Transcription

Connor:
You’re listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun and practical ways.

Chris:
Hey, welcome to The Bible Guys.

Jeff:
He’s Chris. I’m Jeff. Yes. And man, you made it. I’m so glad you made it just in time for this really incredible podcast. You did it. You clicked. Yes. Good job. Way to go. We’re just always amazing. You keep showing back up. So that’s great. This is your first time with us. We’re just a couple of guys like to talk about the Bible in fun and practical ways. That’s what Roland says. And this is kind of a devotional conversation, right? So I think it’s going to be really challenging today because we’re talking about Peter denying that he knew Jesus. So yeah, it’s a big one.

Chris:
Big event. Big event. But before we do that, Jeff.

Jeff:
Yeah. So I have a segment for you today. We’re going to do Two Truths and a Lie.

Chris:
Yeah. And this is similar to what we did last week.

Jeff:
Yeah. The last time it was you did Two Truths and a Lie. Yeah. And I had to guess. So today, I’m going to choose a theme today. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So I’m going to give you Two Truths and a Lie. So… Hit me. Yeah. Not literally. Oh, I was going to say Sweet. That’s even a better game. Uh, let me see two punches in the jab. So, um, uh, I once won a, uh, video game tournament and was invited to the world championships. I, uh, am ranked in the top half percent in the world on my favorite video game right now. And I own a hybrid version of Gallica and Miss Pac-Man. It’s in my man cave in the basement.

Chris:
Okay. First of all, All three of these statements are blowing me out of the water. I had no idea. As long as I’ve known you, you have never talked about any of this.

Jeff:
Because I don’t brag a lot, Chris.

Chris:
I’m not a bragger. Not even a breath. I’ve never even heard you mention Miss Packman. Is it the fast version of Miss Packman? Yes. Okay. Listen. This is, this is, we got to talk. Okay. The Fast Version of Ms. Pac-Man is my game.

Jeff:
Is that your game?

Chris:
Dude, I remember getting the high score in Missouri. I would sit there for hours and hours and hours.

Jeff:
Yeah, but have you ever been invited to a world championship?

Chris:
Okay, so two truths and a lie. The first truth was you’re, you, you were invited to a world championship. The next truth was you’re considered in the top half percent. And the third truth, the third statement was, I own it at home. You own it at home. I’m going to say, and two of these are true, man, what is happening in my life? Okay. I’m going to say you were never invited anywhere.

Jeff:
No, I was. Yeah, I was. Yeah. So it’s a funny story. So the lie was, well, do you want to choose from the other two?

Chris:
Well, yeah, it’s going to be the half percent.

Jeff:
No, that was true too.

Chris:
How could you be as good as something that you don’t own?

Jeff:
Not it’s not the same game. That’s what so that was that was a false flag. So I don’t Gallagher and miss pac-man. So the game that you’re actually good at So my sons that here’s here’s me getting invited to a world championship my sons Were teenagers and they wanted to go to a video game tournament. They thought they were really really good at Mario Brothers and And so they went to this tournament and I’m just walking around with them in the tournament and they had a Gran Turismo set up. And so they keep saying, hey, you want to do this? I kept saying, no, I’m not interested. Oh, there’s big prizes, all this stuff. I didn’t want to do it. Finally, the tournament just kept going on and on and on. So I go in and I sit down and I wind up winning the Michigan version of that, but I placed in the top 50 in the world. So I got invited to the world championships in Dallas. And so I’m like 40 something years old and people call me. And, uh, they say, uh, Hey, so Jeff Jeffrey, they called me Jeffrey. Cause I had to, you know, log in what everything, Jeffrey, we are so excited. Uh, you placed in the, like the top 20. And so we’re bringing in like the top 20 racers in the world to Dallas. And so we’re going to pay for you and your guardian, uh, to fly first class and you can stay in a hotel. And, uh, all your guardian has to do is sign off on this. It’s going to be amazing. And I said, Can I have my wife sign off on it? She goes, what? I said, why do I have to have a guardian? She goes, how old are you? I said, I’m 40. And she went, Oh my gosh. So it was all teenagers had one and me.

