Sermon - Midweek Lent - John 18:15-18; 25-27

 

The Servant Girl

15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. 

John 18:15-18; 25-27

So far we’ve examined Malchus, the servant of the High Priest whose ear Peter cut off at the arrest of Jesus.  We’ve considered the young man, likely John Mark, who ran away naked when the soldiers tried to seize him.  And we’ve looked at Annas and Caiaphas themselves, high priests who put Jesus on trial.  But today let’s look at someone even more obscure, even more in the background of the story.  The gospels present us with this minor character, the servant girl who manned the door at the palace of the High Priest.

There are other servant girls of note in Scripture, notably Namaan’s servant girl who told her leprous master about the prophet Elisha – through whom Namaan would eventually be cleansed and healed.  Then there is the servant girl Rhoda, who answered the door to Peter in Acts 12, when he had been broken out of prison by the angel.  An interesting comparison to the servant girl we consider tonight.

So what about the servant girl of the high priest?  We know very little about her.  We don’t even know her name.  We don’t know where she comes from.  Is she a servant or a slave?  Could be either.  All we know is that she was there, and she challenged Peter, “You also are one of this man’s disciples!”  which led to his first denial.

The four Gospels each give varying details of this story as well.  That doesn’t mean they are in conflict, of course.  Rather, it speaks to the authenticity of the account – for each tells it slightly differently, emphasizes various points.  Mark mentions three denials. 

In Mark, she follows Peter after his denial and starts to point him out to the other servants.

Matthew seems to indicate a second servant girl who accused Peter before his second denial.

And Luke mentions the detail that the servant girl noticed Peter and seemed to recognize him by the light of the fire as he stood warming himself. 

John mentions that the servant girl who first challenged Peter was in charge of watching the door.  In John’s version, it was John himself who was known to the High Priest, and who spoke to the servant girl to have Peter let in.

In every case, however, we have Peter, the leader of the disciples, the one who always came forth as their spokesman, challenged by a servant girl, identified as a follower of Jesus.  And Peter fails the test.  He denies his Lord, just as Jesus predicted.  The rooster crows.  And so the story goes.

What makes this detail worthy of inclusion in all four gospels?  That a servant girl’s accusation led to Peter’s denial?

Consider, it wasn’t the high priest himself that challenged Peter or put him on trial.  Peter would have surely crumbled before a powerful man and the weight of his office.  Nor did it come from a brawny soldier who could overpower Peter with brute force.  The challenge came from a servant – and a girl at that.  The slightest challenge from the least intimidating person on the scene, and Peter folded like a house of cards.

As Jesus said of Peter earlier that night, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Indeed, even for St. Peter, it doesn’t take much pushback for him to fall, to deny his Lord, for him to fear for his own skin.  At the word of servant girl, this great pillar of faith – who walked on water, who saw Jesus transfigured, who witnessed so many miracles and even saw the dead raised – he wavered, he cowered, he shrunk away, and he crumbled.

But let’s not sit in judgment over poor Peter, when we, ourselves, are just the same. 

How much does it take to make your faith waver and fail?  How little pushback or temptation is needed to get you off your spiritual game?  How often does the smallest challenge from the least imposing person lead you to do the things that just as surely deny your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

It takes so little.  A little pointing finger of the law.  An offhand comment in a sermon that offends us because it hits a little too close to home.  A challenge from your wife or your children or your friend.  A setback in life – whatever it may be.  The saints and martyrs who gave their very lives for their confession of Jesus- they put us to shame.  They would not deny him, even when faced with suffering and torture and gruesome death.  And we fail the test at the drop of a hat, even just to avoid embarrassment. 

The servant girl, insignificant as she was to the story, speaks even today, challenging us, questioning us, “are you one of his disciples, too?”

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak with us, too, isn’t it?  We also ought to pray not to enter temptation.  And when we fail, like Peter, we also need the restoration that only Christ can bring.

Peter’s denial of Jesus that night wasn’t the end of the story of Peter.  After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter, along with the other disciples, and brought them peace. 

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,[c] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;  (John 20:19-23)

And eventually, in another post-resurrection appearance, the risen Lord would also take Peter aside and offering him the three-fold restoration that matched his three-fold denial.  Peter was forgiven, reconciled, and re-commissioned as an apostle and pastor of God’s people. 

15 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, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him 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, “Tend my sheep.” 17 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

Feed my lambs.  Tend my sheep.  Feed my sheep.  If you forgive anyone his sins they are forgiven.

Yes, restored Peter and all the pastors who follow in his office are given the office of the keys – the authority to forgive sins on earth, which are just as surely forgiven in heaven.  This is why Peter’s symbol is the crossed keys.  This is Peter is so often pictured as the gate-keeper of heaven, questioning all who would enter, checking to see if your name is on the list.  Not because he is, but because Jesus charged him to unlock the gates of heaven for others by proclaiming forgiveness in Jesus name!

The forgiveness of sins is how pastors like Peter tend the sheep and feed the lambs of Jesus.  With the word of absolution, the water of baptism, and the feast of forgiveness that is Christ’s holy meal.  This is how the door to heaven is opened to you.

So Peter, who was once undone by a mere servant girl watching the door, would be charged to open for other poor sinners the very doors of heaven by absolving sins, and proclaiming Christ.  And every pastor who baptizes and teaches, forgives sinners and preaches the gospel, who gathers and feeds the sheep and lambs of Christ’s flock – follows in Peter’s footsteps and upholds the Lord’s commission. 

Jesus also mentions in John 21 how Peter’s death would glorify God.  For after all, at the end, Peter did confess, and not deny Christ.  Peter did die as a martyr, crucified upside down in Rome.  By God’s grace, a servant himself, and a powerful witness to the end.

It's so easy to fall, my friends.  To fall into sin, to deny even knowing Jesus.  But Christ’s word of forgiveness is even more quick and eager to meet your ears.  Yes, we sin daily and sin much.  But Christ forgives daily, and forgives freely.  You are baptized! No servant girl, no soldier, no mighty man on high, not even the devil himself can accuse us of a sin that Christ didn’t die to forgive. 

And so, then:  “Are you, also, one of Jesus’ disciples?”  May we answer boldly when asked such a question, “Yes!  For God has had mercy on me, a sinner, and restored me in his son, Jesus Christ!”  And let us pray for all Christians to have such boldness and steadfast faith.