John 18:12-27: Grace for Failures

2 Timothy 2:11–13 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

Intro

If you pulled back the onion and got an honest look at our heart… I would say most of us have a fear of failure.

Ladies I can promise you… your husband and every man in here… their greatest fear is failure.

Of falling short of who they want to be.

And for some of us its not a fear that I will fail… but that I am a failure.

I’m not who I want to be right now.

I’m not godly enough.

I’m not strong enough.

Now matter how hard I try it doesn’t seem like it matters.

I’m always angry…

I’m always anxious…

Always given to lust…

And I’m afraid… I’m afraid that I’ll never change and I’ll never be free.

I’m not a good mom and I’ll never be a good mom.

Our marriage will never be fixed!

And I’ll never be the man I want to be!

I feel like I’m doomed to go through my whole life walking with this limp.

We even have regrets from our past… Things we wish we could go back and do differently… fix… make new

Moments where we look back and feel so ashamed and like total failures…

And how God must be just so… over us.

Deep down we all feel like failures.

But there is Grace for Failures.

The gospel is good news for failures like you and like me.

Because the gospel says…

Jesus gives grace to weak and weary sinners.

In John 18:12-27 we see the failure of Peter… one of the greatest men who ever lived.

We see Peter deny Christ.

His worst moment… and how Jesus answers Him and gives Him grace.

As great as Peter’s sin was… as great as His failure was… Christ’s grace was greater.

And we all need Peter because we all need grace.

So let’s pick up in John 18:12-14 where John says…

Scripture

John 18:12–14 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

By this point in the story, Jesus has been arrested.

Judas has betrayed Him and Jesus has gone along with the band of soldiers willingly ultimately submitting Himself to the Father’s will saying, “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

“Shall I not die for the sins of my people?”

This willingness and voluntary submission is everything John wants us to see in the Passion of Jesus.

Again and again John wants us to see the Good Shepherd laying down His life as a voluntary sacrifice for the ones He came to save out of His great… and eternal… and sacrificial love (John 10:11, 17-18).

And now… having given Himself over to arrest, Jesus is on the road to the cross and is taken to Annas who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was [the] high priest that year.

Annas Background

Now who was actually the High Priest?

Because John says Caiaphas was the High Priest but later in verse 19 calls Annas the High Priest?

Basically, Caiaphas was the “legal” High Priest in regards to Rome.

Annas had served as High Priest before Caiaphas but was deposed by a Roman Governor named Valerius Gratus who was Pilate’s predecessor.

And so from there, Annas and his son-in-law Caiaphas basically worked hand-in-hand because in the eyes of the Jews Annas still was the High Priest.

According to the Law the High Priest served for life and no Pagan Roman could do anything to change that.

And so Caiaphas was the “legal” High Priest who dealt with Rome and headed up the Jewish legal body known as the Sanhedrin which was basically a government under Rome that legislated and adjudicated the particular laws of the Jewish people.

So Annas and Caiaphas worked together.

You can kind of think of it like a family business (Luke 3:2).

Die for the Nation

And John makes a special note that It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

This was back in John 11 after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

Caiaphas said You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish (John 11:49-50).

And John says He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year, prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad (John 11:51-52).

Jew and Gentile together… all those who were elect in Christ before the foundation of the world.

John makes a special note because is where the whole night is headed… Jesus dying for the sins of His people.

Under the Sovereign Hand of God Caiaphas said It is better that one man should die for the people then the whole nation should perish.

And Jesus died in our place for our sins that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

In the background of all of this… that’s what John wants us to see.

Peter

Then verse 15.

John 18:15-18 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.

That other disciple was probably John who never refers to himself by name in the Gospel.

John only ever refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved because his identity… the core of who he was as it should be with us was defined as beloved by Jesus (John 13:23).

Who are you?

What defines your identity and all your life?

Loved by Christ!

And so Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple, and…

Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.

NEW SLIDE

The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

Here we come to a pivotal moment.

Peter… the leader of the Disciples… the first one to confess “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

The one who said, “I will lay down my life for you!… Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death… Even if all others fall away I will not!” (Matthew 16:16, John 13:37, Luke 22:31 Mark 14:29-31).

That Peter! turns and denies Christ just as Christ had promised back in John 13: “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.” (John 13:38).

We are going look more at Peter with His other two denials and what it shows us about Christ’s grace to weak, weary, down and out failures like you and me, but for now there are two things I want you to see from Peter’s first denial of Christ.

Messiah

First the fulfillment of Christ as the Messiah and the love of Christ as the Messiah.

Peter’s denial of Christ is a fulfillment of the prophesies Christ would be abandoned and alone by His disciples.