Chris:
Okay. Let’s back up and let me ask you this question. That’s hilarious. Yeah. Uh, what, uh, so grant trees was a racing game. I know, but, Oh, I know that. But why were you good at it? Cause you’d played a ton or you just, just good at it.

Jeff:
I literally, I sat down and won it.

Chris:
So in other words, you’d never played it to that point?

Jeff:
Well, I’d played Gran Turismo before, but not in the whole rig, you know, driving rig setup and all that kind of stuff. It just, yeah. It was just something you were decently good at. So they sent me thousands of dollars worth of prizes. It was pretty great, but I declined to go to the world championship. I didn’t want to go play against a bunch of teenagers. I was kind of embarrassed at that point. And I was pastoring at Heritage Church. So that’s one. The other one is right now I’m ranked in the top half percent in the world in Call of Duty Mobile. Yeah. Yeah, there’s like 40 million people or 30 million people, something like that, that play Call of Duty. And yeah, I’m in like the top 20,000 or something. Yeah.

Chris:
Okay. Isn’t that funny? You have never once breathed any of that information. Isn’t that weird? Yeah. Oh no, not weird. It’s just, it’s surprising.

Jeff:
So that’s my fallback in case ministry doesn’t work out. I’m a professional gamer.

Chris:
I had no idea. Dude, I would not have pegged that.

Jeff:
Wow. You didn’t know those two things about me. No. Good. Well, I win.

Chris:
Dude, you never mentioned it. I win. I know. Okay. You know me well enough to know, had you breathed any of that, I would have logged that in my memory bank.

Jeff:
Yes, I know. That’s why, that’s why I did those. Cause I knew, I don’t think I’ve ever talked to you about that. Wow.

Chris:
Amazing. I am truly surprised.

Jeff:
Wow. So last week I think we had one of those tell us some secret skills that you’ve never mentioned before, remember?

Chris:
Yeah.

Jeff:
I almost told those and I thought now I’m going to save those for the next… Wow.

Chris:
Yeah. Son of a gun. Yeah.

Jeff:
There you go.

Chris:
Alright, well hey, why don’t you blow me away again by reading the passages found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and this is the big event today.

Jeff:
Yes. So, Matthew chapter 26, verse 69, it says, Meanwhile, you know, during this trial, in Caiaphas’s house. Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, you were one of those with Jesus the Galilean, but Peter denied it in front of everyone. I don’t know what you’re talking about, he said. Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said, those standing around, this man was with Jesus of Nazareth. Again, Peter denied it, this time with an oath. I don’t even know the man, Jesus said. A little later, some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, you must be one of them. We can tell by your Galilean accent. Peter swore, a curse on me if I’m lying. I don’t know the man. And immediately, the rooster crowed. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind. Before the rooster crows, you will deny me. three times that you even know me.” And he went away weeping bitterly. In Mark chapter 14 verse 66 it says, Meanwhile Peter was in the courtyard below when one of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, You were one of those with Jesus in Nazareth. But Peter denied it. I don’t know what you’re talking about, he said. And he went out into the entryway, just then a rooster crowed. When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, this man is definitely one of them. But Peter denied it again. A little later, some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, you must be one of them because you’re a Galilean. Peter swore a curse on me if I’m lying. I don’t know this man you’re talking about. And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind. Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me. He broke down and wept. Luke chapter 22 verse 54, remember how we skipped this piece yesterday? It says, And Peter followed at a distance, and the guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him, and finally she said, This man was one of Jesus’ followers. But Jesus denied it. Woman, he said, I don’t even know him. After a while, someone else looked at him and said, You must be one of them. No, I’m not. Peter retorted. About an hour later, someone else insisted, this must be one of them because he’s a Galilean too. But Peter said, man, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Immediately while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. At that moment, the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you’ll deny three times that you even know me. Peter left the courtyard weeping bitterly. And then in John chapter 18 verse 25 it says, Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, you’re not one of his disciples, are you? And he denied it saying, no, I’m not. But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off asked, didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus? And again, Peter denied it and immediately a rooster crowed.

