The Last 24 Hours - Week 5 - 4/6/25

Luke 22:54-62 54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly. 

Jesus has been arrested in the garden, and it wasn’t without incident. Peter cuts off the ear of a servant of the high priest, whose name was Malchus, and Jesus heals the man. Jesus is carried out of the garden and ends up in the house of the high priest in an upper room on trial. They brought as many false witnesses they could find in order to create a case against Jesus. This type of conviction would be repeated in dictatorships throughout history, most notably during the 1940’s and 50’s in the USSR. Lavrentiy Beria, the most ruthless and longest-serving secret police chief in Joseph Stalin’s reign of terror in Russia and Eastern Europe, bragged that he could prove criminal conduct on anyone, even the innocent. “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime” was Beria’s infamous boast. He served as deputy premier from 1941 until Stalin’s death in 1953, supervising the expansion of the gulags and other secret detention facilities for political prisoners. 

John and Peter gain access into the courtyard of the high priest presumably through relationships John’s family had. John enters and Peter is left at the door and John has to speak to the servant girl to allow Peter to enter into the courtyard. Upon entering, Peter is questioned by a servant girl about his relationship with Jesus. John 18:17 “17 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.”” Mark records that Peter replies that he doesn't understand what she means. Peter then walks to the entrance of the courtyard where the servant girl inquires again. He denies. The third time he is now warming himself by a small coal fire in the middle of the courtyard that the soldier had lit to attempt to stay warm. He is questioned again in reference to his Galilean accent where he responds by calling down a curse on himself and swearing. At this time the rooster crowed for the last time and Luke records that Jesus turned from his position and looked directly at Peter. Peter, realizing what had taken place, began to weep bitterly and left. 

Fight or flight or both? 

We are usually taught that our emotions in high stakes situations can cause us to either fight or flee. We notice that the phrase is not "fight and flight." We rarely examine that emotional response to determine what would be the correct action and is either fighting or fleeing correct. Peter does both within a very short period of time, and we find out that both responses were wrong. 

John 18:10–11 “10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”” 

Luke 22:61 “61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”” 

Emotions are what they are. There are very few, if any, people who can control everything they feel or experience. We are not told in scripture to be void of emotion, but when we do have emotions we must be mature and avoid sin in responding to them. 

Peter first experiences fight or flight and he chooses to fight. Jesus then has to call Peter down and heal the servant of the high priest.  God ‘s evangelism strategy is not for you to be over emotional so he can swoop in and heal people you have injured.  

Peter within hours experiences the exact opposite emotion and resorts to flight.  In the same but opposite response, Peter in an equally difficult circumstance responds in the wrong way.

Lack of preparation for the emotional roller coaster of life will leave you responding with sin.
I’m depressed, so I eat too much.
I’m anxious, so I distance myself from people and opportunities.
I’m hurt, so I refuse to forgive.
I’m depressed, so I depend on addiction. 

Preparation is key.

Faith does not come by feelings.

Romans 10:17 “17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” 

Paul writes that Salvation comes because someone has preached the good news, the word of Christ. Paul does not indicate that faith is simply feeling something but hearing and accepting. James would later write that hearing and accepting should then produce measurable actions, and that would be how faith is made evident. 

 Salvation is not simply feeling good about Jesus or what he has done. It is receiving the word and living under the lordship or authority of Christ. Christ has become lord of your life. 

Peter believed in Jesus and made a definitive statement as to the fact that he was the Christ the son of the Living God. He would later fail to prepare himself in the garden to live that out when emotions were running high. Jesus was the exact opposite.

Emotions are not bad unless you do bad things because of your emotions. We have become a culture where emotions are above reproach. Emotions do not indicate maturity; your actions during those emotions reveal how mature you are. 

Ephesians 4:25–27 “25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.”

Scripture is very detailed about what to do with emotions and how to prepare yourself when they come.  

Psalm 23:4 “4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” 

Philippians 4:6–7 “6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Matthew 6:25–30 “25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:31–34 “31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” 

We now know in advance what to do with these emotions, so now I can be proactive in my preparation. I can present my request more. I can seek God’s kingdom and will more, I can look for ways to constructively utilize frustration and anger. This is faith: applying the word of God to my circumstances by doing what it says in preparation for what is happening. 

Do not feel your way into obedience. 

John 21:15–19 “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.” 16 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.” 17 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. 18 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.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”” 

When Jesus restored Peter, he did not restore his emotions first, he restored his obedience. 

‌
‌
‌
‌