Scripture: Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:69-75 ESV
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Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, after a series of false testimonies, two witnesses corroborate that Jesus declared he could destroy and rebuild the temple in three days. Thus, Caiphas asks Jesus to respond to their accusation, but after Jesus remains silent, Caiphas demands an answer. So Jesus boldly states he is Daniel and Ezekiel’s Son of Man, who soon will take his seat of authority next to the All-Powerful One. At this point, Caiaphas is so enraged that he tears his robes and accuses Jesus of utter blasphemy. Hurriedly pressing on with his illegal night-time hearing, Caiaphas asks the elders for their judgment and gains the resounding answer he sought: “He deserves death.” They then show their extraordinary contempt for Jesus by slapping him, spitting on his face, and mocking him as the heretic who supposes himself to be the Christ.
Today’s reading continues the narrative of Jesus’ last hours before his crucifixion, telling of Peter’s denial of his Lord amid the darkness of the trial. All four Gospels record Peter’s denial with minor variances and additions that reveal different perspectives based on recall from conversations with Peter (Matthew, Mark, and John) or research (Luke); see Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:54-62; and John 18:15-18, 25-27. While all four cite that Peter denied that he was a disciple of Jesus three times, they vary on who asked the question and how many were present. These discrepancies are not unusual since each author emphasizes and minimizes based on what they deem necessary to convey the overarching point of the story to their audience.
Following Matthew’s text, a servant girl first questions Peter about his relationship with Jesus the Galilean. Anxious, he denies her allegation and relocates to the entrance, where another servant girl calls him out in front of bystanders. Frightened, he ups his denial by taking an oath to give credence to his lie. And a little while later, more bystanders insist Peter is part of Jesus’ zealots based on his Galilean accent. Terrified of where this could lead, Peter elevates the extent of his denial by calling down a curse on himself. But before he could finish his words, the rooster crows—jarring Peter’s memory of Jesus’ prophecy—at which point he rushes from the courtyard and weeps bitterly.
Takeaway: While Peter understandably caved under the fear of following his master’s path of suffering and death, as theologians Willliam Davies and Dale Allison contend in their three-volume commentary on Matthew, “Intent cannot always be judged when a thing is done once. But this is not true of something done thrice: repetition reflects resolution. This is why Peter’s multiple denials are so damning” (International Critical Commentary: Matthew, Vol.3, p.549). This stern assessment has an element of irony, for Peter called down damning curses on himself with his third emphatic denial.
Still, hope remains for Peter when he expresses sincere regret—not self-pity but genuine sorrow over denying his Lord and his transformed self. As theologian Michael Wilkins surmises, “The bitter weeping is recognition of his nothingness, because he has thrown away all that has given him a new identity as Jesus’ disciple” (NIV Application Commentary: Matthew, p.868). Undoubtedly overwhelmed with the feeling of emptiness in his heart and soul, Peter expresses godly grief that, in the words of Paul, leads to salvation without regret (2 Corinthians 7:10). Indeed, as Luke tells us, Peter’s Savior has already prayed that Satan would not sift him (Luke 22:31). And he will soon restore Peter to his calling as a shepherd of his sheep (John 21:15-17).
Our takeaway? As often said in our Daily Focus devotions regarding those who fall from grace, no sin is beyond the Son’s redemptive work and his Father’s forgiveness except that of unrepented unbelief in the salvific work of Christ and the sanctifying work of his Holy Spirit. Surely, there’s no better example of Christ’s saving grace than the thief next to him at Calvary. Acknowledging his sins and just punishment, the thief asks Jesus to remember him in his kingdom. Jesus unhesitantly reassures this repentant man that exhibits faith that he will join him in paradise (Luke 23:40-43).
So no matter the volume of our vitriol or the extent of our despicable behavior, while we may feel discouraged by our repeated failures, Christ has not disqualified us. As we read through these next few days of Jesus’ horrific execution, we must remember that while our sins ushered his death sentence, his and the Father’s love for us bound him to his cross—and that unfathomable sacrificial love redeems and restores.
Prayer: Father God, we are humbled by, and grateful for, your and your Son’s unfailing love for us expressed in his substitutionary death. Still, regretfully, like Peter, we sometimes cower in fear for our well-being and deny you and your Son’s lordship. So when we do, would you please help us move beyond our discouragement and remember that you and your Son have not disqualified us but instead have and will continue to redeem and restore us? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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