Chris:
Yeah, so John includes two denials, but isn’t John the one that included the denial at Annas?

Jeff:
Yeah, let’s go back and see. That’s a great one, because I was going to ask the same question. Yes, it is. It’s John. Yeah, so John has… John lets us know one of them was at Annas’ house, the other was at Caiaphas’ house. The other two were at Caiaphas’ house.

Chris:
Which, by the way, I’m not sure until this moment that I’ve ever pieced that together.

Jeff:
That’s why it’s the benefit of reading these in order like this.

Chris:
Okay, so in other words, like, so Matthew, Mark, and Luke talk about him being in a courtyard, but let’s keep in mind that through the last couple days, what we saw is that they were in the courtyard in front of Annas’ house. Yeah. And they were also in the courtyard in front of Caiaphas’s house.

Jeff:
Right. Which are very, very close. If you ever look at a map of, of Jerusalem, they’re close, right? Caiaphas’s house and Annas’s house probably were very, very, were maybe even next door.

Chris:
Yeah.

Jeff:
So, so remember, John is the one who knew them. Right. And he had access in. So he would have known this is Kaif, this is house, this is Anas’s house. But maybe Matthew didn’t know the difference between the two. Because oftentimes in the Middle East, they build these big complexes, right? It’s not just a house and you get your little yard and your little fence around your yard, right? A lot of times it would be complexes. And then you’re in the city where everything’s built wall to wall, to wall, to wall, to wall, to wall. And so they may not have realized that they were in two different homes at the same level. But John clearly knew that courtyard was Anas’s courtyard. That courtyard is Caiaphas’ courtyard.

Chris:
And that would make sense with the insight of knowing that John was on the inside of things.

Jeff:
Yeah, yeah, he knew them.

Chris:
So, first of all, wow, that’s fascinating. Because that’s a detail that I don’t think I’ve ever even heard anybody say before.

Jeff:
Again, those little details prove the historicity of this to me.

Chris:
And now let’s talk about this fact. So, I went to Caiaphas’ house. And, and there’s, you know, again, when you go to Israel, there are places where they rank, you know, one, two, and three, this was definitely it, this may have been it, this was close. And they rank Caiaphas’s house as definitely it. So, you know, and there’s still, there’s a structure still there and, and the place where Jesus would have spent the night in the dungeon down there in the cave. And then also the walls separate, you know, the walls around Caiaphas’s house, which by the way, it was a pretty big, uh, was a pretty big, um, uh, courtyard and pretty big, uh, property. And, and by the way, incidentally, side note, there is also a set of stairs that Jesus would have had to have walked, uh, up to get to, to get there. And those stairs, you know, I could just even imagine, you know, as you’re walking those stairs, you’re like trying to imagine how hard it would have been Anyway, so it was a very emotional place to be in, but let me talk about the courtyard for a minute. This is the purpose of me talking about this, is that only Luke says the Lord turned and looked at Peter, right? So how in the world would Jesus have been inside the house and Peter outside in the courtyard, and then all of a sudden, how would Jesus have turned and looked at Peter? It wasn’t through a window. It was because, at that moment, Jesus was coming outside, and so there’s two systems of belief here. This is what the tour guide told us, because people in Israel, how knowledgeable are the tour guides?

Jeff:
Well, they have to go to college in order to get to be licensed as a guide. Right. Right. Right. Because they’re historians is what they are. They’re not just tour guides like, and over here is the Liberty Bell. They’re historians that are preserving the history of Israel. So they can’t get licensed unless they’ve gone to college for it.

