Judas arrived with an angry crowd. The gospel of John is even more detailed specific. The term he employs is the Greek word speira, or a “detachment of soldiers” (John 18:3). At minimum, speira depicts a group of two hundred soldiers.  Surely in a group this size there is one person who will defend Jesus. He came to the aid of so many. All those sermons. All those miracles. We wait for the one person who will declare, “Jesus is an innocent man!” But no one does. The people he came to save have turned against him.

We can almost forgive the crowd. Their contact with Jesus was too brief, too casual. Perhaps they didn’t know better. But the disciples did. They knew better. They knew him better. But did they defend Jesus? Hardly. One of the most bitter pills Jesus had to swallow was the unbelievable betrayal by the disciples. “All the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).

But one returned.  Peter was able to gain access into the courtyard, getting as close as he dared, to see what was going to happen to the One with whom a relentless relationship had been steadily built over a three year walk with his dear Friend and Teacher.  Soon Jesus will become his Savior of the sin he is about to commit of denying he ever knew Him. 

Matthew 26, The Message

Denial in the Courtyard

⁶⁹ All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean.”

⁷⁰ In front of everybody there, he denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

⁷¹ As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”

⁷² Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: “I swear, I never laid eyes on the man.”

⁷³ Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. “You’ve got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away.”

^74-75 Then he got really nervous and swore. “I don’t know the man!”

Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and cried and cried and cried.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus prayed that not one of his disciples would be harmed.  He warned them of what was going to happen before it happened and told them not to put up a fight. A new way of thinking, Kingdom thinking, was going to be put in place.  The love of God was about to be demonstrated in what Jesus would endure for the sins of the world.  But Peter panicked.  Peter put aside all those words of warning until he remembered what Jesus said about how this disciple would personally react as the will of God began the sacrificial process to save us.  You will deny Me not once but three times, Peter.

We don’t like it when we are told what will happen when we do what we want and it happens just the way they said it would, do we?  My mom was gifted in telling me what would happen—even with details of how it would play out.  I did it anyway and sure enough I would pay the consequences of my actions.

Remorse vs Regret –Peter and Judas

Remorse involves admitting one’s own mistakes and taking responsibility for one’s actions. It creates a sense of guilt and sorrow for hurting someone else and leads to confession and true apology. It also moves the remorseful person to avoid doing the hurtful action again. 

Regret leads a person to avoid punishment in the future, while remorse leads to avoiding hurtful actions towards others in the future.  Regretful people are sorry they got caught and blame others for their actions. 

Peter versus Judas—

Because of their loving, relentless relationship Peter was drawn to see what is going to happen to Jesus.  Judas’ relationship with Jesus was all for self.  Peter momentarily lost confidence as he watched Jesus pushed around, spat upon and yelled at by those in religious power. Full of fear for his friend, wanting to stay close to the situation, he said things, Jesus said he would.  “I don’t know him.”

Judas regretted he got caught in the act of betrayal but felt justified in doing so.  He  gave up and took his own life because he didn’t get his own way.  He wanted a revolution using the power of Jesus to overturn the Roman government but this was not on Jesus’ agenda. 

Peter, however, was remorseful forevery word that come out his mouth.  Peter should not have been there.  Peter did exactly what Jesus said he would.  He could not help the tears of regret that flowed.  We see a distraught, remorseful man who cried and cried over his sin.  But Jesus sees redemption.  

From a human point of view, Jesus’ world had collapsed. No help from the people, no loyalty from his friends. But, fortunately for us, that’s not how Jesus saw it. He saw something else entirely. He wasn’t oblivious to the circumstances; He just wasn’t limited to them. Somehow, he was able to see good in the bad, the purpose in the pain, and God’s presence in the problem.  Jesus saw Peter as the one upon whom He would later build his church, and that didn’t change. 

When we have a relentless, loving, faithful relationship with the Savior of the world, He forgives our imperfections with perfect and complete forgiveness.  The cross of sacrifice becomes our symbol of redemption.  The empty grave is our hope of eternal life with Jesus forever!

Peter will later lead thousands to Jesus—fulfilling exactly what Jesus said he would do to build His church—all because of their relentless, loving relationship that never quit and never gave up.  Jesus was not only Peter’s Friend and Teacher; Jesus became his Savior and Lord of all the details of Peter’s life. 

Jesus spoke his words through Peter that replaced all evidence of Peter’s previous denial! 

Jesus changes everything. 

Lord,

You are amazing in the way you love, forgive, and restore our lives with your complete forgiveness when we sincerely admit and confess our sins.  Cleanse our hearts, renew and transform our minds, refresh and fill our souls, and restore the joy and peace of your salvation at work within us.  Remove what offends you—all that we remorsefully said, thought and acted upon by our selfish will.  May YOUR will be done in every detail of our lives.  Make us holy for your service.

In Jesus Name, Amen