Matthew 26:57-75 - The Religious Trials

Well, it is good to be with you here this week for Home Church. I’m so glad that you are joining us, and it’s good to be back with our friends. Most of you, if you’ve been around for a while, know we are a multi-site church—one church in multiple locations over at our Fig Garden campus and here at North Campus. With COVID, we’ve kind of shut down our worship volunteer teams rotating through, but it is really good to worship here this week with our Fig Garden team. For those of you who attend that campus regularly, I bet it’s good to see familiar faces as well.

If you have your Bibles, we’re going to be in Matthew 26, but let me set it up a little bit.

The Chronology of Passion Week

It was back in 2001—dating myself a little bit—when the TV series 24 came out. Do you remember that show starring Kiefer Sutherland? Back in 2001, this was before you could binge-watch on Netflix. In fact, I think it was before binge-watching was even a thing. My wife and I used to live at Willow and Nees, right behind the Trader Joe’s, and there used to be a Blockbuster right there. When 24 came out, we were hooked. I mean, hooked. The kind of thing where we’d be watching and it’s two in the morning, and it’s like, “Hey, just one more. Just one more.” You just keep cranking them out.

The problem was you couldn’t just stream it. You had to go to Blockbuster and find the right DVD set. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only people in the city interested in the show, so you had to strategize. I can remember finishing episode four and needing the DVD with episode five, but it was checked out. The other three DVDs were there, though, so I’d snatch those, pay the late fees, and just keep coming back until I could find that missing one. We just binge-watched 24. And if you remember, the screen kept saying things like, “The following took place between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM on the day of the presidential primary.” And you’re like, “Oh, here we go!” In some ways, that chronology helped you understand the show.

What I want to do as we start this week is deal a little bit with the chronology of the Passion Week of Christ. We have covered so much text over such a long period of time that what will have taken us twenty-two weeks to preach—from the triumphal entry to Jesus on the cross—literally took just seven days in the life of Christ. I want to walk through the chronology and give you a couple of those “the following took place between this time and that time” markers to condense what we’ve done in twenty-two weeks and get our hands around it. Chronologically, we are literally hours away from Jesus going to the cross.

If you recall, all the way back in Matthew 21, we covered the triumphal entry. That would have been on Monday. I know what you’re thinking: “I thought we celebrated Palm Sunday?” The early church most likely just moved that celebration to Sunday so we could celebrate Palm Sunday and then Resurrection Sunday, but the entry itself probably took place on a Monday.

Matthew 21:1-11 (NASB)

When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ’Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied [there] and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. ’If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.’ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ’SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.’’ The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!’ When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.’

On Tuesday of Passion Week, Jesus cleanses the temple. He gets confronted in the temple and questioned in Matthew 21 and 22 about His authority. In Matthew 23, He gives the Pharisees a beat-down with the “woe to you” statements that we covered weeks ago.

Matthew 23:1-36 (NASB)

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ’The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say [things] and do not do [them]. ’They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with [so much as] a finger. ’But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels [of their garments]. ’They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. ’But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. ’Do not call [anyone] on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ’Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, [that is], Christ. ’But the greatest among you shall be your servant. ’Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. ’But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. [‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation]. ’Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. ’Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, [that] is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ ’You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? ’And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, [that] is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ ’You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? ’Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears [both] by the altar and by everything on it. ’And whoever swears by the temple, swears [both] by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. ’And whoever swears by heaven, swears [both] by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. ’Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. ’You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! ’Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. ’You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. ’Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ’So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. ’Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been [living] in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in [shedding] the blood of the prophets.’ ’So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ’Fill up, then, the measure [of the guilt] of your fathers. ’You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? ’Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall [the guilt of] all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ’Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

The next day, Wednesday, Jesus gives the Olivet Discourse—that sweeping eschatological run covering Matthew 24 and 25. Also on Wednesday, Judas sets the betrayal into motion in Matthew 26.

[SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:1-25:46]

Then came Thursday. On Thursday of Passion Week, Jesus sends the disciples to prepare the upper room for the Passover, where He enjoys the Passover meal with them. Judas leaves the meal to begin the process of betrayal. Then comes early Friday morning.

Matthew 26:17-30 (NASB)

Now on the first [day] of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?’ And He said, ’Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ’The Teacher says, ‘My time is near; I [am to] keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’‘’ The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover. Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining [at the table] with the twelve disciples. As they were eating, He said, ‘Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.’ Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ And He answered, ’He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. ‘The Son of Man [is to] go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.’ And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, ‘Surely it is not I, Rabbi?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said [it] yourself.’ While they were eating, Jesus took [some] bread, and after a blessing, He broke [it] and gave [it] to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave [it] to them, saying, ’Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. ‘But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’ After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

What we can piece together is that at approximately 1:00 AM Friday morning, Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane praying that prayer: “If there’s any other way, let this cup pass from Me.” The crowds come across the Kidron Valley at approximately 2:00 AM, and Jesus is arrested.

Matthew 26:36-56 (NASB)

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.’ And He went a little beyond [them], and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’ And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ’So, you [men] could not keep watch with Me for one hour? ‘Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.’ Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, ’Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ‘Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!’ While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, [who came] from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.’ Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, ‘Hail, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him. And Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, [do] what you have come for.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, ’Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. ’Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ‘How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, [which say] that it must happen this way?’ At that time Jesus said to the crowds, ’Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as [you would] against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. ‘But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.’ Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

That arrest triggers six separate trials: three religious and three Roman. All of them, by the way, were illegal. All of them were conducted without a credible witness. None of them had a shred of evidence. All of them met either under the cover of night or in a rush to roll out the verdict quickly. All of these trials were designed to appease the crowds and get Jesus put to death.

At about 2:30 AM, Jesus faces His first religious trial before Annas. At about 3:00 AM, His second trial takes place before Caiaphas. By 6:00 AM, the third and final religious trial before the Sanhedrin is finished, and they move Him into the Roman trials, which we’ll cover next week.

Turn first not to Matthew 26—we’ll get there in a second—but turn to John 18. This first religious trial is recorded for us in John’s gospel. What I’d like to do this week is cover these religious trials, and then look at what I think is the real gold of this section: a contrast of the breaking of two men, the breaking of Peter and the breaking of Judas.

The First Religious Trial: Before Annas

In John 18, we have the first religious trial before a man named Annas.

John 18:12-14 (NASB)

So the [Roman] cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.

The Roman cohort and the Jewish officers arrest Jesus and bind Him. Remember from last week, a Roman cohort was approximately 600 men, so this was quite a posse coming to get Jesus. They lead Him away first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year.

Annas is an interesting figure. He was a former high priest who had been out of office for about fifteen years, but he was an elder statesman with real leadership juice. He had a name in the community. He had pull. And, of course, he was the father-in-law of the current high priest. So he gets a special first shot at this Jesus from Nazareth.

John 18:19-24 (NASB)

The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, ’I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. ‘Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.’ When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, ‘Is that the way You answer the high priest?’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?’ So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Annas questions Jesus about His disciples and His teaching. Jesus answers, “Look, I have spoken openly to the world. I taught in the synagogues and in the temple where all the Jews assemble, and I spoke nothing in secret. Why do you question Me? Question those who heard what I spoke to them. They know what I said.”

When Jesus says that, one of the officers standing nearby strikes Him across the face and says, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” The irony is that Annas is not actually the high priest. It’s like calling a former political official by their old title out of courtesy. Notice, too, that they don’t mention waking anyone up. At 2:00 AM, people were already assembled in Annas’s home, ready to receive Jesus as part of a prearranged plan.

Jesus responds, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify openly about the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” Jesus makes the point that in all of His life and ministry, He had never done anything contrary to the Word of God; He had never committed any sin. The author of Hebrews says He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 7 says Jesus was holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Jesus is the sinless God incarnate, the Savior of the world who lived the life we could not live and died the death we deserved to die in our place.