Chris:
Right. Yeah. So, so I remember the tour guide telling us that one of two things, either the courtyard was on this side of the wall with the gate or was on this side of the wall. If it was on this side of the wall, it would have been pretty small courtyard. It’s not likely. That would mean that Jesus would have come out of the house and they would have been over here on this side of the wall, which is a very small area. Not likely for somebody who was awaiting Caiaphas’s trials. there would have been a larger crowds, which means probability is pretty high. They don’t know for sure, but probability is really high that it would have been outside walls with gates. So in other words, in order for Jesus to have looked upon Peter, and by the way, the wooden doors were no longer there. So it was like two walls that had come together with an entrance and there would have been either some iron gates or some wooden gates that would have been closed. Probably wooden gates because they want people peering in on private property where the house is. So imagine these two walls, the courtyard being outside, the trial taking place on the inside. And so Peter thinking he’s, you know, separated by Jesus with a wall and some gates. And then all of a sudden he denies. And it says, as he was speaking, Here’s what must have happened. So scholars say what must have happened is the gates opened at that moment. Peter denies the rooster crows. It happens in one swoop. And all of a sudden the Lord has his eyes locked on Peter. So imagine that you’re on the outside. Jesus is going through a trial on the inside. And then all of a sudden, as you deny him the third time, you know, boom, the gates open, the trial’s over. He’s in chains or whatever he is, right? Guarded. And it’s that look, it’s that haunting look that really sticks with you. And I mentioned the haunting look in the garden when Judas came in and he says, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? And that look right into your eyes. Well, in this case, it would have been completely different because Peter is, you know, the follower of Christ, right? He’s considered by some to be the number one leader of the disciples on the inner circle. And so that look is probably the most haunting and guilt-filled look maybe described in all the scriptures. Yeah. And so, yeah, that’s just, yeah, it’s just terrible.

Jeff:
Well, you find him denying Christ in at the same time trying to fit in with the crowd. Right. So the girl comes in, she goes, and she was a relative of Malchus. They’ll say, wait a minute, aren’t you? You were one of those guys. No, woman, I don’t know what you’re talking about. So the guy says, no, I’m pretty sure. Yeah, you were one of those. And he goes, man, I don’t know what you’re talking about. And the last one he starts cussing. Right. Right. Blankety blank. I don’t know what you’re talking about. He swears an oath, too. Yeah, yeah. And, and, uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about. And they say, Hey, no, we recognize you because, uh, you have a Galilean accent. The, the people in Jerusalem, they were the educated, they were the elite. They were the ones who’d arrived and they viewed the people from, um, uh, Galilee kind of like hillbillies, right. In their minds, they’re thinking uneducated, uh, very different accent. You stand out, uh, you, you’re not one of us. And so in that context, he’s kind of, He’s trying really hard to fit in, and he’s around these tough soldiers. It’s the soldiers that hauled Jesus in.

Chris:
Which is pretty crazy. I can’t imagine how that played out. Did he like walk up to the fire and then realize, uh-oh, there’s soldiers that cool that cool?

Jeff:
and just start washing his hands and trying to, you know, pull his cloak around his face and not be noticed, but they could tell by his language and his words, but he was trying to fit in. And usually when we work hard to try to fit in with the world, we’re going to deny Christ at some point. I think that’s, that’s the path that he goes down here. And, uh, but the good news is, you know, there’s a note here that says for Luke 22, 55, it says Peter’s experiences in the next few hours would change his life. He would change from a half-hearted follower to a repentant disciple and finally to the kind of person Christ could use to build his church. Right? What a great, that’s what happens here, right? Cause he weeps bitterly immediately. And that’s what our sin should do to us, right? Should break our hearts. He weeps bitterly. He eventually, Jesus gives him an opportunity to repent after the resurrection. And then he gets back up and he throws himself at serving Jesus the rest of his life. And, and he has exactly the right response to his sin. at this point, his denial of Christ. But it came, I think, partly because he’s trying really hard to fit in, to not bring attention to himself. And a lot of times we do that in the world. We don’t want to stand out. So we vote the way they vote. We talk the way they talk. We do what they do. We don’t want to stand up and say that’s not the right thing to do. And then eventually, you know, we’ve slipped into

