Motley Crew Bible Study Notes for July 13, 2011

The Motley Crew

July 13, 2011

Matthew 26:69-75

The Questions

Read Matthew 26:69-75

1. What is good and what is not so good about Peter's actions in the first sentence of verse 69?

2. What does it teach us that the devil so much likes to sweep boasters off their feet?

3. Was Peter really in danger at this point?

4. Does it matter as it relates to his confession or lack thereof?

5. How can the Words of verse 72 be spoken by the same one who spoke Matthew 16:16 and John 6:68-69?

6. Now Peter is to the point of calling down curses. I wonder if what John records in John 16:25-27 might have been the final blow for Peter?

7. Of course, the final blow had to be Luke 22:61?

8. What do we learn from Peter?

9 “For all time this calls sinners to the pardon which Jesus has ready for them.”

The Motley Crew

July 13, 2011

Matthew 26:69-75

Some Suggested Answers

We opened with prayer.

Read Matthew 26:69-75

Peter Disowns Jesus

69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

1. What is good and what is not so good about Peter's actions in the first sentence of verse 69?

It was good that he was faithful and followed Jesus after the arrest – as did the apostle John. However, it was not so good in that one little girl felled the chief of the 12 and caused him to lie like a rug.

John 18:15-17.

15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.” [emphasis added]

From this, O Lord, deliver us!

Dr. Lenski made an interesting point: the slave girl button holed Peter, but not John. We wondered why one but not the other?

2. What does it teach us that the devil so much likes to sweep boasters off their feet?

The devil loves to see the haughty fall. Be Honest!

Dr. Lenski writes: The devil loves to pounce upon the foolhardy and to sweep boasters off their feet.” (Page 1071)

Psalm 5:5

The arrogant cannot stand in your presence.

This brings to mind the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, and the comment by the Pharisee: “I'm glad I'm not … like this tax collector.”

Luke 18:9-14. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Brennan Manning had this observation in The Ragamuffin Gospel:

“We are publicans just like Matthew. Honesty simply asks if we are open, willing and able to acknowledge this truth. Honesty brings an end to pretense through a candid acknowledgment of our fragile humanity. It is always unpleasant, and usually painful, and that is why I am not very good at it. But to stand in the truth before God and one another has a unique reward. It is the reward which a sense of reality always brings: I know something extremely precious. I am in touch with myself as I am. My tendency to play the pseudo-messiah is torpedoed." From Chapter 7, "Paste Jewelry and Sawdust Hotdogs," p. 101 of the e-copy; p. 138 of the paper copy.

It was also observed that perhaps we've never denied Jesus by our words, but sometimes we may have denied Jesus by our actions.

Matthew 10:32-33

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Patti added an important point: Don't beat yourself up! God knows and loves us for who we are. Also, all of this happened because God wanted it to happen in this way. This is a teaching moment that we must embrace, however great our embarrassment.

Dr. Lenski also notes

Jesus had spoken that word about the cock's crowing because he foresaw Peter's situation and intended that Peter should recall that word to his great benefit. That's cock's crowing thus released the tension of fear, recalled Jesus' love and warning, and thus opened the door to genuine repentance. … In divine providence all this had been timed so as to effect this gracious result. Page 1074.

Pastor Eddie emphasized that it's not about guilt, but is all about honesty, recalling the exchange between Adam & Eve and God in the Garden, following Eve's interaction with that snake, Satan.

“Getting honest with ourselves does not make us unacceptable to God. It does not distance us from God, but draws us to Him – as nothing else can – and opens us anew to the flow of grace. While Jesus calls each of us to a more perfect life, we cannot achieve it on our own. To be alive is to be broken; to be broken is to stand in need of grace. It is only through grace that any of us could dare to hope that we could become more like Christ.” Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 62.

We must also remember that we are not in the same shoes as were the disciples who lived in a country occupied by the Romans.

3. Was Peter really in danger at this point?

Some say they only wanted Jesus and they had him. After all, John walked all the way to the cross. Others say because of the ear thing, and being the “leader of the pack,” Peter very well may have been arrested and detained. Of course, Peter did become a target, and died a martyr's death (after witnessing his wife's martyr's death).

Whether or not he was in danger, he thought that he was in danger.

4. Does it matter as it relates to his confession or lack thereof?

Not really. He had already said he would die for Jesus rather than deny Him.

And, again, God had a plan. The events that occurred had to occur when they occurred. Sometimes it was to fulfill prophecies, while other times it was to make a “teaching point.”

5. How can the Words of verse 72 be spoken by the same one who spoke Matthew 16:16 and John 6:68-69?

Matthew 16:16. “Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'”

John 6:68-69. “Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.'”

Peter was both sinner and saint at the same time.

So are all of us. We have all gone astray, but the Triune God didn't throw us away. Jesus' death meant forgiveness, even if we don't deserve it (and we don't … nor can we ever do enough good deeds to earn out way into heaven). It is Grace, the undeserved gift.

