Peter was standing with them 06/07/2021

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. [John 18:18 NIV]

Peter is feeling cold and he associates with the enemies of Jesus to keep himself warm. This is a very vivid picture of Peter's situation. He could have been elsewhere - maybe at home with his wife and mother-in-law. He could have hidden in the streets of Jerusalem but he chose to follow Jesus when he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. He has been able to gain access to the high priest's residence because of John's unspecified connection with the high priest.

He is cold spiritually as well as physically. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he had acted rashly and had used his sword to cut off the ear of the High Priest's servant. Although Jesus had healed the man, Peter is in danger. He is distressed that Jesus has been arrested and he is bitterly disappointed and disheartened. His behaviour is irrational and inconsistent. His faith is very weak and almost non-existent.

Previously Peter had stood at the door of the large hall where Jesus was being given this mockery of a trial. Now Peter is sitting in the courtyard. The servants and officers of the high priest had made a fire to warm themselves. And Peter is in the area - in fact, he is warming himself at the same fire as the officers and servants of the high priest. This is a risky strategy if he wants to avoid being identified. After all, just a short time earlier, he had whacked one of these servants with his sword and had cut off his ear. Peter is not thinking straight. He cannot go home to his wife because Jesus has been arrested and he knows what they are going to do to him. He knows that they will hand him over to the Roman army so that he can be executed. The Jews were under the rule of the Romans and they were not permitted to carry out executions. So Peter can see that things are not looking promising for the one he has been following for three years. He knows the power of the Romans army. He knows the hatred of the Jews - he has personally witnessed this mock trial and he has been present when Jesus has offended the Jewish religious elite.

Three times Peter denied knowing anything about Jesus.

It's a servant girl who spots Peter and she recognises that Peter is one of Jesus disciples - she approaches Peter and says loudly for others to hear, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." Notice the term she uses to describe Jesus. This event is in the capital city of Jerusalem in Judea. Galilee is miles away and does not have a good reputation. Peter replies very simply, "I don't know what you mean." There were others watching and listening to this incident. Peter wanted them all to hear clearly that they were mistaken.

Peter has decided to make a retreat to the entrance to the courtyard. Another servant girl spots him and recognises him. She makes a similar observation to the first - but this time she does not address Peter - instead she loudly intimates to a group of bystanders that Peter is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. She proclaims - "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." Peter's reaction now moves up a gear - he now denies it with an oath and he goes a step further and denies ever knowing Jesus. "I do not know the man." He is lying and he is making this public statement as an oath. Jesus had warned his followers not to use an oath. This is not swearing as we know it. Peter was probably calling on something sacred or the name of God to guarantee that what he was saying was true. Jesus warned us not to take an oath at all. See Matthew 5:33-37. Jesus was really saying that you should not need to use an oath in order for someone to trust you. In effect, you are casting doubt on your truthfulness. If you only speak the truth, people will know that you can be trusted and you do not need to use any sacred object or person to verify what you are saying.

Now the final denial. According to Matthew's account it is a group of bystanders who approach Peter. They point out that he has a Galilean accent. They say to him, "There is no doubt that you are one of them" - not a nice way to talk about Jesus disciples. "We can spot your accent." Since moving to Falkirk three and a half years ago, many people have thought that I have a Glasgow accent. They realise that I am not a local and they mistake my Ayrshire accent for a Glasgow accent. I hasten to add that I am not in any way upset to be taken for a Glasgow man. But it was Peter's accent which gave him away. Peter's reaction is now very violent. He invokes a curse on himself and swears - "I do not know the man."

The rooster crows and Peter remembers the words of Jesus - before the rooster crows, you will have denied me three times. Peter is totally distraught. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. We often kid ourselves into thinking that we are more spiritual than we really are.

But a word of good news. This was not the end for Peter. In fact, it was only the beginning. Peter was changed by this experience and when the Holy Spirit came upon him at Pentecost he became a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus. Jesus can and does use failures in his service. He can use us in our broken state. In fact, we are much nearer to pleasing him when we are in a broken state than when we are complacent and self-sufficient.

Picture by Gary Ellis on Unsplash.