Lesson 5 – Peter Denies Jesus

Though we, like Peter, deny Jesus and His gifts, Jesus does not deny us because we belong to Him as baptized members of His Body, the Church. Instead He forgives us and welcomes us back. 

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Discovery Guide, and the Lesson 5 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees Peter denying that he knows Jesus. Also paper and pencil or crayons will be needed.

Read the Faith Words on page 4 of the leaflet

The Invocation: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The words of the Invocation call upon the name of the triune God, the same name into which we are baptized. God the Father sent His Son to pay for our sin by His blood; Jesus died on the cross as that perfect sacrifice for sin; the Holy Spirit gives us faith in Jesus through water and the Word. We are truly blessed!

Listen to and read the words of the hymn "Glory Be to Jesus".

Prayer: Heavenly Father, although we are sinful people by nature and sinful people by our actions, You still love and forgive us because of Your Son, Jesus. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit as we study Your Word. Help us live as Your children for Jesus' sake. In His name we pray. Amen.

God Speaks

We tell a lie about someone else, when we try to blame others for something we have done, when we are jealous of them, or when we try to hurt them.

God gave us a commandment against telling lies. Which one is it? The Eighth Commandment.

When we break any of the Commandments, we sin. We can't help sinning because we are sinful by nature. Just being born human makes us sinful, even if we never committed any sinful act.

Jesus alone did not sin but kept all of the Commandments perfectly. What good news do we have because He was able to keep them? Because He fulfilled all of the Law and even died for us, we are forgiven. We gain salvation in His name through Baptism.

This lesson  teaches about a time when Peter broke the Eighth Commandment. He pretended not to know Jesus and even cursed himself (a Second Commandment sin) to back up his lie.

What is another word that describes Peter's actions? Deny.

Every sin is a denial of Jesus' death on the cross.  When we deny Jesus, we are despising His Word that announces forgiveness, life, and salvation won for us by Jesus' death and resurrection.

Locate the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives on the map on pages 10-11 in the Bible Discovery Guide.

Continue with the activity Peter Denies Jesus on page 2 in the leaflet. Follow the directions and answer the questions.

Read Mark 14:26-72

Here are the answers:

• See verse 27. Jesus quoted Zechariah 13:7.
• See verse 28.
• In verse 29, Peter said that even if the others fell away, he would remain faithful.
• Jesus knew, according to verse 30, that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed twice.
• True See verse 31. Read Mark 14:32-36. Discuss the meaning of Abba.
• The disciples, except for Judas, who had left earlier in the evening, went to Gethsemane together. Peter, James, and John went farther with Jesus, according to verse 33.
• See verses 33-35.
• Jesus fell on the ground to pray that, if it were possible, His Father would allow the cup to pass from Him. Read Mark 14:37-42.
• Sin, breaking God's Commandments, deserves to be punished. The punishment for sin is death. Jesus took the punishment for sin so that all who believe in Him will have eternal life. See Romans 6:23.
• Jesus found Peter, James, and John sleeping.
• See verses 41-42.
• Verse 47 tells us that someone cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest with a sword. Read John 18:10. It was Simon Peter who used his sword. Read Luke 22:51. Jesus healed the servant with a touch.
• See Mark 14:50.
• See verse 54.
• See verses 55-59.
• In verse 61, the high priest asked, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus answered, "l am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven" (verse 62). Read Exodus 3:13-15. Jesus' answer, "l am, echoes the name of the one who sent Him, the God of Israel. The high priest knew the words of God from the Books of Moses.
• Peter denied knowing or understanding what she meant (v. 68).
• See verse 68
• See verses 70-71,
• See verse 72. Peter recognized his sin of denying the Lord to protect himself. His tears were those of remorse and repentance.

We Live

How did Peter deny Jesus? By saying he"[did] not know this man" [verse 71), Peter denied knowing Jesus or being one of His disciples.