Jesus said in John 16:32 “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone.”

And this was in fulfillment of Zechariah 13 where it says ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’”(Zechariah 13:7).

Jesus fulfilled every prophesy concerning the Messiah from the Old Testament proving that He was indeed the long promised Messiah and only one who could save us from our sins.

But what it also shows us is the Love of Christ in suffering for us.

He suffered alone without comfort or consolation.

He was completely abandoned the one’s closest to Him.

Its hard to see how painful this can be unless you’ve ever been betrayed or abandoned by a friend or someone from your own family when you needed them most.

When someone is suffering we say what do we say?… “We are there for you. We’re praying for you”

We want people to know we’re there not alone because when we go through the hardest things in life there’s comfort in knowing there’s always someone we can count on.

But when that’s taken away not only do we go through the suffering, but we also go through it alone.

And we go through it alone with the added pain, loss, and confusion of being abandoned by our closest friends.

Its a gut-punch… a betrayal… a stabbing in the back.

I thought I could count on them? I thought they loved me? I thought they cared about me?

Not only am I lost… I have no one.

That was some of the suffering Christ experienced for us.

No comfort and no one to stand there by His side.

In fulfillment of other prophesies pointing to Christ as Messiah we get a glimpse into Christ’s heart in being denied and abandoned by all His disciples.

Psalm 142:4 Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.

Psalm 69:20 Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.

In Peter’s denial of Christ, we shouldn’t just see Peter’s failure, but the glory of our Savior.

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed Him not (Isaiah 53:3).

Sin

The second thing we should see in Peter’s first denial of Christ is the deceitfulness of sin and how easy it is to slide into temptation.

Self-Reliance

One of the things that led Peter into sin was his boastful, self-confidence.

I’ll never fall away! I’ll never deny you! I’ll never forsake you!

All of Peter’s confidence was in Himself.

We are dependent… not sufficient.

Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

We cannot keep ourselves or white-knuckle our own holiness.

When we depend on ourselves and rely on ourselves we are soon to fall because we can only hold on for so long.

There must be a daily… moment by moment… step by step dependence on God.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me (John 15:4).

Are you abiding in Christ or has your spiritual life taken a back seat?

Prayer, worship, private and family devotions?

If you really looked at your life who are you really depending on?… Relying on?… Trusting in for your life and breath?

The farther we go from God the closer we are to sin!

Deceitfulness

And the danger of sin is that its never content to stay there.

It starts out small and then grows out of control until it eventually leads us down a path we never expected to go.

The question is not overtly hostile.

There might be some derision but she still opened the door for John who she knew was one of Jesus’ disciples… “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

And the way she asks the question gives Peter an out.

She assumes he’s not and so Peter just takes the path of least resistance… He just agrees with the girl.

The second time Peter denies Christ with an oath… I swear I’m not! (Matthew 26:72).

And by the third time Peter even calls a curse on Himself (Matthew 26:74).

He goes from just going along to basically saying, “May God strike me dead if I’m lying to you!”

Now we need to see this because we need to be wise to the wiles and schemes of the Devil (cf. 1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:11).

Satan will bait the hook in a way that is appealing to us… or in a way we can justify our sin.

Peter was just going along. He was just letting the girl think what she already thought following the path of least resistance.

And by the end of it Peter was calling a curse on himself.

He stopped just going along and actually hardened himself in his sin.

We need to stop sin in its tracks… we need to stop it before it builds a seige work against our heart.

It should have been easy for Peter to identify with Christ with the slave girl.

She let John in! What was she going to do?

But Peter compromised with his sin. He followed it step by step until he was doing something that just hours before he thought was impossible.

There’s this progressive hardening towards sin.

Each tiny compromise only makes the next one that much easier.

We don’t fall into sin… we slide there… step after compromising step.

The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7).

But just one verse later Cain’s anger turned into murder (Genesis 4:8).

His sin grew and ultimately devoured him.

Peter never thought he would’ve ended up where he did that night.

As it is with us sin was not content to stay where it is.

Sin grows… Sin aims to corrupt absolutely.

As John Owen said, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.”

We need to guard the borders of our own holiness.

Take every temptation captive and make it submit to the will of Christ.

And putting up a sign up with every temptation that says, “This way only leads to death” and when that temptation comes again you don’t take one step towards it.

As Hebrews 3:12-13 says Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Jesus Juxtaposition

Now from here, John moves away from Peter and shifts his focus to Christ.

Now why does John do that?

All the other Gospel writers keep Peter’s story together as a whole.

Why does John start with Peter only to shift back and forth between Peter and Christ?

I think there are two reasons John does this and they are both related.

