Fourth Sermon on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ - John Calvin
The Humiliation of Jesus Christ
Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me. – Matthew 26:67-27:10
The Salvation of Peter and Judas
As Saint Paul says, the preaching of the Gospel is an odor of life to those whom God calls to salvation, and an odor of death to all reprobates who perish. Here, we have two noteworthy examples to show that the death and passion of the Son of God were to the salvation of one and pushed another into condemnation. In the fall of Peter, we see his need to be drawn out of the pit in which he was trapped. While he was there, he was banished from the Kingdom of Heaven, alienated from all hope of salvation, and cut off from the Church as a rotten member. Nevertheless, the death of our Lord Jesus did not fail to benefit him, although he may not have been worthy of it. As for Judas, it is said that, seeing that Jesus Christ was condemned, he was seized with despair. In this condemnation of our Lord Jesus (as we have said), one must take courage to hope in God. We are absolved by virtue of the fact that our Lord Jesus was condemned. But it was necessary that we have these two mirrors here in order to know that unless we are, by special grace, called to be sharers of the fruit of the death and passion of the Son of God, it will be useless to us. It is not enough, then, that our Lord Jesus Christ has suffered, but the good He acquired for us must be communicated, and we must be put in possession of it. This is done when we are drawn to Him by faith.
The Shame of Jesus for Our Redemption
To better understand this, let us follow the thread of the history here narrated. It is said that our Lord Jesus was treated with every shame in the house of Caiaphas, that they spit in His face, that He was insulted, and mocked by being called “Prophet,” indeed in disgrace. Now, this was in order that we might know that what He suffered in His person was to deliver us before God and His Angels. For no one needs to spit in our face for us to bear many spots and blemishes before God. All of us are not only disfigured by our sins but full of infection and abominable. Here is the Son of God, Who is His living image, where His glory and majesty shine, Who suffered such shames in order that in His name now we can appear before God to obtain grace and that He may know us and own us as His children, and that all our stains and spots may be wiped away. That (I say) is what we have to consider in the first place.
Peter’s Denial and the Need for Divine Strength
Now we come to the fall of Peter. It is said, “A chambermaid, seeing him, accused him of being a disciple of Jesus. He denies it.” Another chambermaid returns, and he denies it again. Then more press him, and he begins to swear and even curse, as if to say, “May I be damned, may I perish, may the earth swallow me up if I know Him.” There is the fall of Saint Peter, and not just once, but three times, so heavily and enormously that we surely ought to be frightened reading this history. Now we know the zeal that was in him. He had been praised by our Lord Jesus Christ, and the name of Peter had been given to him to note the firmness and constancy of his faith. He had been taught in such a good school, having heard this doctrine: “Whoever will renounce Me before men, him will I also renounce before God My Father.” Yet we see how he stumbles. Each one of us should surely tremble here. For unless we are sustained from on high, the weakness of Peter was no greater than ours.
The Frailty of Man Without God’s Help
We see how frail men are when God has let go of His hand. This is not spoken of some mocker, some profane man who has never heard a word of the Gospel, who has no fear of God, and who has borne no reverence to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is entirely the opposite. For there were already some excellent gifts in Peter. It had been said to him from the mouth of the Son of God, “Flesh and blood have not revealed to you these things, but My Father.” It is then the Spirit of God that dwells in Peter. Yet how little he resists renouncing our Lord Jesus! A chamber-maid! If a man had assailed him, or if it had been some honorable person who had assailed him, there might have been some excuse. But we see that it required only a chamber-maid to make him give up hope of life and salvation.
The Necessity of Constant Divine Assistance
Let us contemplate in the person of Peter that it is very necessary that God strengthen us each minute of time. For it is impossible to persevere otherwise. Although we may have tried to draw near to God, and though we may have done many deeds of virtue, at the least little turning of the hand, we shall be entirely changed unless God continues to give us invincible constancy. Let us learn to practice the admonition of Saint Paul: “Let him who stands take heed lest he fall.” It is true that we cannot maintain ourselves, but let us have recourse to Him Who has the means. However, let us walk in all humility. As Saint Paul says in another passage, “Since it is God Who gives the will and the deed and He does it by His good pleasure, be advised (says he) to work out your salvation in fear and trembling.”
