Let me say, by the way, I didn't get a chance to thank you for the very warm welcome that you gave my mom last week when she was here. She really enjoyed seeing all of you again. She said to me, she said, those are really good people at your church. She said, I could live amongst them. And I said, they are good people, and I'm glad that I do live in among them. We're going to be looking in John's gospel today at John chapter 18, verses 15 through 27. I'm actually going to begin reading at verse 12, but Jesus has been in Gethsemane and soldiers and a detachment of officers have come to arrest Jesus. And let me point out something before I read this here so you're not confused, because if you read John's Gospels and the other Gospels, it's a bit confusing as to who exactly the High Priest is. Is it Annas or is it Caiaphas? Because both of them are referred to variously as the High Priest here. And it would be a confusing situation were it not for the historian Josephus, who lets us in on what happens here and clears up a great deal for us. In 6 AD, Annas was appointed as high priest and he served as high priest and was therefore chief of the Sanhedrin but in A.D. 15 he was deposed from that office by the governor at the time Gratis and he was deposed because he inflicted a sentence of capital punishment the Romans didn't allow the Jews to carry out capital punishment and as a result of that Annas could have lost his life but he was popular among the people and he didn't, he was simply deposed and for three years there was somebody who was put in the position of high priest by the Romans, the people never accepted him they always regarded Annas as the high priest and in AD 18, three years later after his deposition his son-in-law, they maneuvered his son-in-law Caiaphas to become the high priest. Caiaphas was officially the high priest but the people largely regarded Annas as the high priest and there's some indication in Josephus that Caiaphas was kind of the puppet. of Annas, that he did what Annas told him to do. I mention that to you just so that you don't get distracted by, as we read this passage, saying, who's the high priest here? Is it Annas or Caiaphas? Let me read to you then from God's word. I'm going to begin reading at verse 12 so we have some context. This is the holy word of God. Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there, and brought Peter in. You are not one of his disciples, are you? The girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, I am not. It was cold and the servants and officials stood around the fire they'd made to keep warm. And Peter was also standing with them, warming himself. Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. I've spoken openly to the world, Jesus replied. I always taught in synagogues or at the temple where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said." When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "'Is this the way you answer the high priest?' he demanded. "'If I said something wrong,' Jesus replied, "'testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?' Then Anna sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas, the high priest." This ends the reading of God's word. Pray with me. It'll bless it to our understanding today. Lord, your mercies to us are great. And as we begin now to consider the passion, the suffering of our Lord Jesus for us, would you fill us with your spirit and your good word that we may know ourselves and know you, and rejoice that you, O God, are our Savior. Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen. There was a lot that was in the news this week, a lot of tragic things. There was one tragic thing that I don't think made it into the national news or at least didn't get very much highlighted because of all of the things that have been going on with tornadoes and things within our own backyard, unfortunately. But this past Tuesday in a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas, Early in the morning, a 72-year-old man by the name of Jerry Waller heard his neighbor's burglar alarm going off. And being a good neighbor and knowing that there was a very broad area that the police had to cover and the response times for that were not good, retrieved a handgun and went to check on the safety of his neighbor. Now, Mr. Waller didn't make it out of the end of his driveway. He was shot and killed by two police officers who were nearby who had responded to the dispatcher's call for the alarm. And here was the real tragedy. Friends, neighbors said that they heard no verbal commands or warnings. just a barrage of gunfire as they saw this man with a pistol in his hand. That incident's still under investigation and because it's in Fort Worth, I don't know, maybe we'll never hear the conclusion of it. But neighbors who were there on the scene after it was secured and they realized what happened reported that those two police officers were sobbing inconsolably when they realized what they had done, that they'd taken the life of an innocent man, that something had gone tragically wrong. And I'm almost certain, no, no, let me take away the almost, I'm certain that those police officers did not wake up that day and