Do we ever deny Jesus? We sometimes deny Jesus by what we say, and sometimes we say nothing when we should speak. Perhaps we are in a situation where admitting that we are a Christian might bring ridicule from peers or embarrassment, so we deny that we know and believe in Jesus as our Savior from sin. Denying Jesus is not merely claiming not to know Him; it is renouncing Him and His death on the cross for us and shoving away His gifts. When we turn our back on Jesus, when we don't think Jesus will forgive us for something we did wrong, when, by our actions, we fail to live as the disciples He has called us to be in our Baptism, we deny Jesus and His gifts.

What gifts from Jesus do we deny? His love and forgiveness, especially when we feel extremely guilty for a sin against God or another person, or when we skip church or Sunday School, where we might hear His Word of forgiveness. Sometimes we deny that He cares about us or will help us when we pray to Him.

How did Judas betray Jesus? Judas identified Jesus by greeting Him with a kiss and the name Rabbi.

How is Peter's denial like Judas's betrayal? Both were selfish: Judas received money from the Jews; Peter was afraid for his own well-being. Both contributed to Jesus' being leftalone to suffer and die for our sins.

Do we ever betray Jesus? When we knowingly sin, or when we do not care if we sin, we also betray Jesus.

Identify the ways Peter broke the Second Commandment, as well as the Eighth. Peter failed to call upon His name when he slept in Gethsemane instead of praying as Jesus instructed; Peter called a curse upon himself and lied by saying he did not know Jesus.

We also break this commandment when we fail to pray and when we fail to tell the truth-or the complete truth-and when we use God's name however it suits us.

Romans 3:23 on page 3 of the leaflet.

We are sinful by nature. In our sin, we deny Jesus and separate ourselves from Him; thus, we are condemned. Unrepentant sinners remain separated from Him and continue to deny Him.

Even when we deny Jesus in sin, Jesus cannot deny us because we are part of Him. When we were baptized, we "put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27), and Christ lives in us. Jesus will not deny us, because we are baptized into Him. Through our Baptism, Jesus' righteousness covers our sins.

When God sees us, He sees His Son, Jesus. Though we, like Peter, deny Jesus and His gifts, Jesus cannot deny us because we are baptized members of His Body. He still loves us, draws us back to Himself as if we never denied Him, forgives us, and welcomes us back. Jesus cannot deny us because He is God. Even when we deny Him, Jesus will never turn His back on us, never refuse us, and never stop loving us.

Print and cut out the puzzle pieces at the end of the lesson and glue them on the squares on page 3 of the leaflet to complete the picture.

God shows His grace to Peter and all people, including us. God graciously saved Peter from drowning and forgave him for his weak faith and doubt.

How was God gracious to Peter in our story today? Even though Jesus knew Peter would not be able to remain faithful to Him, Jesus faithfully endured the tortures of the day after Peter's denial and went to the cross to die for Peter's sins. Jesus did not deny Peter.

Read Luke 22:61.

Luke is the only Gospel writer who tells us that after Peter's third denial (turning his back on Jesus), Jesus did not deny or turn His back on Peter. Rather, Jesus turned to look at Peter, knowing that Peter had given in to temptation.

How is God gracious to us? Even when we deny Jesus, He will never turn His back on us, never refuse us, and never stop loving us. He calls us to repent of our sins, forgives us, and welcomes us back.

Peter denied Jesus just like we do, yet God forgave him. We will learn that God helped him so that he confessed Christ until he died.

Closing

Again, listen to the hymn "What Is This Bread".

On page 4 of the leaflet:

• Review the Key Point of this lesson.
• Read the Bible Words.
• Read the Prayer.

Listen to and read the words of another version of the hymn "Glory Be to Jesus".

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, You have shown us from Your Word how Peter denied Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through Your mercy, You forgave Peter. We also sin and deny Your Son, Jesus. Through our Baptism, You also are gracious and merciful to us and forgive us. Keep us firmly rooted in Your Word, so that we may know Your mercy, love, and forgiveness for Jesus' sake. In His name we pray. Amen.