Number 1… John was writing to a particular audience who themselves were facing persecution and under intense pressure to deny and renounce Christ.

And Number 2… to highlight the glory of Christ’s faithfulness and His great love next to our sinfulness, weakness, and unfaithfulness.

Persecution

Number 1… John’s audience was under intense persecution and struggling with rampant apostasy… denials of Christ.

In one of his letters, John wrote that They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us (John 2:19).

John does this to say, “Don’t deny Christ! Don’t follow Peter… follow Jesus!”

Remember one of John’s goals is that you may believe, and part of that goal is showing us what true faith actually looks like.

Peter denied Christ.

Jesus persevered. He did not shrink back. Like Paul says Jesus made the good confession (1 Timothy 6:13).

John wants us to look at Peter next to Jesus and see all the bitterness and the regret.

He wants us to see an example not to follow and instead see that True faith perseveres and holds fast to Christ (John 20:31).

True faith identifies with Christ no matter the cost.

That’s why the first outward, visible step of discipleship is following Christ in baptism.

Identifying with Him and His death and resurrection.

Glory

The other thing John wants us to see is the glory and love of Christ juxtaposed against the sinfulness of man.

Christ was faithful… Peter was unfaithful.

Christ was a man of courage… Peter crumbled under the pressure.

Jesus laid down His life for us in self-sacrificial love… Peter just tried to save himself by denying the very Lord who loved Him.

John wants us to see Jesus holding firm under pressure.

The Faithful One coming to save us from our unfaithfulness.

Its again that idea of Jesus voluntarily laying down His life in love.

Grace Alone

John says…

John 18:19–21 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.”

Now what Jesus is doing here is holding the High Priest to the standard of the Law himself.

According to the Law you could not question a defendant or compel to incriminate himself.

Guilt was established by two or three witnesses.

Innocent until proven guilty… In other words, the burden of proof’s on you.

You know what the Law says.

And so here’s what’s interesting.

Again with that classic John irony… you have Jesus, who was the fulfillment of the Law!, telling the the High Priest who was one of the ones in charge of upholding the Law that he was falling short.

He wasn’t even following the Law he trusted in (cf. John 7:19, 49, 19:7).

He was breaking the Law with the fulfillment of the Law standing right there (Matthew 5:17).

The Law was given to point him to Jesus.

To show Annas his sin and his need for a Savior.

And with the Fulfillment of the Law standing right in front of him, he totally missed it.

As Jesus said in John 5:39–40 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

This whole exchange shows us our righteousness is not in our good works or our own religious goodness.

Its only in Jesus.

He’s the fulfillment of the Law on our behalf.

Both the righteous requirements of the Law… sinless perfection

Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them (Galatians 3:10).

And the penalty of the Law our sins deserve… For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

Grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone… its all right there.

Murder

Verse 22…

John 18:22-24 When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Here again is another fulfillment of prophecy proving that Christ was the Messiah.

Isaiah 53:8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

The whole trial Jesus faced was oppression and judgment.

It was illegal from beginning to end.

They tried to get Him to incriminate Himself.

They bribed Judas to betray Him.

They held the trial at night when capital cases had to be held in the day time.

They trumped up charges on the testimony of false witnesses they themselves provided.

They hit him and beat Him as if He was guilty.

And before the trial started they had a predetermined verdict!

It is better for one man to die than the whole nation should perish.

This was no trial… it was a murder!

And Jesus submitted to it willingly to lay down His life as a sacrifice for our sins.

Grace for Failures

And finally…

John 18:25–27 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

This is what I’ve been wanting to get to all morning.

We need Peter… because we are all failures just like Him.

Beating Himself Up/Failing Again

I’m sure after Peter denied Jesus the first time he was beating himself up… saying I’m not going to do that again.

I’m sure he kept hearing Jesus’ words, Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times and saying, I’m not going to do that (John 13:38).

I messed up, but I’m going to do better next time.

And the next time comes around and he denies Jesus again.

That was his chance… his shot… to make it all better.

To do right where he had failed before… and he just failed again.

And then the third time comes… and he ends up right back were he was.

That is all of us.

All of us at one point or another have resolved to do better.

To not fall again.

To not fail again.

Only to end up right back where we were.

We’ve all felt that pain… that disappointment… that bitterness… of falling short of what we wanted to be.

Giving into that sin yet one more time.

Another fight with the spouse.

Another day struggling with worry and anxiety.

Yelling at the kids.

I swore it wouldn’t be this way! I swore I wouldn’t let this happen again!

And now look at me… right back here doing it all over again.

I’m so weak… I’m such a failure… how could God love me.

We are all Peter.