Sometimes, when we get “out of sync,” we try harder, we pray harder, we love harder. But, that never works. It is only when we go to God, honestly repenting our sin, that we will receive forgiveness.

“Great are you, O Lord, and exceedingly worthy of praise; your power is immense, and your wisdom beyond reckoning. And so we men, who are a due part of your creation, long to praise you – we also carry our mortality about with us, carry the evidence of our sin and with it the proof that you thwart the proud. You arouse us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Confessions of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Book I, Chapter 1. (Emphasis Added)

So, can we pray too much? St. Paul urges us to “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thess. 5:17. Likewise Psalm 1:1-2 says “Blessed is the one ... who meditates on his law day and night.” But we are praying too much when we pray while distracted.

Sometimes when we are distracted we are just “mouthing the words,” that is, reciting the words but not really praying the words. In this respect, Luther commented that the Lord's Prayer is the greatest martyr. In his 1535 letter to Peter Beskendorf, “A Simple Way to Pray,” Luther wrote:

To this day I suckle at the Lord’s Prayer like a child, and as an old man eat and drink from it and never get my fill. It is the very best prayer, even better than the psalter, which is so very dear to me. It is surely evident that a real master composed and taught it.

What a great pity that the prayer of such a master is prattled and chattered so irreverently all over the world! How many pray the Lord’s Prayer several thousand times in the course of a year, and if they were to keep on doing so for a thousand years they would not have tasted nor prayed one iota, one dot, of it!

In a word, the Lord’s Prayer is the greatest martyr on earth (as are the name and word of God). Everybody tortures and abuses it; few take comfort and joy in its proper use. Luther's Works, Vol. 43, pp. 191-209.

A few who had experience with private confessions noted that the penance of “one Our Father and ten Hail Mary's” were – especially when we were teenagers – rattled off without any thought to the real prayer itself. But by the same token, these prayers are often recited with great devotion, and can form the basis of deeper contemplations and meditations, especially when reciting the Rosary.

And sometimes we don't pray as much as we would like. Some mornings, we get to work and get so busy with that work that the time for prayer is lost. Luther was recorded as having said:

...whenever I happen to be prevented by the press of duties from observing my hour of prayer, the entire day is bad for me. Prayer helps us very much and gives us a cheerful heart, not on account of any merit in the work, but because we have spoken with God and found everything to be in order. Luther's Works, Vol. 54, Table Talk, “No. 122: Treatment of Melancholy, Despair, Etc.,” November 30, 1531, p. 17.

But it is also true that for many of us, prayer is not something that occurs in the morning or in the evening, but is a constant dialogue with God throughout the day. Luther described prayer as Ascensus mentis ad Deum, a “climbing up of the heart unto God.” (Table Talk, CCCXXVIII; Hazlitt, Trans.). For many, this lifting up of the heart to God is a frequent occurrence during the day. This is similar to method of prayer described by Brother Lawrence,The Practice of the Presence of God. In this book, Lawrence describes his prayer life as walking with God throughout the day, and frequently offering up praise, regrets, and observations on the events of the day. For him, then, prayer is not saying prayers but a way of living in which all we do becomes a prayer. In a similar vein, Luther was quoted:

The prayers of upright Christians are without ceasing; though they pray not always with their mouth, yet their hearts do pray continually, sleeping and waking; for the sigh of a true Christian is a prayer. As the Psalm saith, “Because of the deep sighing of the poor, I will up, saith the Lord,” etc. In like manner a true Christian always carrieth the cross, though he feeleth it not always. Luther, Table Talk; Bell, Trans.).

I suspect that many Christians pray in this way, unaware that theirs is, in fact, a lifestyle of prayer.

6. Now Peter is to the point of calling down curses. I wonder if what John records in John 16:25-27 might have been the final blow for Peter?

Verse 74. “Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, 'I don’t know the man!'”

John 16:25-27. “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

He was so afraid at this point for his life. It is important to remember that this was leading Peter to the point where Peter needs to go next: the repentance that leads to forgiveness.

There was a question from one of our members: what does it mean “calling down curses.” Pastor Eddie said that this was the case where Peter is calling on God to punish him if he is not speaking the truth!

Of course, this also brings to mind what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about swearing an oath:

Matthew 5:33-37. Oaths.

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

7. Of course, the final blow had to be Luke 22:61?

Luke 22:61-62. “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.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

Jesus must have been being led from the hall to another place when He saw Peter. A couple of us mentioned that they were deeply moved by that scene in the movie “The Passion of Jesus.”

But it is imperative to see this in the larger context, for Jesus did not condemn Peter, but would forgive him, and then command him to “Feed My sheep.” John 21:15-17.

8. What do we learn from Peter?

Don't boast – be humble – don't be afraid – Jesus loves us, no matter what!

