John 13: 31-38 - Jesus Tells Peter That He Will Deny Jesus

In John 13:31-38 we have Jesus foretelling Peter of something he is going to do, something that will make Peter very distressed, something he will not believe he would do, but something that will happen shortly. 

This exchange between Peter and the Lord Jesus takes place after Judas has gone out into the darkness, after it is revealed that he is the one who will betray Jesus.

V31-35 "...Jesus said Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him...Little children, yet a little while I am with you.  Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come, so now I say to you.  A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples."

Now the hour has come when Jesus will be betrayed, arrested, tried and crucified.  This is the purpose for which the Lord Jesus came into the world, to shed his precious blood, take upon himself the penalty for sin, to die and be resurrected.  Everything that Jesus has done over the past 3 1/2 year culminates in his going to the cross.  For this reason he came into the world.   His disciples will not be able to follow him, they are not able, on their own, to enter heaven.  But Jesus gives them a new commandment, to love one another as Jesus loved them.  And this love shown will be a testimony to the world.  But I have to say that this is a very difficult thing to do, it does not come naturally,  and it is only by the Holy Spirit indwelling every Christian, that we are able to be loving.  Not a romantic love, but an action love, a love that is God-given.



V36-38 "Simon Peter asked the Lord "whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.  Peter said to him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now?  I will lay down my life for thy sake.  Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake?  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow, till thou  hast denied me thrice."

Simon Peter wanted to know where Jesus was going, but Jesus told him that he could not follow him now but that afterwards he would.  It is said that Peter was crucified upside down because he thought himself unworthy to be crucified in the same manner that his Lord was. 

But that was not a clear enough answer for Peter, he asked why he couldn't follow Jesus now, and said that he would lay down his life for Christ's sake.  But man does not know what his heart is capable of when he is faced with his own arrest or persecution.  And Peter was not aware of the extreme he would go to.  So Jesus asks him, "Will you lay down your life for my sake? Truly, truly I saw to you, you will deny me three times before the rooster crows."  In the gospel of Luke 22:31-32  we are told that Satan had desired to have Peter, to sift him as wheat, but that the Lord had prayed for Peter, that his faith would not fail, and after he would strengthen the other apostles.  How pained Peter must have been with these words, probably he was not able to accept them as truth.   Peter loved Jesus, he believed on him as the Christ, the  Son of the living God.  But there was work for Peter to do after the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, he was to spread the gospel with the other apostles.

In the next post, Jesus will tell the apostles about heaven and the way to heaven.
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