Jesus has been betrayed, arrested, brought before the high priest and beaten for speaking the truth that He is the Son of God, that is to say, the Messiah… God Himself. This dramatic series of events unfolds quickly and Jesus’ disciples struggle with how to react, even though Jesus warned them ahead of time on multiple occasions that He would be betrayed, suffer, die, and rise from the dead. In Matthew 26: 69-75 we see Peter struggling to remain loyal to Jesus while dealing with fear and in the end we see Him fail by denying Jesus three times, as Jesus predicted.
Peter’s Denials
69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” 74Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. 75And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Let us remember to give Peter the respect he is due. Peter recognized that Jesus was the Son of God… the Messiah (Matthew 16:13-20). Peter raised the sword to protect Jesus in Gethsemane (John 18:10). Peter followed Jesus to the high priest when other disciples fled. Peter had a passion for Jesus and a strong loyalty toward Him.
However, despite the multiple warnings or prophecy about what was to happen, Peter and the other disciples were overwhelmed with the quick pace of events laid out in Matthew 26. In the end, Peter denies Jesus three times despite his confidence expressed earlier in Matthew 26:35.
35Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.
When Peter realized that he had failed Jesus as Jesus predicted, he did not make excuses! He wept bitterly… he realized and accepted that he had failed. Then he had an important decision to make… what to do next. I can personally identify with Peter as there are times in my life that despite my passion for Christ, I still fall short of living for Him as fully as I should. I have moments in which I fail under pressure. I have tremendous respect that Peter never made excuses for this failure… instead he overcame it and changed his behavior to better serve Jesus and as we see reading through the remainder of the New Testament, Peter was used by God to great service and purpose!
God’s strength works best in our weakness. Be encouraged and follow in Peter’s example to recognize, admit, and turn away from mistakes you make in seeking to serve Jesus. Ask forgiveness and ask the Holy Spirit into your life fully to strengthen and help you serve Jesus more effectively. Dedicate yourself to study of scriptures, application of scripture to your life and consistent and meaningful prayer life with God.
God can and does use those of us who fail at times or make mistakes! Praise God we do not have to be perfect.
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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.