We remembered the incident where the ever-impetuous Peter saw Jesus walking on the stormy waters of the Sea of Galilee.

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:22-33

Like Peter, we too step out of the boat, trusting in Jesus. And like Peter, so often we see the wind and become afraid. But the Lord is always there, ready to reach out His hand to catch us. Forgiveness is always available for the asking.

Is guilt bad? Not if it leads us to repentance and then forgiveness. We talked about the distinction between the Law (e.g., the Ten Commandments), and the Gospel (e.g., Forgiveness). Some have had the tendency to dismiss the Law because of the promise of the Gospel. But this is a mistake, as Luther pointed out in his treatise “Against the Antinomians,” Luther's Works, Vol. 47, pp. 99-118. The Law leads us to repent our sins, and the Gospel forgives the sin, restoring the sinner to full communion with the Triune God.

We should also remember the importance of seeking forgiveness from those who we might have offended. This is terribly difficult to do, but is imperative if all parties are to be cured by the Grace of forgiveness, even if undeserved.

James 5:16. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

It is also important to remember that God doesn't have any unrealistic expectations about any of us. He knew us when we were being knit in our mother's wombs. He watched us our whole lives, and He will welcome us into His arms when we die. He knows that we were born with original sin. He knows that we will do what we don't want to do, and not do what we want to do, and that this is a source of grief and shame for us. He knows that we are flawed, but nevertheless He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us, rather than allow us to suffer in Hell for eternity.

Don't beat yourself up. God doesn't. He doesn't hate the sinner, just the sin.

We also discussed the situation with Ebenezer Christian Church, and wondered if this process wasn't preparing us for the next step in seeking unity with other Christians in our community, and especially to have a really effective ministry to the Latino community. Pastor Eddie called our attention to Ephesians 4:1-4:

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

He recalled his own transformation from the time he was a young pastor viewing “The Church” as only the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, to the transforming lessons of Guatemala, which broadened his viewpoint, culminating in the emancipating experience of Ethiopia when he came to understand that there is One Church, and that the One Church is composed of all Christians, where ever they are in the world, and whatever their denominational affiliation.

9 “For all time this calls sinners to the pardon which Jesus has ready for them.”

Dr. Lenski:

“The story of Peter has two important features: first, Jesus' prophecies and their fulfillment, which were at first frantically denied; secondly, the foremost of the apostles sins most terribly and is yet restored by true repentance. For all time this calls sinners to the pardon which Jesus has ready for them.” Page 1075. (Emphasis Added)

We closed with prayer

“We each have a dream, a vision of life that corresponds to our convictions, embodies our uniqueness, and expresses what is life-giving within us. Whether altruistic or ignoble, the dream gives definition to our lives, influences the decisions we make, the steps we take, and the words we speak. Daily we make choices that are either consistent with or contrary to our vision. A life of integrity is born of fidelity to the dream. As a community the Amish, at great personal cost, have carved out a lifestyle that gives flesh and bones to their dream.”
– Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel.

Parallel Verses.

Mark 14:66-72

Peter Disowns Jesus

66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.

“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.

68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.[a]

69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it.

After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”

71 He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”

72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time.[b] Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice[c] you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Footnotes:

Mark 14:68 Some early manuscripts entryway and the rooster crowed
Mark 14:72 Some early manuscripts do not have the second time.
Mark 14:72 Some early manuscripts do not have twice.

Luke 22:54-62

Peter Disowns Jesus

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. 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.

John 18:15-18, 25-27

12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Peter’s First Denial

15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”

18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

…

Peter’s Second and Third Denials

25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Cited Sources.

Henry Bell, Colloquia Mensalia; or the Familiar Discourses of Dr. Martin Luther At His Table. Vol. 1. Two Volumes. (London: W. Bennett, 1840), pp. 354-366. See: Excerpts on Prayer from Luther's Table Talk.

Delaney, John J., trans. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (New York: Doubleday Image, 1977). Online at The Practice of the Presence of God.

William Hazlitt, trans., The Table Talk of Martin Luther (London: H. G. Bohn, 1832). See: Excerpts on Prayer from Luther's Table Talk.

Lenski, R.C.H., The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943)

Luther, M. (1999, c1968). Vol. 43: Luther's works, vol. 43 : Devotional Writings II (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (43:III-200). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Luther, M. (1999, c1967). Vol. 54: Luther's works, vol. 54 : Table Talk (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (54:III-17). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009).

Manning, Brennan, The Ragamuffin Gospel (Portland, OR: Multnomah Books, 2000).

For Additional Study.

The Prayer And Study Resources web page has a listing of some research web sites that I use. In addition, Additional Research Resources is a page with a more complete list of Bible and Lutheran resources, plus there is the Research Resources Checklist, which is the web page I use when I first begin a Bible study. Both of these last two web pages are always growing, and please let me know if you are aware of other great sites.