The Escalating Denial of Peter
It is even worse that it is not only once that he denies the Lord Jesus, but he repeats it as many times as he is questioned. We see that it did not matter to him that he was going from bad to worse, even adding execration, as if asking that God may curse him and swallow him up. When we see this, let us know that he who has fallen, instead of wanting to be raised soon, will plunge himself ever more deeply into ruin unless God remedies it. This is the condition of men. From the beginning, they make themselves believe that they are marvels in their own power. Yet our Lord shows by experience that it is nothing, and that only a little wind blows, and they are beaten down. Still, they are persuaded that they can stand up again, but they only augment their evil, adding fault upon fault, overflowing still more with preposterous deeds.
Peter’s Repentance and God’s Mercy
But it is a miracle that God had pity on him, and he still obtained mercy after committing such a detestable fault. We have declared that he could not have the excuse of ignorance. For it had been said to him that if he did not make confession of his faith and give testimony before men, he would deserve to be entirely cut off before the Angels of God and his name be erased from the book of life. Nevertheless, he is not yet led before the judges, and only a chamber-maid speaks to him. When he might have been rude, he had only fought as a poor, ill-starred creature. Yet he does not forget all fear of God.
The Look of Jesus and the Power of Repentance
When we see that, let us think how much more necessary it was for us that God displayed the infinite treasures of His goodness when He made Peter sharer of the fruit of the death and passion of His Son. It is a miracle that Peter obtained remission for such a great offense. For it is certain that if a man is touched to the quick after having failed, and he moans and wails before God to obtain pardon, it is a sign that God has already received him and reconciled him to Himself. Repentance is a peculiar gift proceeding from the Holy Spirit, showing that God has pity on us and does not wish us to perish. He draws us to Himself. Now we see that in Peter.
Judas’ Despair and the Hypocrisy of the Priests
Judas, after realizing the condemnation of Jesus, repented and threw down the money he had received as the price of betrayal. However, the Priests were not moved by it and decided to buy a potter’s field to bury strangers in. The Gospel tells us that this was to fulfill the prophecy of Jeremiah. We have here to consider that the death and passion of our Lord Jesus does not bear fruit in all men because it is a special grace that God gives to His elect. Although they have fallen, He raises them. However, Judas is entirely cut off from the number of the children of God, and his condemnation is made evident to all.
God’s Mercy and the Need for True Repentance
Let us learn to know in everything the inestimable goodness of our God. He declared His love toward mankind when He spared not His Only Son but delivered Him to death for sinners. He declares a love that He bears toward us when by His Holy Spirit, He touches us with the knowledge of our sins and draws us to Himself with repentance. The entrance to our Lord Jesus Christ does not proceed from us but is as it pleases God to show His election. Let us not make the mistake of Judas, but seek true repentance with a right confession before God, trusting that although we deserve a hundred thousand deaths, He will have mercy on us.
The Field of Blood and Hypocrisy
The Priests, though pretending to uphold some form of holiness, bought the field with the blood money, which they later called the “field of blood.” God turned their actions to fulfill the prophecy, showing that their hypocrisy would be exposed. Let us learn that when we fall, we must recognize our faults in truth and not try to hide them. Let us pray to God to remove the blindfold Satan tries to place on us, so that we may repent sincerely and receive His forgiveness.
The Fulfillment of Prophecy
Finally, the Gospel-writer cites the passage from Zechariah to show that the death of our Lord Jesus was a fulfillment of prophecy. The people of Israel showed ingratitude when they appraised God at thirty denarii. But it was necessary that this prophecy be fulfilled visibly, to show that the people had rejected the Eternal Shepherd. Let us remember this and dedicate our lives to our Lord Jesus Christ, who seeks only our salvation.
The Silence of Jesus Before Pilate
Now, to end, it is said, “Our Lord Jesus having been led before Pilate, answered nothing. Pilate asked Him, saying, ‘Do you not speak at all? Do you not see the witnesses they have brought here against you?’ And He held His peace, so that the judge marveled greatly.” This silence of our Lord Jesus Christ before the earthly judge was to show that He bore the condemnation we deserved before the heavenly Judge. Let us know that He bore all our sins upon Himself and accepted the sentence in our place. This is why we can now approach God boldly, knowing that we shall be received with mercy.
Conclusion
Now let us bow in humble reverence before the majesty of our God.