say, let's go out and kill an innocent man. They didn't wake up that day and say, let's go out and do something wrong or tragic. They, in fact, probably had become police officers because they wanted to do what was right. They wanted to do what was good. And things went horribly wrong. You know, while hopefully it hasn't had such tragic consequences, my guess is that every one of you could tell a story in which you set out to do what was right, to do what was right, and it went tragically wrong. And doing what was right, you ended up doing what was wrong. You know, there's a reason that Jesus had a following among the people, that he had the following, why the Pharisees sometimes would look at him with disdain and castigate him. He had a following of prostitutes and tax gatherers who extorted and robbed the people. And there were others of questionable character. They, so many of them, followed Jesus because they knew that they needed a Savior. You know, many people in Jesus' day were looking for the coming of the Messiah, but their expectation of the Messiah, of a deliverer, of a Savior, was one who would save them from their situation. The tyranny of the Romans, the hypocrisy of the priesthood. And one of those who was very close to Jesus was a man by the name of Simon Peter. And Simon Peter, you know, as we get to know him on the pages of Scripture, he's not a tax gatherer, he's not an unsavory character. He wasn't a rich man, but that's not a sin. He worked hard, sought to provide for his family, Oh, Peter could be impetuous sometimes and his temper might get the best of him. But don't you know good people who are like that, who are impetuous sometimes and have a little bit of a temper? Peter was a good guy. He was the kind of guy that any one of you would not mind having as a next door neighbor. And friends, I think that nothing makes us feel the culpability a sense of worthlessness and that there's something wrong with us as much as do those instances when we seek with all of our hearts to do what's right and we end up doing what's wrong. It's not just the morally debauched people who need a savior. Good people need a savior too. And though he's confused, Peter is culpable for what he does. And so we read of these denials of Peter, that Simon Peter and the other disciple were following Jesus, and because this disciple was known to the high priest, He went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. And the other disciple who was known to the high priest came back and spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. You're not one of his disciples, are you? The girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, I am not. You know, as I said before, I would be willing to bet, if I were a betting man, that those police officers in Fort Worth didn't wake up that day and say, let's do something wrong. They, in the honesty and integrity of their hearts, when they showed up at that scene, were seeking to do what was right. And if they're like most police officers I've known, whatever the findings of the investigation are, these men will spend the rest of their lives living with the agony of doing something tragically wrong when they sought to do something right. And will go over and over in their minds what they should have done and they could have done. Peter was a man who was determined to do the right thing. He was absolutely loyal to Jesus. And so, already back in chapter 13 in John's Gospel, Jesus is telling them that he's going to go away from them. He speaks of his betrayal. And Simon, who's confused by all of this, he's got an idea of what following the Messiah will look like, and it's not working out that way. And Simon Peter asked him, Lord, where are you going? Jesus replied, where I'm going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later. And Peter asked, Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. Jesus answered, will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times. That must have stung Peter. He makes no response to it, but in his heart of hearts, I'm sure that Peter thinks that he'll do no such thing. And when the time comes, Peter's ready to make good on his word. They come to arrest Jesus, and he's not about to allow that to happen. He draws his sword and he lunges with more zeal than skill, injures a man by the name of Malchus, and Jesus says, stop. Put away your sword. It was the first wrong thing that Peter did when he was seeking to do the right thing. And Peter at that point becomes tremendously confused. You would too, if you were in that situation. And when Jesus is arrested, Peter's not going to just abandon him. They scatter for a time, but then they follow. I take it here that they're following at a distance, not only because of their association with Jesus, but because what Peter's just done in the eyes of the law will be seen to be culpable. And we're told that as they get to the house of and it's here, it's his house, that this other disciple is known to the high priest. Now, you know, for a long time, let me just point out that in John's gospel, there's mention made of the disciple whom Jesus loved and another disciple, and for a long time in the history of the