For this Good Friday, let’s turn our focus to Peter—his denial of Jesus, but also key moments from his life that shaped his faith and discipleship. His story is one of deep failure, but also deep grace. And it calls us to look inward at our own journey with Christ.
We first meet Peter in Luke 5, where he is out fishing—unsuccessfully. After a long night of catching nothing, Jesus steps into Peter’s boat and tells him where to cast his nets. Peter responds, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing.”
How often does God lead us to do something, and our first response is an excuse? If we are even remotely conscious of God’s presence, we must understand that God knows the truth of our hearts. We can’t lie to Him. So, who are we trying to fool with our excuses?
But Peter obeyed. “Nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.” And what happened next was miraculous. The net was so full of fish it began to break. In that moment, Peter realized he was not standing in the presence of an ordinary man. He fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” He might as well have added, “I’m not worthy of even being near You.” Yet Jesus did not leave. He stayed. He called Peter to follow Him.
Later, in Matthew 16, we see another pivotal moment. Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They offer various answers—“Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But those were just the rumors.
Then Jesus asks the real question: “But who do you say I am?”
That’s the question we all must answer. Who do you say Jesus is? Was He just a moral teacher? A historical figure? A religious symbol? Or is He truly the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord of your life?
Peter gives the right answer: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But he didn’t arrive at that answer on his own. Jesus tells him, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven.” This was spiritual revelation—truth planted in Peter’s heart by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus then says:
Matthew 16:18–19 (NKJV) 18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Fast forward to Luke 22—the Last Supper. Jesus gathers with His disciples and says:
Luke 22:14–16 (NKJV) 14 “When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’”
Did Peter have any clue this would be their final meal with Jesus? Probably not. It likely felt like any other gathering—good food, strong fellowship. Then things took a turn. Jesus begins speaking about betrayal. The disciples argue about who it could be, then shift into a dispute about who among them is the greatest.
And in the midst of this, Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.”
Peter, with passion, declares, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death!” But Jesus knows better. He replies, “Peter, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you know Me.”
Later that night, Jesus is arrested. A mob, led by Judas, comes to seize Him. Chaos. Fear. Confusion.
Peter follows, but from a distance. At the high priest’s courtyard, as Jesus is put on trial, Peter tries to stay unnoticed. He only wants to warm himself by the fire. But then, a servant girl recognizes him: “This man was with Him.”
Peter says, “Woman, I do not know Him.”
Later, someone else insists, “You’re one of them.”
“Man, I am not!”
About an hour passes, and another person says, “Surely this man was with Jesus—his accent gives him away.” According to Matthew’s Gospel, Peter begins cursing and swearing. “Man, I do not know what you’re talking about!”
And then the rooster crowed.
Peter remembered what Jesus had said. Overwhelmed with shame, he went outside and wept bitterly.
Was Peter there at the crucifixion? The Gospels don’t clearly say. Maybe he was. Maybe he watched from a distance. But we do know this: he was heartbroken. The one he loved was dying, and he had denied even knowing Him.
Could Peter ever forget the look Jesus gave him in that courtyard? The eyes of the one he had denied? The memory must have haunted him. But don’t forget Jesus’ words: “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” When the Son of God prays for you, your story doesn’t end in failure. Not because of your strength but because of His.
Each person present that night had a part in the story. Some watched silently. Some mocked. Some betrayed. Some scattered. Some, like John, stayed by the cross. Jesus’ mother, Mary, was there too. Perhaps Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were among the crowd. Crucifixion was a public display of shame—a message to all: this is what happens to rebels. The more people watching, the better for Rome.
And yet, even amid that shame and suffering, God’s purpose was unfolding.
Judas, filled with remorse, took his own life. Peter, filled with grief, would later find forgiveness. Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried.
This is what Good Friday is about—remembering the cross. This is the one day we pause, and we do not rush ahead to Easter Sunday. We leave Jesus on the cross, not because He’s still there, but to remember the cost.
Many today wear crosses as jewelry but do not understand what it truly represents. The cross is not just a symbol of suffering—it is a call to discipleship. As William Penn wrote, “No Cross, No Crown.” Without enduring the cross, there is no hope for the crown.
Luke 9:23–26 (NKJV) 23 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory…”
There’s so much in that passage. But focus on this: “Take up your cross daily.” That means the cross is not distant, not abstract—it is personal. We each carry one. And in doing so, we walk the path Christ walked.
Today, we remember His cross.
Sermon: I Don’t’ Even Know the Man | March 29, 2024 Shubert Christian Church, Shubert, Nebraska / April 6, 2012 First Christian Church (DOC) Winfield, KS
