same. 32They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." 35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." 37Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." 39Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41Returning the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

66While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. "You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said. 68But he denied it. "I don't know or understand what you're talking about," he said, and went out into the entryway. 69When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, "This fellow is one of them." 70Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." 71He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about." 72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.

PRAY

Jonas Salk, who invented the vaccine that wiped out polio, conducted 200 experiments before he got the formula right. When he was asked the secret of his success he replied, 'My family didn't teach me in terms of failure, they taught me in terms of experience and what could be learned from it. I just made my 201st discovery. But I would never have made it without the previous 200 learning experiences.'

We continue our sermon series featuring Peter and, in today's gospel reading look at his denial of Jesus. There is a contrast between him and Jesus. Each of three headings will use the letter 's'.

Self-confidence and shrewdness ( or sagacity !), verses 27-31.

Sleeping and supplication, verses 32-42.

Spurning and steadfastness, verses 66-72.

Self-confidence and shrewdness ( or sagacity !), verses 27-31.

In Joshua's class is a boy who is slavishly copied by others. He and some other boys came to Joshua's birthday celebration in March. They had a choice of one of two types of ice-cream after they had eaten their pizzas. The boys waited to see what this boy chose, then all copied him. Well, all apart from Joshua who didn't want to follow the crowd!

Simon Peter was always the leader, the bold, outspoken one who thought he knew best. He was the first one to confess that Jesus was the Christ ( Mark 8:29 ), the one who rebuked Jesus when he predicted he would be killed ( v32 ). He refused to let Jesus wash his feet then asked him to wash his hands and head ( John 13:6-11 ), and impetuously offered to build shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah during the transfiguration ( Mark 9:5 ).

The rest of the disciples often followed him as we read in verse 31 But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same. You can almost imagine the other disciples saying they agreed with Peter's statement, yet perhaps not being fully convinced of it!

Jesus knew Simon Peter well. They had spent some three years together. Peter was one of the 'inner circle' of three disciples that Jesus took with him on special occasions, as we read in verse 33. Jesus had identified Simon as the 'petros' or rock that the early church would be build upon ( Matthew 16:18 ). But Jesus was shrewd. Humanly he was aware of Peter's weaknesses. Divinely he knew that this would lead to Simon Peter denying him three times before the cock crowed twice.

Behind the bravado of Simon Peter was someone who was scared, even scared into denying that he knew Jesus. Even though Jesus had predicted this would happen, when it came to it Peter could not overcome his fear because he was relying upon himself.

Jesus knows everything about our strengths and weaknesses. He knows what we are scared of and what we will do. He wants to draw alongside us , comfort us, and lead us in a life of continuing repentance and continuing faith. Allowing us to grow in our knowledge of him and devotion to him, just as Jonas Salk moved nearer to the polio vaccine in his first 200 experiments.

A missionary got lost in the jungle with nothing around him but bush and a few cleared places. He finally found a small village and asked one of the natives if he could lead him out of the jungle. The native said he could. "All right," the missionary said, "Show me the way." They walked for hours through dense brush hacking their way through unmarked jungle. The missionary began to worry and said, "Are you quite sure this is the way? Where is the path?" The native said. "In this place there is no path. I am the path."

Jesus is the path we must pursue. He must go before us we must follow. He will give us the words, strength and abilities we need to declare to the world in word and deed that we worship and follow him. We cannot do it in our own strength. If we do we will get lost and we will deny Christ.

Self-confidence and shrewdness ( or sagacity !), verses 27-31.

Sleeping and supplication, verses 32-42.

It had been a tiring day for the disciples. The preparations for the Last Supper, the supper itself with the shocking news that Jesus would be betrayed by a disciple and killed, and the walk to Gethsemane. It was probably around midnight when Jesus took his inner circle of Peter, James and John with him to pray. They wanted to pray and support Jesus, but their tired bodies let them down, verse 38, The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Their serenity in sleep contrasts with the suffering of Jesus. The cup that he speaks of, verse 36, is the cup of the wrath of God. In the OT 'cup' is regularly used as a picture of punishment and judgement. Here it refers to Jesus' death.