Chris:
You know, it, it reminds me of Daniel chapter one, right? What is it like verse eight or whatever, where he says, but Daniel purpose in his heart, you know, not to defile himself with a portion of the King’s, you know, the vegetables and the wine. And it says that he, he just, he just refused. He made up his mind not to give in or compromise. And it’s the opposite of what Peter’s doing here. So obviously Peter’s under great duress. He’s under great stress. He’s afraid. He knows what might happen if he gets recognized as a follower. His life could be on the line. And when that happens, you don’t know how you’re going to act in the moment. But Peter obviously was scared. So instead of going in there with great resolve, kind of like in the garden, remember when you pull out the sword? He must have thought this work is a great resolve. Yes. He’s like, okay, here it is, buddy. This is it. I’m going down with Jesus right now. That’s great resolve. That’s, that’s purposing your heart. But at this point, all that’s gone. Right. And so he’s, he’s following, he doesn’t know what to do. There’s no purpose or resolve. And so the Bible says to be in the world, but not of the world.

Jeff:
Right. There’s a, that reminds me of Elijah. Remember Elijah is so tough. He goes and defeats the prophets of Baal and then he’s running from Jezebel and he’s hiding and he just wants God to kill him.

Chris:
Right. The very next verse. Yeah.

Jeff:
You know, and that’s what we do. So sometimes we’re hot, sometimes we’re cold, but the issue is you have a choice. Every time you’re faced with these moments, either you run to Jesus or from Jesus. Right. And Jesus came looking for Peter and he gave Peter an opportunity to come back to him. And he, he just leaned in. There’s also another note here, just to button up the piece we were talking about before. It says Caiaphas’ home and Annas’ home were part of a huge palace complex. There it is. So they probably shared multiple courtyards.

Chris:
Which would make sense since they’re related.

Jeff:
Right, right. And it’s why the story of Peter in John has Annas’ courtyard, Caiaphas’ courtyard, and Matthew, Mark, and Luke just say Caiaphas’ courtyard is because it was all together, right? It was all blended together because they were part of a giant palace complex.

Chris:
So yeah, it’s really interesting. Which would mean that when I was at Caiaphas’ house, I was also at Annas’ house.

Jeff:
Well, you were probably at Caiaphas’s dwelling space, but it would have been a giant palace complex. So a lot of times what they do is they build those walls, and then the homes would be built into the walls. So if you were on the south wall, that was Caiaphas’s house, and maybe Annas’s was on the, you know, the other wall, you know, to the north or whatever, that’s what it could have been. But however it is, Bonnie and I, we went to Morocco and we stayed in these riads. They were palaces and they had these big open courtyards in the middle. And then the houses, the house itself, the mansion, the palace was built around the courtyard. That’s every place we stayed in Morocco was the same way. It was really, really cool. And so we’d go out for breakfast in the morning. There’d be a fountain, there’d be out palm trees and stuff in the courtyard. And there’d be other people staying in the palace at the same time. And we’d all sit at different tables and stuff, and there would be a couple of little courtyards, a couple of little private spots throughout the thing. And that’s exactly how I’m envisioning this is, you know, this Middle Eastern mindset of building multiple homes around one courtyard, but it’s one giant complex.

Chris:
Yeah. Which that was the purpose of a courtyard. It was a shared space in the middle. And for political reasons.

Jeff:
To park your Lamborghinis, I think.

Chris:
Yeah, right. In Morocco, probably, yes. Right. But for here, obviously, for political purposes, the courtyard would have been a shared space for crowds. That’s correct. And people and things like that. Gatherings. Yeah. So, wow. That is just an unbelievable insight that John had. And it makes so much sense since he was in the inside of things.

Jeff:
Yeah. And so when you read those things, you should feel more confident that, wow, these are real eyewitness accounts because they’re giving details that fit, but they’re different details. And that’s really great. And then obviously with Peter, this was, these experiences over a 12 hour period were some of the most devastating things, but God used them in some of the greatest ways to make him into the great man that he was going to be.

Chris:
Right? Cause we’re about to see the breakfast on the beach. It’s coming, baby. So, all right. Well, hey, that’s it for this week. And hopefully we’ll pick up on Monday with you on The Bible Guys.