church, that's been understood to be the gospel writer himself, to be John. The idea being that he doesn't really want to draw attention to himself, so he identifies himself as the other disciple, or the disciple whom Jesus loved. Recently, scholars have begun to question that, and it really makes little difference who this disciple was to the story. But for the sake of ease, in case I make reference to him by name, I'll probably call him John. And so Simon Peter and this other disciple begin following Jesus, and we're told that this disciple was known to the high priest. Now, that doesn't mean casually known like you might know your barber and wave to him on the street. It means that he's known in some intimate way, that this is a family friend or perhaps a member of an extended family. And John is known at the house of Annas. Of course, Peter is not, and he's got no business being there. This is a private residence. So John goes in, and he speaks to people who were there to gain access for Peter. And as he does so, there's a girl who's keeping the gate. She's a servant girl. And she asks a question. We don't see it in our translations, most of them, but in the Greek it says something like this, you're not also one of his disciples, are you? And it's not a question that's really threatening, but it's one of disdain. You're not one of his disciples too, are you? But under the circumstances, Peter feels intimidated by that question. I mean, how is he going to answer it? It's one thing to be brave on your own turf. It's another thing to be brave in hostile territory. One thing to draw your sword in the garden of the Mount of Olives where you've gone with Jesus for three years and it's your turf. It's another to be standing in the courtyard of Annas And besides, what's Peter going to say if he says, yes, I'm one of his disciples? Will they give him access? Would she call for somebody? Would he, too, be arrested? And if that were the case, what good could he do for Jesus? I want to tell you, friends, that as Peter does this under the stress and uncertainty of the moment, I'm quite convinced that when Peter does this, he's seeking to do the right thing. He says, I don't know him, so that he can gain access, so that he can see what's going to happen. Well, John goes on to tell us that it's cold out, it's early spring, and they're warming themselves by the fire, those who had brought Jesus there, and in the midst of that happening, He's asked again, you're not one of his disciples, are you? And again, friends, let me ask you, what is Peter going to say? It's a different thing being on your own turf than up in front. of people that you, that are not kindly disposed to you. I'll tell you that it's pretty easy for me to stand up and speak in front of all of you. It's pretty easy to stand up and speak at other churches, but there have been times when I've been asked to stand up and address hostile audiences. That's not so easy. And as they look at Peter, they ask him, he's asked again, are you one of his disciples? And he says, I'm not, because if he says he is, what good will that do to Jesus, for Jesus? He won't be there to support him, he might be arrested. But we're told that as Simon stood warming himself again there by the fire that one of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him. I don't know, maybe the fire flared at that moment and lit his face and that person looked at him and he says, didn't I see you with him in the olive grove? And again, we're told that Peter denied it and at that moment the rooster crowed. Now you know John's gospel just reports the bare facts, doesn't tell us what that did to Peter like some of the other gospel writers do, doesn't tell us that Peter went out and wept bitterly. But I'm certain even as I read this in John's gospel that as the memory comes back to him, Peter cannot believe what's just happened. He cannot believe what's just happened. How could he ever deny Jesus? And when Jesus had predicted the event, though the text really doesn't tell us what he was feeling, I think that Peter was incredulous. Well, he says, I'll die with you. I'll die for you. And friends, the point of what happens here is this, that even in the midst of Peter, the good guy, trying to do what was right, he did what was wrong. And it looks as though Peter will spend the rest of his days agonizing over what he could have done, what he should have done. Friends, you have to understand that it's not just prostitutes and wayward, rogue IRS agents that Jesus came to save. Good people need a savior too. And though Peter's confused, he's culpable. but Jesus' passion is purposeful. And right in the midst of all of this going on, John places it for us there, right in the midst of it. Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. "'I've spoken openly to the world,' Jesus replied. "'I've always taught in synagogues or at the temple "'where all the Jews come together. "'I've said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said. And when Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. Is this the way you answer the high priest? He demanded. If I said something wrong, Jesus replied, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me? then Anna sent him still bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Friends, I couldn't even begin to go into here, the illegality of what's happening here by both Roman and Jewish law. But it would be like this. Imagine that if you were arrested for some reason, and you didn't even know what the reason was, but you were placed under arrest and you were brought in the middle of the night, not to the magistrate, but to the home of the former police chief. you would be saying something's not right here. And something certainly isn't right here. The illegality of what's going on is astonishing. Annas has no official standing to conduct investigations. Jesus answers Annas' question about his teaching. And he answers them in this, he answers them, him in this way, not to be evasive, friends. You remember back in John chapter 8, around verse 13, that as they asked Jesus about himself, so he told them, he answered them, and they said, you're testifying about yourself. If you testify about yourself, your testimony is untrustworthy. And so they asked Jesus about his teaching, and he says, in effect, I won't testify about myself, ask those who've heard me. I've taught nothing in secret. I've taught in the temple and at the synagogues, and there are many people who've heard what I said. And you know, it doesn't take much to figure out here that Annas is on a kind of a fishing expedition, seeking for Jesus to become his own accuser. But if Jesus has taught something wrong, where's the evidence? If they don't know what he's done wrong, why is he there? And if they have witnesses, they should produce them. But it's clear enough that they're not going to believe anything that Jesus says. And as Jesus answers in this really very reasonable way, an overzealous underling takes umbrage at what he said, and he strikes Jesus in the face. And this will be the first of many injustices that he'll suffer over the next few hours. And it's all a part of what theologians call the passion of Christ. And they call it that because the Latin word that we get our word passion from means suffering. It's kind of funny because our word passion doesn't have to do with suffering, it has almost to do with the opposite. It has to do with love or strong desire. So we speak of someone who has a passion for fishing. I don't know who that would be. Jesus' passion, his suffering, will come about because he has a passion, a strong love. for his disciples. Did you notice something in the questions that Annas asked of Jesus in verse 19? Meantime, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching, and Jesus says nothing about his disciples. And again, you don't have to be a genius to figure this out. Who are your disciples? How many of them are there? Where are they? So that we can go around and arrest them too. Peter will deny Jesus. Jesus knows that Peter will deny him, but Jesus will not betray Peter. Up in verse eight, Jesus had said to his captors, who are you looking for? Jesus of Nazareth. He said, I'm he. And if you're looking for me, let these men go. Peter's really a good guy. And he does not set out to do something wrong, to be cowardly, to be evil, to be unrighteous. He sets out to do what's right. The other Gospels give us indication of the horror that comes over him when he denies his Lord, just as Jesus said he would. Friends, you know, good people need a Savior too. Because as Paul said in Romans 7, the good I want to do, this I don't do. And the evil that I would avoid, this I keep doing. And perhaps nothing shows up to us, our fallenness, our sinful inclination. as the self-loathing we feel when we set out to do the right thing and we find that we've done the wrong thing. And Peter doesn't even really know himself, but Jesus knows him and he goes to the cross for him. You know, my mom was right. You're good people. And I'd be happy to have you, any of you, as my next door neighbor. But friends, it's not just drug dealers and thieves who need a savior. It's good people who need a savior, too. And every once in a while, good folks get a glimpse of something in themselves. even in the midst of their trying to do what's good and right that shows them how deep their sin really is. If that's you, I've got good news for you. Jesus went to the cross for people like you. He went to the cross for Peter. You see, at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a good man, though for a good man someone might dare to die. But God commended his love to us in this, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It's not just scoundrels who need a savior. It's good people who need a savior too. Will you pray with me? Lord, in the midst of things going well for us and our self-satisfaction, we scarcely believe those words of the prophet Isaiah, all of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags. And then, Father, every once in a while, in the midst of seeking to do what's right, we find that we do what is utterly and absolutely and irreversibly wrong. Well, God, thank you that you've sent to us your Son to be our Saviour. Lord, may you fill the hearts of all of us who are here to never think or believe that we are too good to need such. Amen.