Hebrews 4:15 (NASB)

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as [we are, yet] without sin.

Hebrews 7:26 (NASB)

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;

After this brief encounter, Annas binds Jesus and sends Him across the courtyard to the active high priest, Caiaphas.

The Second Religious Trial: Before Caiaphas

Cross-reference over with me now to Matthew 26 to look at the second religious trial.

Caiaphas was both a political and a religious figure. The high priest lived in two worlds: he oversaw the Sanhedrin (the council of Jewish elders), but he also had Roman backing and financial kickbacks. It was a position of immense power. Caiaphas had an intense hatred toward Jesus because Jesus threatened his position, his influence, and his wealth. While living a life of indulgence, he was determined to silence this Jesus who was causing such a stir.

Matthew 26:57-59 (NASB)

Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome. Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.

Those who seized Jesus lead Him to Caiaphas, where the scribes and elders are gathered. Verse 58 tells us Peter followed at a distance into the courtyard and sat down with the officers to see the outcome. We’ll talk about Peter in just a moment.

Verse 59 says the chief priests and the whole council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus so they might put Him to death. There is no hidden agenda here. The goal is clear: execution. From a religious standpoint, they are trying to charge Jesus with blasphemy. Blasphemy was punishable by death under Jewish law and meant speaking disrespectfully of God or slandering His name.

Matthew 26:60-66 (NASB)

They did not find [any], even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, ’This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’’ The high priest stood up and said to Him, ‘Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?’ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, ‘I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said it [yourself]; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.’ Then the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?’ They answered, ‘He deserves death!’

They keep bringing false witnesses forward, but their stories don’t align. Finally, two men step up and say, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” It was three years earlier, recorded in John 2, that Jesus made a statement like that—referring to the temple of His body, not the physical building. It’s like these guys went digging up an old tweet from years ago.

Jesus keeps silent. The high priest demands, “I adjure You by the living God, tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God!” How ironic to adjure the living God by the living God. Jesus answers, “You have said it yourself. Nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

At that, the high priest tears his robes and shouts, “Blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They answer, “He deserves death!”

Matthew 26:67-68 (NASB)

Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, ‘Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?’

Just days earlier, the crowds were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Now they spit in His face, beat Him with their fists, slap Him, and mock Him: “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who hit You?”

Archaeologists in Israel believe they have found Caiaphas’s residence near the southern steps of the Temple Mount, overlooking the Mount of Olives. Inside the excavation, there are holding cells where religious prisoners were kept during interrogation. Most likely, Jesus spent the next several hours in Caiaphas’s custody, enduring beatings while they waited for sunrise to assemble the full Sanhedrin.

The Third Religious Trial: Before the Sanhedrin

When morning comes, they convene the third trial.

Matthew 27:1-2 (NASB)

Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.

Luke gives us additional insight into what happened in that council chamber at daybreak.

Luke 22:66-71 (NASB)

When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council [chamber], saying, ‘If You are the Christ, tell us.’ But He said to them, ’If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask a question, you will not answer. ‘But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD.’ And they all said, ‘Are You the Son of God, then?’ And He said to them, ‘Yes, I am.’ Then they said, ‘What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.’

They ask Him, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” Jesus responds, “If I tell you, you will not believe… But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” They ask, “Are You the Son of God then?” He says, “Yes, I am.” They declare, “What further need do we have of testimony? We have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

This is an undeniable, crystal-clear claim of deity. People sometimes claim Jesus never asserted He was God, that His followers made it up later. But right here under oath, He states plainly that He is the Christ, the Son of God.

The conviction for blasphemy is sealed. In Matthew 27:2, they bind Him and deliver Him to Pilate, the Roman governor. Under Roman occupation, the Jewish leadership lacked the legal authority to carry out capital punishment. Furthermore, blasphemy meant nothing to the Romans. So to secure an execution, the religious charge of blasphemy had to be reframed as a political charge of treason and insurrection against Caesar. We will look at those Roman trials next week.

