Journey to the Passion: Shattered Hearts

April 13, 2025, Passion Sunday – Luke 19:28-40, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14—23:56

We began this service with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on the donkey as the people waved palms and shouted “Hosanna!” We’ve just heard the whole passion narrative that begins with the final supper that Jesus shared with his closest friends and ends with his cruel and horrific death in a Roman execution.

Throughout this season of Lent, I’ve been talking about different kinds of hearts. I’ve talked about tempted hearts, committed hearts, hungry hearts, resentful hearts, and Maundy Thursday I’ll be talking about healing hearts. At the end of today’s gospel narrative, all we have are shattered hearts.

Sunday, we’ll be in the space of joyfully bursting tombs and hearts, but today, I just want to focus on the shattered heart of Peter.

Peter’s heart doesn’t start out shattered. In fact, he and the other disciples get into a fight about who would be the greatest among them. That must have really got on Jesus’ last nerve though he doesn’t show it. But in that last supper, Jesus knows that Judas will betray him, and that Peter will deny him.

Maybe that shattered his own heart a little bit. And yet he broke the bread and shared the wine with them and loved them with a devastatingly open heart as we’ll soon hear.

I’d not noticed before this little piece in the text about Satan’s demanding to sift the disciples like wheat. We might recall here how the Satan, the adversary or accuser, puts pressure on people like he did with Job to test his faith. He wanted to see if Job would still be true and faithful to God even if he lost everything he loved along with his own health.

Jesus knows that his disciples’ hearts will be tested after his death.

He knows their faith will fail them with the slightest pressure. Initially, Peter thinks very highly of himself, saying, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!” but we of course know what really happens when he’s questioned around the fire.

I think it’s very interesting that even before Jesus tells Peter that he’ll deny him three times before dawn, he says “but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail, and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus hopes it may not be the case, but deep down he already knows that Peter will lose his faith. But he also knows he’ll turn back.

As Jesus predicted, Peter denies knowing him three times. And before the last denial is completely out of his mouth, the cock crows. I want to draw your attention to the next sentence because it’s so powerful. It just says, “The Lord turned and looked at Peter.”

Can you imagine how time must have stopped in that look?

Close your eyes for a moment and put yourself in the scene, in Peter’s shoes. You and your friends have just been enjoying a good meal, boasting about how great you all are. Maybe you’re feeling the effects of the wine a bit when you go out into the garden, and maybe you’re a little dozy while Jesus is praying.

But you’re snapped to attention when the soldiers come, and your beloved teacher is dragged away. Jesus is taken to the high priests, and now you’re wide awake and very afraid. This is serious business. Everyone else has scattered to the wind, but you, Peter, have got to find out what happens to Jesus, so you follow from a distance and sit by the fire watching, trying your best to blend in.

But you’re sticking out like a sore thumb, and when people connect you to the prisoner, you’re terrified they’ll report you to the guards too, and so you deny that you know that man – over and over again. And then you hear it. The cock crowing, just as Jesus predicted.

You look at him, and his eyes lock onto yours.

What do you see in Jesus’ eyes? Anger? Disappointment? Disgust? We don’t know for sure. But I imagine what Peter saw in Jesus’ eyes was a sorrowful love that shattered his own heart.

And he went out and wept bitterly.