The Lord looked straight at him.

Luke 22:54-62

Key Verse 22:61

“The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”

Today’s passage shows Peter’s big failure. We all fail one time or another. We do not fail all the time 24/7. And our failure is not all we have. But it is a fact of life that we fail many times. So there is a saying, “To err is human, to forgive, divine.”

Now Peter failed. How did Jesus helped him? So today we would like to know how Jesus helped Simon Peter when he failed miserably. My message has two parts. Part I. Woman, I don’t know him. (v. 54-60) Part II. He went outside and wept bitterly. (v.61-62)

Part I. Woman, I don’t know him. (v. 54-60)

Look at verses 54-60.

⁵⁴ Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵ And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.⁵⁶ A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

⁵⁷ But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

⁵⁸ A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

⁵⁹ About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

⁶⁰ Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 

When the Roman soldiers and Jewish temple guards arrested Jesus they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. They wanted to try him there. And Peter followed Jesus in distance. He could not do so because it could mean to be arrested too. He could not do so out of fear of losing his life. When the fire was kindled in the court yard Peter sat down with them. So by his actions he was with other people rather than Jesus. He followed Jesus but that was as much as he could go.

Then a servant girl challenged him. And he denied Jesus saying, “Woman, I don’t know him.” Another man challenged him and he said, “I am not.” One hour later still another challenged him and he said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

He denied Jesus three times. He failed completely. Peter failed. Do we fail too? Yes, all the time. To fall into temptation and make mistakes and sinning is a part of man’s life. Don’t get me wrong I am not saying it is okay to sin and it is okay not to be changed. We need to be changed. If our actions do not show any difference between unbelievers and us why do the unbeliever believe God? But it is true that we sin or make mistakes in our body because we are not perfect and our bodies are not redeemed yet.

Now when Peter failed how did Jesus help him?

Part II. He went outside and wept bitterly. (v.61-62)

Look at verses 61-62.

⁶¹ The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” ⁶² And he went outside and wept bitterly.

When Peter denied Jesus three times and the rooster crowed Jesus intentionally turned and looked straight at Peter. It was critical moment of Jesus life. But Jesus was mindful of Peter that he intentionally turned back and looked straight at Peter. What kind of look do you think Jesus had in his eyes?

A look of condemnation or the look of “I told you so” or the look of love and mercy and hope. The latter one, I believe. I don’t think it was a look of condemnation or pity but the look of love and trust and hope.

So how did the Lord help Peter?

First, the Lord helped Peter by helping him to remember what he had spoken to him. When Jesus turned back and looked straight at Peter Peter remembered what the Lord had spoken to him, “Before the rooster crows today you will disown me three times.” Then he went outside and wept bitterly. He could not forgive himself. It was too painful for him to see his own failure. It was a complete failure against his desires and will.

So Jesus’ help for Peter was to help him to remember what he had spoken to him. What about us? When we fail miserably or big time or small time, how does the Lord help us? The Lord helps us to remember what he has spoken to us, that is what is written in the Bible.

For example, we know the woman caught in the adultery in John chapter 8. Jesus told her, “Neither do I condemn you; go now and leave your life of sin.” There is great possibility that she left her life of sin. But there is also still a possibility that she could commit another adultery.

Let’s suppose she did it again and she was under severe depression and was thinking about committing suicide. How can the Lord help her? By helping her to remember what he has spoken to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” What Jesus had said to her was not just one time words. It would be the word of the Lord which she should remember and applied to her life again and again until she was healed of her adultery.

The Lord’s words, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” is applicable for all of us for all the time we sin or make mistakes. The Lord’s forgiveness of our sins and not condemnation in Jesus is applicable to all sinners as long as they believe Jesus shed his blood for their sins and was condemned in their place on the cross and rose again from the dead.

Now when Peter remembered Jesus’ words “Before rooster crows today you will disown me three times” he went outside and wept bitterly.

But was the only word the Lord has spoken to Peter? No, there are tones of other words too.

For example, Luke 22:28-34 says,

²⁸ You are those who have stood by me in my trials. ²⁹ And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, ³⁰ so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

³³ But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

³⁴ Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Jesus told Simon that he would eat and sit at his table receiving his kingdom. Jesus also told him that Satan has asked to sift him like wheat but he prayed for him that his faith did not fail. Jesus also told him that when he turned back strengthen his brothers.

What was Jesus’ prayer topic for Simon? His faith may not fail. In our spiritual life, our faith is so important. Several days ago several coworkers wanted to know what changed Peter so much from a man who denied Jesus to the man who encouraged early suffering Christians who were under severe persecution in 1 Peter. Our conclusion was ‘his faith.” When he denied Jesus his faith failed. But when he grew up and put his hope in the living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his faith did not fail. God answered the Lord’s prayer for Simon that Simon returned and strengthened his brothers as we see in the book of 1 Peter.

Jesus not only prayed for Simon Peter’s faith but also Jesus planted vision and hope for Simon Peter when he said, “When you returned back strengthen your brothers.”

So we all know the Lord prayed for Simon Peter because he was his top disciple. Do you believe the Lord prays for you? Do I believe the Lord prays for me? Please raise your hand if you believe the Lord prays for you especially in the time of failure and crisis.

How do you know the Lord prays for you?

Romans 8:26-27

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Sometimes our failure is so painful that we feel a great shame and despair. We groan and we even don’t know what we ought to pray for. But the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with wordless groans. We cannot even say what we ought to pray for but the Spirit prays for us in accordance with the will of God.

It is true that Jesus prays for us. That is Jesus’ help for Simon Peter and that is Jesus’ help for you and me. He prays for us. Let’s all say to ourselves, “Jesus prays for me.” One two three. One more time. Another. “Jesus prays for me.”

Since Jesus prays for us we can even turn back and strengthen our brothers and sisters. How can we strength our brothers and sisters? By praying that their faith may not fail as Jesus did for Simon Peter.

In conclusion, we all fail in big time or small time. But how does the Lord help us? The Lord helps us by helping us to remember what he has spoken in the bible. He is helping us by praying for all even when we groan and do not know what we ought to pray for. Through the Lord’s prayer for us, we can even return and strengthen our brothers and sisters especially for their faith not to fail.

One word: The Lord looked straight at Peter.