The Breaking of Peter: Three Strikes

While all of this is unfolding on the public stage, something profound is happening behind the scenes: the breaking of two men. I want to contrast the breaking of Peter with the breaking of Judas.

In Matthew 26:34, Jesus told Peter, “This very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” That means Peter’s collapse must happen before sunrise. Interwoven with these nighttime religious trials is the downfall of Peter.

Matthew 26:34 (NASB)

Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I say to you that this [very] night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’

Did you play baseball growing up? I played for many years; I was a terrible player, but I played. In baseball, the cardinal sin for a hitter is taking strike three looking. You can take strike one. You might get away with taking strike two. But if you get caught looking on strike three, with your bat resting on your shoulder, that’s ultimate shame. In this passage, Peter takes not one, not two, but three strikes looking. He goes down on three strikes and ends up in total shame.

Matthew 26:69-70 (NASB)

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, ‘You too were with Jesus the Galilean.’ But he denied [it] before them all, saying, ‘I do not know what you are talking about.’

Here comes strike one. Peter is sitting in the courtyard. A servant girl comes up to him and says, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” Peter denies it before everyone: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A servant girl—essentially a middle school girl—confronts Peter the Rock, the one who bragged he would die for Jesus, and he folds instantly. Strike one.

Matthew 26:71-72 (NASB)

When he had gone out to the gateway, another [servant-girl] saw him and said to those who were there, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ And again he denied [it] with an oath, ‘I do not know the man.’

Peter moves toward the gateway. Another servant girl points him out: “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Peter denies it again, this time with an oath: “I do not know the man!” That’s the ancient equivalent of swearing on a stack of Bibles or pinky swearing. Strike two.

Matthew 26:73-74 (NASB)

A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, ‘Surely you too are [one] of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.’ Then he began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know the man!’ And immediately a rooster crowed.

A little later, bystanders come up to him. John’s gospel tells us one of them was a relative of Malchus—the servant whose ear Peter had sliced off in Gethsemane. This guy was in the garden; he saw Peter swing the sword. He says, “Surely you are one of them; your Galilean accent gives you away.” Peter begins to curse and swear: “I do not know the man!” Immediately, the rooster crows.

Matthew 26:75 (NASB)

And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, ‘Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.

Peter remembers what Jesus said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Just hours earlier, Peter had boldly declared, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I never will!” Strike one. Strike two. Strike three looking. The text says Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Peter’s Dark Night of the Soul and Restoration

Welcome to the breaking of Peter—his dark night of the soul. A dark night of the soul is a place of utter despair, shame, guilt, and regret. It is the realization that you have come to the end of yourself and you are completely bankrupt. It is the crushing humility of knowing that everything you bragged about, you failed to back up.

Peter legitimately thought he was done. In Mark 16, after Jesus rises from the dead, an angel tells the women at the tomb, “Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going ahead of you into Galilee.” Mark got his gospel account directly from Peter, and that little phrase—“and Peter”—gives us a window into Peter’s heart. Peter believed he had disqualified himself. He assumed Jesus had moved on to find someone better, someone more faithful, someone more spiritual. He thought his failure was too big for grace.

Mark 16:7 (NASB)

’But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’’

When Peter hits the bottom of his dark night of the soul, what does he find? He finds a loving Savior. He finds a gospel of restoration. When Mary brings word that the tomb is empty, Peter doesn’t run away in hiding; he and John sprint to the tomb. Even in his brokenness, there is a deep longing to be near Jesus.

John 20:3-4 (NASB)

So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first;

In John 21, Jesus meets Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Three times Jesus asks him, “Do you love Me?” Three times Peter had denied Him; three times Jesus invites him to reaffirm his love. Jesus tells him, “Feed My lambs. Tend My sheep. Shepherd My flock.” In other words: “Get back in the game, Peter. You are not defined by your worst moment. I came to seek and save the lost, and that includes you. Let your remorse lead to repentance, and let’s go.”