We’ve all failed our Lord.

The other Gospels say immediately while the rooster crowd Jesus turned and looked at Peter. (Luke 22:61).

I’ll die for you… I’ll lay down my life for you… I couldn’t even say I follow you.

He failed in the face of his Lord, and so Peter went out and wept bitterly (Luke 22:62).

We’ve all faced those bitter tears.

None of us are strong enough…

Good enough…

Faithful enough…

Devoted enough…

All of us have failed and resolved to do better only to end up right back where we were in the first place.

I’ll never… x.

I’ll never be free.

I’ll never stop looking at porn.

I’ll never be a good mom… be a good dad… be a good husband or spiritual leader of my home… have a good marriage.

I’ll never beat my anger… my anxiety… this alcoholism or addiction.

I’ll never be able to obey my parents or stop disrespecting them.

I’ll never… change.

I am a failure.

Good News

But there is good news for failures.

The gospel is for failures.

The gospel is for down and out sinners like you and me.

There is good news for failures because Christ came to save failures.

Jesus gives grace to weak and weary sinners.

The next time you’ve lost all hope or feel like a failure or feel like things will never change…

Remember Peter and remember that there is grace in the Kingdom of God.

We all need Peter because we all need grace.

Peter’s story does not end here on that cold night with those bitter tears.

Jesus doesn’t just cast him off and say you had your shot.

Christ redeems and restores Peter.

Redeems

After the Resurrection Christ comes to Peter who had gone back to fishing (John 21:3).

What good was he now anyway?

And just as Peter had denied Jesus 3 times… Jesus asked him 3 times, “Peter… do you love me?”

John 21 verse 15…When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

NEW SLIDE

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-18).

Three times Jesus asked Peter do you love me to restore Peter from the three times he denied Christ.

He redeems and recommissions Peter.

He restores him to ministry saying Feed my lambs.

Peter… I still want you to follow me. I’m not done with you. I haven’t cast you aside.

I still have all the same plans I had for you.

And just as Christ prophesied that Peter would deny Him three times, He prophesies that the next time Peter won’t deny Him but hold fast.

He won’t be who he was.

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

Peter would not deny Christ… He would follow Christ to the cross ultimately giving his life as a martyr just as he said he would.

Jesus loved Peter and washed His feet knowing He was going to deny Him.

He laid down His life for Peter and went to the cross for Him even after all Peter had done.

Christ does not give up on His sheep.

He loves His sheep and gives grace to His sheep whenever they have need.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30).

Jesus gives grace to the weak.

Conclusion

As great as Peter’s sin was Christ’s grace was greater.

Peter was restored and recommissioned as a leader by Christ Himself.

As John said For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace (John 1:16).

All the grace necessary for all our sins and failures.

All our regrets… all our shame.

Christ doesn’t come to beat us up.

To tell us how bad we are.

Tell us how much of a failure we are and “When are you ever going to change?”

He gives more grace (James 4:6).

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities (Psalm 103:10).

What all this means is that you’re worst moment does not define you.

You’re biggest regret… that sin… that failure… the failure or weakness you’re struggling through even now!…does not define you.

Christ gives grace to weak and weary sinners.

Christ sees the real you… not the failure… not your worst moment… the you in Him.

When Jesus came to Peter who did He see?

The Peter that cracked under pressure.

The failure? The one who denied Him?

Or the one He trusted enough to say “Feed my lambs”… the most precious thing to Christ on earth… the flock He laid down His very life for?

Jesus does not come to you and say, “What a failure… You’ll never change… when are you going to get your act together… How long to I have to deal with you?”

He comes to you and says, “Come to me… Cast all your burdens… all your failures… all your weaknesses on me… and I will give you rest.”

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gives grace to weak and weary, down and out sinners (John 10:11).

When you feel weak… when you feel tired… when you feel like a failure… in over your head, overwhelmed, drowning and like you just can’t keep going… or like you will never change or things will just never get better…

Remember Peter and remember the grace of Christ.

Remember the Good Shepherd and all of God’s promises in Him.

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, [when they just can’t keep going themselves] and gently lead those that are with young (Isaiah 40:11).

Ezekiel 34:15–16 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.

All of us are failures.

All of us are not strong enough…

Good enough…

Faithful enough…

Devoted enough in one way or another.

All of us have fallen right back where we never thought we’d be again.

We can all feel ashamed… far from God… hopeless that we can ever change and weep bitterly for just how far we know we fall short of following the Lord.

But He gives more grace… Grace upon Grace… all the grace necessary for all our needs… all our weaknesses… all our failures.

Jesus gives grace to weak and weary sinners.

Let’s Pray

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