THE KING’S BUSINESS
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(2) He repudiated the Lord’s mterces- sion. (3) He boasted: “Lord, I’m ready to go with thee to prison, and to death; I’ll never deny thee; though all others do; I’d di® first.” He meant it. He was true at the core. He had physical courage to draw his sword and defy the Roman veterans, he lacked moral courage to rest his sword in its sheath. Peter did not know Simon’s weakness,'; and underestimated Satan’s power. We must make no vows and “ have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). Jesus knows. He ignored Peter’s protest and set a cock to testify against him, and bade him “Watch and pray” (v. 38). But the man who “thinketh he standeth’’ is not the man who thinks of kneeling. Peter did hot watch but slept (v. 37), yes, till the cock crowed. The best thing for the best man is to trust the warning Word and take no risks. The Lord’s prayers saved Peter, but his own added would have won unqualified victory. Final missteps:, (1) Peter drew the sword. The rash blow that wounded Mal- chus crippled himself. His footing was the more unsteady among the keen-eyed friends of the high priest’s servant. 3(2) He "fol lowed afar off” (v. 54). This was back sliding. Stragglers fall into the hands of the enemy. The devil takes the hindmost. He got Peter. “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you; resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). John “went in with Jesus” (John 18:15), and the only safe entrance among the un godly is “with Jesus.” When Peter sneak- e'd along John vouched for him to the por tress (John 18:16), and this drew that particular attention to him that got him into trouble. From the court “beneath” Peter saw Jesus and His tormentors on the floor a few feet higher. (3) Peter “ stood” in the way of sinners, and soon sat “in the seat of the scornful” to warm himself by the fire. Satan’s fire is a dangerous place for inflammable saints. In the fire light the maid scanned his features, " Thou also,” she said, “ wast with Jesus of Nazar
eth,” and (4) Peter told a “white lie,” "1 do not understand you” (v. 68). " And fie went into the porch and the cock cress/' (v. 68). That was the Lord’s call to stay Peter, but he did not heed. Another said, “ This fellow was also with Jesus of Naz areth” (Matt. 26:71, 72), and he (5) “ de nied with an oath, I do not know him.” That was a black lie. Another said, "Sure ly thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean and thy speech (brogue) agreeth thereto.” This took downright perjury to refute and Peter (6) “ began to curse and to swear." So we go from equivocation to lying, from lying to swearing to it. It is a bad thing to get into bad company with a bad conscience. "And the second time the cock cress/’ (v. 72). What a stroke of genius for the story writer if it were not a stroke of fact. But it is God’s story anyway. “ The second time the cock crew ’, ’ that was the devil’s cock crowing over the prostrate Peter! “And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter” (John 18:61). The cock crow woke Peter’s conscience, but the Lord’s look broke his heart. Poor Peter. There was no anger flashing; no wrath raging in those eyes. It was a look of in finitely tender remonstrance and grief. IV. P eter ’ s R epentance . “And when he (Peter) thought thereon he wept” (v. 72). Luke makes two im portant additions: “ he went ou f’ and wept “ bitterly." He “thought”—Imagine his thoughts. That he should so grieve his Lord. That he had left Him to suffer alone. That he had added to that suffer ing. That he had not openly confessed Him, proclaimed Him, lauded Him. That he had sinned—though forewarned—and de liberately—multitudinously, pusillanimously. That he had lost his opportunity, and all, after all, contrary to the true disposition of his soul which now, he had no oppor tunity of vindicating. He wept bitterly. He went out into the lone night. But one Eye followed him. Did he as he “thought thereon” reflect on the tenderness of that Eye (tears, tears, tears). Did he see it
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