Jesus' supplication was for the removal of the cup. We can see here the human side of Jesus. His distress as he envisions the wrath of God that will be poured onto him on the cross. The punishment due to sinners voluntarily borne by the sinless Jesus, of separation from God. This was the only time in eternity that there has been division in the Trinity, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We can only begin to imagine the pain that Jesus was anticipating and endured. Perhaps the closest thing we can picture would be bereavement following the death of our closest friend/relative.

Jesus refers to God as 'Abba' or 'Daddy', an intimate term that a Jew would not normally use when addressing God. This shows the divine nature of Jesus, God the Son, and the closeness of his relationship with God the Father. That unity was expressed by Jesus voluntarily placing his will in submission to God's. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.

Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. During the course of the visit, the group happened to meet Lord Hailsham, then lord chancellor, who was wearing all the regalia of his office. Hailsham recognized Marten among the group and cried, "Neil!" Not daring to question or disobey the "command," the entire band of visitors promptly fell to their knees!

Jesus calls us, and all his followers to get on their knees and obey him! The early, persecuted Christians who read Mark's gospel would have realised that they were called to 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

Self-confidence and shrewdness ( or sagacity !), verses 27-31.

Sleeping and supplication, verses 32-42.

Spurning and steadfastness, verses 66-72.

My motor insurance was due for renewal last month. I rang a number of companies for quotations. The accent of one of the people I spoke to seemed familiar and I asked him if he lived near to my home town of Norwich. They said that they were in Ipswich, about forty five miles away. Sometimes your accent can give you away. Peter came from the North of the country and would have had a distinctive accent. People knew that Jesus came from the North, so it wouldn't have taken much for the servant girl to challenge Simon Peter.

Simon Peter had been brave enough to follow Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest. But his Lord had been accused of blasphemy, condemned to death, was spat at and beaten up. 64 "You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him and beat him.

You can understand why Simon Peter did not want to be too closely associated with Jesus.

He spurned Jesus. 'Spurn - to reject with contempt'. The first two denials were unconvincing. In the third Peter called down curses upon himself if he was lying. The first and second denials spurned Jesus. In the third Peter also spurned himself.

When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success of his military venture. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did.

61 Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" 62 "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Jesus signed his death warrant, burned his boats, with those words. Peter's denial of his Lord and himself contrasts with Jesus.

Jesus did not let his fear of the suffering that awaited him divert him from the path that God the Father had laid before him. A path of agonising physical and spiritual death that would lead to victory over sin and death, new life and resurrection. Not only for Jesus, but for those who die to their old life and rise to new life in and through him.

72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.

It was not until Peter had been broken of his self-reliance, forgiven by Jesus (cf. John 21:15ff) and filled with the Holy Spirit that he could bravely and confidently proclaim his allegiance to Jesus, something we will look at next week ( Acts 2 ).

God doesn't require his disciples to have a great self-confidence in what they can do. He calls us to trust in what He can do in us by His indwelling Spirit. The gospel of Mark would have been first read by Christians who were being persecuted for their faith and this would have encouraged them not to deny Jesus and to go on in God's strength. It is a reminder to us that our faith is about relying upon God. Not our own strengths, abilities, qualities. Indeed, these may be linked to our weaknesses. Peter would have seen himself as a strong, courageous leader and it was this that led to his grief when he realised that he had denied Jesus. It is prayer that will stop our strengths becoming our weaknesses and will turn our weaknesses into strengths.

The famous inventor of the telegraph Samuel Morse who was once asked if he ever encountered situations where he didn't know what to do. Morse responded, "More than once, and whenever I could not see my way clearly, I knelt down and prayed to God for light and understanding."

Morse received many honours from his invention but felt undeserving: "I have made a valuable application of electricity not because I was superior to other men but solely because God, who meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone and He was pleased to reveal it to me."

Today's passage shows us of the need to be humble about ourselves, to watch and pray that we should not fall into temptation, to trust in God and to proclaim Jesus.

PRAY