Who are you – 2?
Simon Peter – the deserter?
Luke 22:31-46, 54-62
Introduction: Several years ago programme BBC2 showed a programme called ‘Trenches’. A group of men relived what life was like in the First World War trenches. It was in this war that many British soldiers were shot as deserters for leaving their posts. Would we have been any different in their situation? Of course we cannot know, because we were not there. In the same way we cannot know how we would have reacted in Simon Peter’s place on the evening Jesus was arrested and tried. But there are lessons we can learn for our daily lives.
Firstly, Peter was…
Sifted (Luke 22:31-32 – Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back strengthen your brothers. ):
There are times when our faith can be tested by circumstance. Jesus warned Simon after His last meal with them that the devil was going to try and separate them from Him. At the beginning of the book of Job, we find Satan asking God for the right to test Job, claiming that it’s easy to be faithful when everything is going well and you have all the signs of God’s blessing in terms of wealth, health and family. Perhaps we as a church, as a family, or as individuals are being sifted at this time. This can be seen through the number of people seriously ill, or suffering personal or family crises.
For seventeen years I didn’t attend church. During that time, I asked all the questions about God. It was a sifting process, which brought me through the realisation that no scientific process can explain the creation of our world. Yes, the big bang, or ripple theories can explain so much, but they both need a beginning, which they cannot explain. This brought me back to God. Then there were the questions about how could Jesus be God and man. There were so many things to fill the time, related to school and athletics. I was helping people, wasn’t I?
This argument caused problems when, on meeting Cathryn, I started attending church again. It would only be when nothing else needed to be done. I wonder whether that is our attitude to time with God. He gave everything for us as we are reminded each time we celebrate communion together, or approach the Easter story.. Surely, if we acknowledge Him as Lord and King of kings He should be at the forefront of our minds and should be given time before everything and everyone else.
Simon was also an impetuous person and would always act, or speak, before thinking. He took pride in his physical strength, courage and loyalty. Those were the very areas in which he was tested.
Firstly, he fell asleep, having been given the task of praying (vs.40&45). Could this be why the church has been ineffective in holding back the spiritual decline of our nation in Christian terms?
Secondly, he was part of the group, who tried to protect Jesus by force and was told to stop by Jesus. In fact Jesus healed the man who had been injured (vs.49-51).
Thirdly, Simon who had publicly said, “Lord I am ready to go with you to prison and death (v.33)”, followed at a distance (v.54). From there on it got worse, because in the courtyard Simon denied Jesus (v.57 – This man was with Him), the other disciples (v.58 – You are also one of them) and his home area (v.59 – Certainly this fellow was with Him, for he is a Galilean).
Simon was certainly sifted, but then he was…
Searched (Luke 22:61 – The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.):This is the verse that struck me more than any other. That look must have made Simon squirm, as it reminded him of all that Jesus had said about denying him three times before the cock crowed. Do you remember times when as a child, or even as an adult, you’ve tried to cover up something that you have done or said wrong? And how the guilt welled up when someone else just looks straight at you. Or do you remember times when a parent, or teacher told you to look them in the eye and repeat what you’ve said. I’m sure the parents/teachers here have said it to children as well. Perhaps a greater awareness of the fact that Jesus does look straight at us would enable us to be more faithful in our Christian walk. Perhaps there are times when we need to be more searching in our questioning of each other’s well being. Thinking about the look…I am sure that it was one of loving care and concern, rather than accusation. Someone like Simon would have reacted defensively to accusation, but this look was so disarming that it led to…
Sorrow (Luke 22:62 – And he went outside and wept bitterly.): An example of this was the fire chief, who had sent his men to close the flood prevention gates in the harbour of their town by hand – the mechanics had failed. The Tsunami came and although he spent all his time searching he had found none alive when interviewed by the BBC. He didn’t want to be alive carrying the guilt.This powerful man was broken, as Simon Peter had been.
All that Simon had built his life upon was shown to be as nothing. He had let down his Master…the one who had taken him as he was and taught him what it meant to be a follower; this man who had walked on water and saved him, when he tried to do the same, but sank; Jesus whom he had seen on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah; Jesus who had healed his mother-in-law and many others; Jesus who had raised the dead and was such a close friend. If Simon could weep bitterly, then surely we, who so often desert Jesus, should also take time out to weep when having been sifted by Satan and searched by Jesus are found wanting. I know that I have been, still am and will be in the future like Simon and desert my post, in terms of not fulfilling unreasonable promises made to Jesus…in not praying as I should…and in not standing for His truth in difficult situations.
It would be awful if Jesus left us with our guilt, but He doesn’t. Jesus had warned the disciples that He would have to die. He prayed that Simon’s faith would come through and that after the whole testing process that he would be equipped to help the other disciples. This brings us fourthly to the
Saved (Luke 24:34 – It is true! The Lord has risen and appeared to Simon.): Jesus died on the cross for every human being, because we like Simon have failed to live up to God’s standard and in that we have deserted the calling for which we were created…to walk and talk with God and to be witnesses drawing others to His loving embrace. This is a fact. It is also true that Jesus was raised from the dead and is alive. God raised Him to show that He accepted the sacrifice, which Jesus made on the cross for our sin. But we can only enter into the forgiveness of God when we accept the reality of our sin and the fact that Jesus died for you and for me. The Holy Spirit reveals the facts to us and we can enter into the resurrection life when we both see it and accept it for ourselves. In a spiritual sense becoming a Christian occurs when we ‘see’ the risen Jesus. It should make the same difference for us that it made to Simon. In the excitement his guilt and sense of failure must have been washed away. Luke does not deal with the process of renewal, but John does in chapter 21. Simon certainly went on to become the first leader of the church.
Conclusion: The process of sifting, searching and sorrow led Simon to the place of being saved. Jesus would want that for each one of us. My prayer is that we will not have to go through such extremities, but if we do then it is that we can hold on to the fact that Jesus is always in control and involved in the experience with us. Amen.
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