Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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Read poem
How does a middle class fishin' man
End up in the middle of God's mission plan?
He's a back water who walked on water.
One of the first to see Jesus in his authentic identity.
The Lord called this man the Rock.
The gates of Heaven are his to unlock.
He's a truth denier turned Spirit-filled testifier.
After the resurrection God gave him a new direction.
God used this ordinary to do something extraordinary.
He didn't become the man he was in a day.
So we need to look and see how he got this way.
Peter had been with Jesus for roughly 3 years.
He had seen Jesus do incredible miracles.
He had walked on water with Jesus, he saw Jesus in his true identity - he knew Jesus was God.
But in today’s story, everything in Peter’s life falls apart.
This is gonna be an emotionally taxing lesson today, but stay with me.
It’s tragic, but beautiful.
Even if this is not a good day for you, please stay with me.
There’s good news, there is hope.
But first we need to talk about the worst night of Peter’s life.
The Worst Night of Peter’s Life
If you want you can open your bibles and be thumbing through the headings as I summarize this.
We’ll be looking mostly in Mark 14, but I’ll mention some other passages.
Most agree the events take place on the Thursday night to Friday morning of Passion week - the last week of Jesus’ life.
So this is less than that 24 hours before Jesus dies on the cross.
Up to this point, things are going great.
Peter is expecting Jesus to layout his plan for how he will become king.
Peter is thinking they will be part of some kind of coup.
But while Peter may know/believe that Jesus is the son of God and God’s messiah.
He’s still very confused about what the messiah will do.
He probably expects that Peter is on the edge of coming into power, himself, as Jesus’ chief of staff.
The things Jesus will do/say this Thursday night greatly upset Peter’s understanding of who Jesus is.
Everything is turned upside down.
Jesus washed my feet
Jesus is gathered together with his disciples in the upper room in a house in Jerusalem to share the passover meal together.
More than just that ritual meal takes place.
John 13 tells the story of Jesus getting on his hands/knees before his disciples and washing THEIR feet.
If you’ve heard this story, you remember that Peter gets really upset.
He insists that Jesus is too noble/important to wash feet.
You see in their day foot washing was reserved for the lowest class citizens.
Peter doesn’t think Jesus should do that.
Peter and Jesus have a fantastic dialogue where Jesus teaches Peter and us a lesson about what service looks like in God’s kingdom.
Also in this evening together, they share a meal together that becomes the basis for the Lord’s Supper we celebrate every week.
As they are dining together Jesus let’s them know about some of the highlights of the next 12 or so hours.
Jesus said, “One of you will betray me...”
Jesus confronts the disciples with this accusation one of his disciples will betray Jesus.
None of them believe to be true or possible.
This is one of the first bands of brothers.
These men have left everything to follow Jesus.
They all have made sacrifices to be with him.
They have seen things never before seen by man.
They intimately walked with God every day for 3 years.
The thought of one of their beloved peers working against Jesus, their leader, and each of the other disciples is sickening to consider.
It’s no surprise each of them is on the defensive and denies that they will deny Jesus.
Can you feel the uneasiness begin to set in?
The celebration they are supposed to be having leaves them with a sour taste.
check out what comes later in their meal:
Peter’s Proud Promise
Jesus tells them that they all will fail to stay with Jesus in his time of need.
We don’t have a good sense of Jesus’ tone here.
I’ve wondered what his body language communicated here.
Is he trying to comfort the disciples, warn them, scare them?
Probably a combination.
He definitely wants them to remember this moment so later they can put the pieces together.
Jesus says that they all will fall away.
Peter in his bold-pride tells Jesus he is wrong that EVEN IF everyone else falls away, he will NOT.
Here Jesus lets Peter know, well actually you are about to have a really bad night.
Jesus tells him, “Today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
This is a classic “wanna bet?” moment.
Peter doesn’t back down.
He KEEPS insisting.
“If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” the text says the other disciples all rallied behind Peter and said the same thing.
I don’t know why Peter said this.
I don’t think it’s pure pride where he just assumes he is strong enough to weather any storm.
Peter knows he’s failed in the past.
I think this conversation generates such a strong response in Peter BECAUSE he realizes that Jesus is likely right.
Peter is pained by this.
He wants to be unyielding in his faithfulness to Jesus.
That’s what he wants!
This conversation reminds me of the most famous conversation between two other characters: Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
Vader confronts Luke with a painful truth that Luke already suspects is true.
Luke’s responds in the most dramatic: “NOOOO” in movie history.
Likewise Peter is denying the truth from Jesus and instead insisting that he’ll stay faithful to Jesus probably in an effort to will himself to make that become true.
Jesus is telling Peter that his worst fear is about to become a reality.
This has been an emotionally exhausting night for Peter.
It’s still far from over.
Praying in the Garden
Next in the story, Jesus leads his disciples outside of the city to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus takes his closest three companions, Peter, James, and John further away from the disciples.
He tasks those three to stay awake and wait for Jesus.
Jesus goes further and prays alone.
Jesus knows what the next several hours will hold.
Later Jesus comes back, finds the 3 sleeping.
He scolds them, returns to prayer.
He does this three times.
They keep falling asleep.
Finally Jesus tells them, well it’s too late here comes my betrayer.
By now Peter has been all-over the place emotionally, and He’s not that well-rested.
He might have had some naptime in there, but not enough for a night’s sleep.
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