DUNCAN/Peter’s denial

If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 26 verses 69 – 75. Here is recorded the sad, but true story of the triple denial of Jesus by His disciple, Peter. And so today as we look at this passage, I’d like to go over the same verses from different perspectives. Firstly, we will see that this passage speaks of our weakness in sin. Secondly, we will consider how this text speaks of the agony of our Savior. And lastly, we will see how this passage shows us the love and mercy of Jesus.

I. Our Weakness in Sin 

We must never, ever forget our weakness apart from the grace of Christ. This passage records for us one of the saddest, one of the most brutal sins of Jesus’ disciples. Peter denies the Lord Jesus Christ three times, and his denial is even more poignant considering what Matthew has already said in chapter 26. You remember that after the institution of the Lord’s Supper and after the disciples had left the upper room and made their way out to the Mount of Olives, that Jesus had turned to the disciples in verse 31 and said: “You will all fall away because of Me this night.” And you will remember that the disciples and particularly Peter argued with the Lord Jesus Christ, contending with Him, suggesting that He was mistaken. In verse 33, Peter’s answer is recorded for us. He says, “Even though all may fall away because of you, I’ll never fall away.” And so the Lord Jesus gently, but firmly, reiterates, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the sun rises, you’re going to deny Me three times.” And Peter’s response is recorded in verse 35. “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” This is the background for Peter’s failure.

And then in verses 69 and 71, Matthew makes it clear that Peter is not facing some high-powered government official, but two servant girls. So Matthew highlights for you the apparent frailty of those by whom Peter felt so threatened. Furthermore, we see from verses 69, 71, and 73 that there were no bodily threats, there were no promises of him being imprisoned, just inquiries. Yes, Peter was in a compromised and potentially dangerous situation, but there were no overt threats. All these things heighten the tremendous weakness of Peter in his sin. 

This is a full-wart’s biography of Peter. God is going to show you the weakness of Christ’s disciples, and in the end, you’re going to see the glory and the strength of Christ because of it. Because this religion is not about them, it’s about Him and what He does for them. And so we must never forget our weakness apart from the grace of God

II. The Agony of Our Savior

Now I’d like you to focus on Christ, on how what Peter did impacted Him. I never, ever want you to forget the pain that Peter caused Christ. And subsequently, the pain that we cause Christ. Do you realize how Peter’s denials wounded the heart of the Savior? In Matthew’s gospel, he tells us that Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him. Luke, in his gospel, goes a step further and tells us that Jesus knew that Peter was denying Him. In other words, He was conscious during this process of what Peter was doing. The wounds that Peter inflicted by that betrayal on Jesus at that moment, I propose to you were harder wounds than the wounds that the enemies of Jesus had inflicted. I say this because Psalm 55 verses 12 – 14 says, “For it is not an enemy who reproaches Me, then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates Me who has exalted himself against Me. Then I could hide Myself from him. But it is you, a man My equal, My companion, and My familiar friend, we who had sweet fellowship together and walked in the house of God in the throng.” And you can imagine the sense of isolation which must have flooded our Lord’s soul as He saw His disciple whom He loved and ministered to for three years, denying that he even knew Him.

And it’s not just the wounds to the heart of our Savior. You see, Peter’s denial hurts the reputation of Jesus, and it exposes Him to derision. And it gives an opportunity for His enemies to be cynical about Him. Can you imagine the hay that Jesus’ enemies could have made from this cowardly act of Peter’s denial. This irreverent and cowardly behavior of Peter gives an opportunity for the enemies of Jesus to reject and discount Him. They can say, “Well He must not have been much of a Messiah. Look at how His disciples crumbled in the face of a couple of servant girls asking Him questions. Some Messiah He is. All His disciples abandon Him.” In the hour of His need, where were they? They were protecting their own hides. Jesus, in all of His ministry, was subjected to derision because of what Peter had done. And this adds to the agony of Christ in the hour of His death.

III. The Love and Mercy of Jesus

But that’s not the last word. No, the glorious love of Christ is displayed here in contrast to Peter’s failure during this sad scene. Turn in your Bibles to Luke 22 verse 61. William Hendriksen says on this verse: “We gather that at the very moment when the rooster crowed, someone is looking into Peter’s eyes. Jesus. Jesus is looking at Peter. When the third denial rolls off of his lips, the Savior is looking at Peter. It’s Jesus. His face likely still covered with spittle and black and blue because of the blows He has received. It seems that the Master, His trial ended, is being led across the court to His prison cell from which in a few hours He will emerge to face the Sanhedrin at daybreak.”

B.B. Warfield says to us that, “Our Savior, as He stood giving account in His trial, working for the saving of the world had time to turn a meaningful glance to His failing disciple. And so save Him in the saving of the world, because the Lord Jesus was not going to let go of Peter; though Peter had let go of Him.”

Let me propose that you need someone to love you like this. Someone with that kind of self-denying love, someone with that kind of commitment, someone to save your soul from your sin. Both from that which you hate and that which you love. Someone who will love you ferociously. And there’s only one who loves that way. And He stands before you with a bruised face, looking at His failed disciple. Do you know that glance? May you in His grace know that glance today if you’ve never known it before.