NOTES for Luk 22:45-23:1
What caused Peter's betrayal? Apostasy? Fear? Hardly: after all, only recently he had promised Jesus that he would die with Him if necessary. Peter was certainly a passionate and decisive man, but he was far from a boy who would throw words around and make careless promises. And he was certainly not cowardly; everything we know about him from the Gospel accounts testifies to that. Then what was it? Perhaps the suddenness and paradox of everything that was happening? Peter had certainly promised to be with Jesus to the end, as had all His other disciples. But what were they expecting? Jesus had more than once told them about His coming suffering and death, as well as His resurrection. But the apostles, it appears, never fully understood Him; everything became more or less clear to them only after the Resurrection, and finally clear, it seems, only after Pentecost. Even on the day of the Ascension they expected that now, at last, their Teacher would restore the "kingdom of Israel" and become the "real Messiah," the King whom many were expecting then. And at that time, during and immediately after the Last Supper, they seem to have been absolutely sure that the uprising was about to begin, that their Teacher would of course be in mortal danger, and that they were ready to stay with Him to the end, whatever happened. And suddenly there is no uprising; their Teacher surrenders without resistance; everything is over, completely and disastrously over. What should they do next? It is no surprise that everyone runs away. If everything ended before it began, then what is there to remain faithful to? To a Teacher who, as it seemed, had renounced all His plans? Only Peter had enough resolve for that; he stayed to see what would happen to Jesus next. And suddenly: but you were with Him! From one side, from another, from a third... And now for Peter: whether I was or was not, what difference does it make? What does it matter now, when everything is over? "I was not! I know nothing and no one; leave me alone!" That was the first and entirely natural reaction. And immediately, like lightning, a flash lit up his consciousness: I betrayed Him! I denied Him! This is what He warned me about! And at once came deep, burning repentance. Repentance that restores hope.