Slices
Prepare
Have you ever been let down by a friend or unjustly treated at work? How should we respond to injustice?
Bible passage
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 cock crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the cock crows today, you will disown me three times.’ 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The guards mock Jesus
63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, ‘Prophesy! Who hit you?’ 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.
Jesus before Pilate and Herod
66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67 ‘If you are the Messiah,’ they said, ‘tell us.’
Jesus answered, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.’
70 They all asked, ‘Are you then the Son of God?’
He replied, ‘You say that I am.’
71 Then they said, ‘Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.’
Explore
When They See Us is a 2019 Netflix series telling the story of five black teenagers from Harlem, unjustly convicted for a murder they did not commit. The series has been streamed millions of times and received multiple awards. It is, however, a hard watch. Injustice is always hard to watch, and even harder to experience. In today’s passage, Jesus is the recipient of terrible injustices from people who were supposed to love and protect him. He is denied by one of his closest disciples (vs 54–62) and mocked, blindfolded and beaten by guards (vs 63–65) before being condemned by the religious authorities of the day (vs 66–71). Peter’s sin is cowardice; the guards’ and the leaders’ cruelty, an abuse of power.
What is Jesus’ response to such sinful injustice? He is largely quiet and submissive, but his words also point to the bigger picture: ‘from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God’ (v 69). Jesus sees that these injustices are not the end of the story – they are even, in part, necessary for God’s great plan of salvation to be realised. He sees that following his death and resurrection will be his ascension to heaven where he will reign at the right hand of God.
Respond
If you are experiencing injustice right now, ask God to help you see the bigger picture of his purposes in your life.
Deeper Bible study
Think of a moment you almost gave in to temptation. What stopped you from doing so?
The story of Peter’s denial is carefully crafted in Luke’s Gospel. This narrative is placed before Jesus’ interrogation by the religious leaders and Pilate (22:63 – 23:4). It highlights Peter’s cowardly denial of being Jesus’ disciple, in contrast to Jesus’ bold response in affirming his messianic identity. Jesus’ response, set in the context of his trials, demonstrates the cost of courage, while Peter’s denial illustrates the emptiness of his earlier boasting (vs 33,34). Jesus confronted his interrogators by denying nothing, but Peter faltered, denying everything.
Peter probably did not realise he had denied his master three times – at least not until he heard the rooster crow. This was a defining moment for him. He suddenly realised that he had done what he should not have. Peter had followed Jesus, trying to prove his loyalty, but he had caved in when questioned about his identity.
How many of us have done something that we knew we should never do, or justified ourselves in doing those things we know are contrary to God’s holy scriptures, moral values, character and integrity? Remember, we can also be like Peter as we are drawn step by step into a deeper compromise of our faith until we deny our Lord. We could give in to the weakness of our flesh or surrender to temptation. In times like this, we need to hear the rooster crow. We need those defining moments in our lives to remind us how far we have fallen from our walk with the Lord and how we need to renew ourselves once again in our service for God. We should remember that Peter’s denials and failures were not permanent. He was soon to be restored and recommissioned by the Lord.1 The most important thing is this: do we hear the rooster crow?
Merciful Father, inspire us with the faithful life of Peter, who denied your Son yet was fully restored in his service.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Joshua 8,9; Romans 12
Pray for Scripture Union
Heidi Beckham, Mission Events Coordinator, asks us to pray that more of the 95 will book on our holidays, and that families who may not be able to afford it with the high cost of living will hear about and make use of SU’s Holiday Fund.
