Peter and the Passover

Passover time arrived, and the Lamb of God was where He had to be to do what He had to do.

Some in Jerusalem were in no mood to celebrate this important freedom festival of Israel. This feast marked time for the chosen people. It pointed back to the night when God secured the establishment of their new identity as a people set free from their bondage.

The Lord’s final plague sent upon Egypt brought death to the firstborn of every tribe, flock, and herd in the empire. The only way of escape from this plague involved lamb’s blood.

Moses got the instructions. The lamb was to be spotless and a male. The blood was to be painted upon the framing of the doorway to a house. All inside the dwellings bearing the blood were safe.

Death passed over these bloodied households. By the end of this night described in Exodus 11 and 12, the millions of Israelites were driven from their place in Egypt into the wilderness.

Every year Jews devote time to the memory of that moment of deliverance. It is to involve somber remembrance of the years of slavery and joyful recollection of the freedom given to them by the Lord.

This Passover described in Luke 22 would be unlike any other.

The Dark Hour

Shadows began to darken Jerusalem. Evil was about to seize its opportunity against the Christ. The forces of Hell took their positions and were poised for the attack. Willing participants opened themselves to deceptions and became ready to take their tragic roles in this Passion of the Son.

The religious leaders saw their power over the people ebbing as Jesus worked His works and talked His talk. They hunkered down in secret at Jerusalem and schemed for a way to eliminate Him and His movement.

Satan gave them an opening through an Apostle, Judas Iscariot, whose disenchantment and greed drove him toward betrayal. He took 30 pieces of silver and plotted a course to facilitate Christ’s arrest.

Interestingly, in the midst of these dark hours, the Son anointed Passover with new meaning. He established a fresh manner of celebration and remembrance. He brought His followers together. In the midst of His enemies, Jesus made sure there was a table prepared.

He came to be the Passover Lamb of all Passover lambs. John the Baptist declared it to be so in John 1. A new symbolism was ordained for the Church that He would purchase to be His Bride with the shedding of His Blood and the wounding of His Body.

Broken bread and the full cup He shared at that table on that night were to serve to remind them of what was about to happen to Him the next day.

Confused faces stared at Him from around the room. One of those faces belonged to His betrayer, and Jesus let this reality be known.

Tension dominated the atmosphere just then. These bewildered ones descended into disorder. They began to bicker and chatter.

Betrayal. How could this happen? Pledges of allegiance were shouted out. Loud vows of fighting to the death were pronounced.

Mob energy fuels outburst. Like the intoxication of strong drink, rage stirs haughty spirits and proud looks and ignorant boasts. Share on X

This frantic scene soon degenerated into an argument over who was the greatest of them. Zeal does this. Mob energy fuels outburst. Like the intoxication of strong drink, rage stirs haughty spirits and proud looks and ignorant boasts.

These disciples knew not what they were doing or saying. The next day, from His Cross, Jesus would plead to His Father for their forgiveness regarding it all.

Peter vociferously stated his devotion to the Savior. “I will die for You,” he promised.

At this point, Jesus had to break the hard truth to the man he had renamed “Rock.” He said, “Before dawn, Peter, you will deny knowing Me three times.”

The Son knew Hell had set its sights on Peter. The devil worked to grind this man down. And knowing this, Jesus told Peter that he was the subject of specific prayer related to his faith, a faith still faltering and wavering as it found its way into his heart.

Peter’s Breakdown

We watch the demolition of Peter’s pride through the events that follow. He sleeps in the demon-agitated atmosphere of Gethsemane. As the arresting forces draw near, Peter goes wild and swings his sword, severing the ear from a Temple guard. Jesus cleans up the mess by healing the man. As we read in John’s gospel, this act of the Son won a convert to Him in the process.

Then came the denials, and they grew more and more aggravated as they progressed. Badgered by those who discerned his accent and who’d seen him with Jesus, Peter hurls forth curses.

That third and final renunciation was punctuated by the sound of the cock crowing to announce the sunrise. Just there was a look across the courtyard. The Son’s eyes caught Peter’s eyes and the disciple dissolved into a weeping mess.

These points we read only in Luke’s account. The Greek physician’s meticulous detail strikes me as amazing and important. Jesus hadn’t abandoned Peter in his cowardice. The Savior sought out His lost sheep and looked upon him as one of His own.

Perhaps the broken Peter had reached the place where he was really poor in spirit at last. His human efforts had been spent and found wanting. There was nothing more that he could do but to let bitter tears flow.

Such humiliation was something Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount. The poverty of courage that seemed as such a curse was actually a blessing, the Son taught. Until we reach this point we don’t understand how to live for the Kingdom.

From here, there was nowhere to go but up for Peter. He lost nothing in terms of his calling from the Master. In some ways, he was now really blessed and equipped for the future. He was more ready than ever to inherit the amazing role God had for Him in the Kingdom of God.

The Word of His Mouth

All of these things had to be worked together in the purpose of God. Satan entered Judas, but the devil could not devour Peter. The minds and hearts of these men were frail, but one gave way to betrayal, the other to denial; one proceeded to hang himself in bitterness, the other jumped and ran to the tomb upon hearing it was empty.

Note how Jesus moved on through these moments to accomplish His work of redemption. Passover, the Ultimate Passover played itself out with wicked men and human power brokers.

The Lamb was led to the place of His slaughter.

It was His Work alone to accomplish. The spotlessness of His character would reveal itself before the high priest and his cohorts.

He could only open His mouth to pronounce the truth: “… the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. … You say that I Am.”

This was a moment of true witness. Without realizing it, the members of the council made this clear, saying “…we ourselves have heard of His own mouth” (Luke 22:71).

The essence of the Gospel record is what was heard from “His own mouth.” He told the truth. He declared Himself to be the “I Am” who came to die for the sins of the world.

God has given us this clear way for death to Passover us. The Lamb is also our Good Shepherd. He loves us and He leads us. He never forsakes us.

Take up His Word and read, and then read again and again and again. Hear the Word of the Lord. There is no other witness that brings salvation and liberty.

Behold Jesus. Look upon Him and be free. Even in your seasons of denial and failure, He is watching for you, ready to forgive and restore and reconcile.

Nothing separates us from the love of God in Christ.