John 21:15-17 (NASB)

So 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, ‘Tend My lambs.’ He said to him again 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, ‘Shepherd My sheep.’ 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 all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ’Tend My sheep.

This breaking was part of the plan all along. Back in the upper room, Jesus warned Peter:

Luke 22:31-32 (NASB)

‘Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded [permission] to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.’

Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus knew the failure was coming, but He also knew the restoration that would follow.

Peter was impetuous and lived in the flesh, but through this dark night of the soul, he was humbled. He came to the end of himself and was crucified with Christ. Later in life, Peter wrote more about suffering than almost any other New Testament author. In 1 Peter 5, he writes:

1 Peter 5:8-11 (NASB)

Be of sober [spirit], be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in [your] faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen [and] establish you. To Him [be] dominion forever and ever. Amen.

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Peter understood suffering, failure, and grace because he had walked through the fire. His remorse led to repentance, and repentance led to life.

The Breaking of Judas: Remorse Without Repentance

Now look at the contrast in Judas.

Matthew 27:3-5 (NASB)

Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ But they said, ‘What is that to us? See [to that] yourself!’ And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

When Judas sees that Jesus is condemned, he feels remorse. He tries to return the thirty pieces of silver, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” The chief priests shrug him off: “What is that to us? See to that yourself.” Judas throws the money into the sanctuary, departs, and hangs himself. Acts 1:18 adds that he fell headlong and his body burst open. What a tragic end.

Acts 1:18 (NASB)

(Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.

When Judas entered his dark night of the soul, he found nothing. He had remorse, but no repentance. He had spent three years in close proximity to Jesus, but proximity does not save, nor does it satisfy. Proximity without faith cannot carry you through the dark night of the soul. Apart from Christ, there is nowhere to turn.

John 10:10 (NASB)

’The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have [it] abundantly.

Jesus said the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, but He came that we might have life abundantly. Paul describes the difference between Peter and Judas perfectly in 2 Corinthians 7:

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (NASB)

I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to [the point of] repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to [the will of] God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to [the will] [of] God produces a repentance without regret, [leading] to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Paul writes, “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance… For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Judas experienced worldly sorrow that produced death. Peter experienced godly sorrow that produced repentance leading to life.

What About You? Turning to Christ

As we close, let me ask you: Have you experienced your dark night of the soul? If you have a recovery background, you might call it hitting bottom—the place where you come to the end of yourself and realize your desperate need for Jesus.

If you have been there and turned to Christ, you know what Peter found: the sweetness of His love, the joy of restoration, and life-giving relationship with the living God. Your remorse led to repentance, and you found grace.

Romans 2:4 (NASB)

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Proverbs 29:1 (NASB)

A man who hardens [his] neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [he is] a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Romans 2:4 reminds us that the kindness of God is intended to lead us to repentance. Proverbs 29:1 warns that whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be broken beyond remedy. If you are in a dark night of the soul right now and have not surrendered to Christ, what are you waiting for? Worldly sorrow cannot redeem you, but godly sorrow leads to salvation. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old things have passed away, and new things have come.

Two men were broken that night. Judas turned inward to himself and found despair. Peter turned outward to Christ and found mercy. It is never too late, and you are never too far gone. Even if you’ve taken strike one, strike two, and strike three looking, with your head hanging in shame, we have a Savior who meets us in our brokenness to restore and redeem us for His glory and our good.

Let’s pray together.

Father, thank You that when we come to the end of ourselves—just as I did years ago in college—You meet us in our brokenness with grace. I pray for my friends who have yet to trust in Christ, or who feel they are too far gone, or that their sin is too great. Help them see that You are a God who meets us in our despair and lifts us into wholeness. May the hope of the gospel warm their hearts today, and may godly sorrow lead to true repentance and life. We thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.