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to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 
chapter 26, several months ago I said we would focus our Lord's 
Supper meditations on the passion narrative as it's contained in 
Matthew's gospel. Of course, the pandemic broke 
out and we suspended that, and the last time we had the supper, 
the first time after the pandemic, we were in Titus. So tonight 
we're going to return to the gospel of Matthew, and our focus 
will be on verses 31 to 35, but I do want to begin reading in 
chapter 26 at verse 1. Now, it came to pass, when Jesus had 
finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, You 
know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man 
will be delivered up to be crucified. Then the chief priests, the scribes, 
and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the 
high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by 
trickery and kill Him. But they said, Not during the 
feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. And when Jesus 
was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came 
to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, 
and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when 
his disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have 
been sold for much and given to the poor. But when Jesus was 
aware of it, he said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? 
For she has done a good work for me. For you have the poor 
with you always, but me you do not have always. For in pouring 
this fragrant oil on my body, she did it for my burial. Assuredly, 
I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, 
what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to 
her. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to 
the chief priests and said, What are you willing to give me if 
I deliver him to you? And they counted out to him thirty 
pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity 
to betray him. Now on the first day of the Feast 
of the Unleavened Bread, The disciples came to Jesus saying 
to him, where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the 
Passover? And he said, go into the city to a certain man and 
say to him, the teacher says, my time is at hand. I will keep 
the Passover at your house with my disciples. So the disciples 
did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 
When evening had come, he sat down with the twelve. Now as 
they were eating, he said, Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will 
betray me. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, 
and each of them began to say to him, Lord, is it I? He answered 
and said, he who dipped his hand with me in the dish will betray 
me. The son of man indeed goes just 
as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the son 
of man is betrayed. It would have been good for that 
man if he had not been born. Then Judas, who was betraying 
him, answered and said, Rabbi, is it I? He said to him, you 
have said it. And as they were eating, Jesus 
took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples 
and said, take, eat, this is my body. Then he took the cup 
and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, drink from it, 
all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is 
shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I 
will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until 
that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom.' 
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of 
Olives. Then Jesus said to them, all of you will be made to stumble 
because of me this night. For it is written, I will strike 
the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. 
But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter answered and said to him, 
even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never 
be made to stumble. Jesus said to him, assuredly, 
I say to you that this night before the rooster crows, you 
will deny me three times. Peter said to him, even if I 
have to die with you, I will not deny you. And so said all 
the disciples. Amen. Let us pray. Father in 
heaven, we thank you for this portion of Holy Scripture. It's 
a sobering look at what we are in our own humanity, and I pray 
that you would guide us now by the Holy Spirit, that you would 
give us wisdom as we consider this passage, that you would 
cause us to respond with great gratitude, knowing the mercy, 
the grace, the kindness, the love, and the power of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. What a great shepherd, what a 
great Savior, what a great Lord and King. And we praise you for 
Him and ask now that you would bless this time of study. Again, 
forgive us for all sin and fill us with the Spirit and illumine 
our minds and hearts. And we pray in the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, one commentator has 
pointed out that what we have here in verses 31 to 35 sort 
of helpfully sets forth an outline for what will follow in the Passion 
narrative. Jesus foretells that His disciples 
will, in fact, desert Him. That happens according to chapter 
26, verse 56. He foretells that Peter will 
deny him, which occurs in chapter 26 at verses 69 to 75. He also states that he himself 
will be struck, and we see that in chapter 27, verses 32 to 56. And finally, that he will be 
raised again from the dead. So all of those elements contained 
here in verses 31 to 35 are fleshed out in the subsequent chapters 
in the subsequent narrative. And the passion narrative is 
in fact a very dark chapter in world history. Not only because 
the enemies of Christ crucify him, but because the friends 
of Christ desert him. They depart from him. And this 
underscores that salvation is truly ascribed to him alone. 
There was no assistance in the human sphere. There was no aid. There was no sort of horizontal 
help that was offered to our Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 
121, we read that He will save His people from their sins, and 
that is emphatic. It is He and He alone. Now, as 
we move through this particular passage, I want to make it clear 
at the outset, I'm not picking on Peter, and I'm not picking 
on the disciples. I would suggest that we have 
been blessed and are fortunate that nobody is following us around 
during the day and recording all of the times that we desert 
or that we deny. There isn't somebody who's writing 
a book that encapsulates our sin and our rebellion. And so 
what we have in this particular section, I think is symptomatic 
or typical of all God's people. Now, the Lord obviously secured 
them, stabilized them. And even though there was desertion 
and denial, they were brought back to him. And so we can rejoice 
in that. So again, I just want to make 
it clear that I'm not picking on Simon Peter and I'm not picking 
on the rest of the disciples. I want to look first at the prediction 
of desertion in verses 31 and 32. Secondly, we'll notice the 
prediction of denial in verses 33 to 35. And then finally, the 
reality that he predicts his own death and resurrection. But 
in the first place, note the declaration of Jesus concerning 
this prediction of desertion. Verse 31, then Jesus said to 
them, all of you will be made to stumble because of me this 
night. Now the stumbling in view, this 
particular word means leading one to sin. It also means being 
offended and it can mean falling away from the faith. R.T. France, 
I think, helpfully defines or describes it in this particular 
context. He says, here it falls somewhere 
between merely taking offense and ultimate spiritual disaster. 
The failure which is predicted for the disciples is as serious 
as it could be, short of final apostasy. But they will eventually 
be restored to effective discipleship. They will fall, he says, to rise 
again. And so this is a serious thing 
in terms of the desertion by the disciples as a whole, and 
in terms of the denial by Simon Peter in particular. Now note 
the connection with the preceding section. We have the Lord's Supper. 
And on the heels of the Lord's Supper, Jesus tells them that 
there's going to be desertion and denial. The very prediction 
itself demonstrates the need for the reality symbolized by 
the supper. In other words, we live in constant 
dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And even when we do so, 
there are those times, there are those seasons, There are 
those occasions where we do fall. The scripture is very clear on 
the doctrine of remaining sin. In Romans chapter 7, the apostle 
Paul deals with it at some detail. And then Galatians 5.17, he says, 
the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. 
And these two are contrary to one another so that you do not 
do the things that you want to do. So the best of men are men 
at best, and we see that with Simon Peter and with the rest 
of the disciples. So he makes this declaration, 
all of you will be made to stumble because of me this night. And 
this underscores the situation, the arrest, the trial, the suffering, 
the punishment, the eventual crucifixion of our Lord Jesus 
would prove too much for the disciples. In fact, Bruner says, 
Jesus foresees his shaming arrest, trial, and death as so brutalizing 
the sensibilities of the disciples that they will all lose faith 
in him and flee. Now again, it's not a complete 
defection. It's not an utter apostasy, but it's very close 
in terms of the practical ramifications of what is in view. Now, Christ 
not only makes this prediction, but he grounds it in the scripture. 
He cites the prophet Zechariah. Notice what he says, "...all 
of you will be made to stumble because of me this night, for 
it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of 
the flock will be scattered." You can turn back to the prophet 
Zechariah. Zechariah is quite conspicuous 
in the Passion narrative, in the Gospel of Matthew in particular. 
We have the Messiah that rode into Jerusalem, prophesied in 
Zechariah 9.9, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O 
daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to 
you. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, 
a colt the foal of a donkey. We see that in Matthew 21 at 
verse 5. This particular servant, this particular Messiah, this 
particular character in the prophet Zechariah would be pierced. Notice that in chapter 12 at 
verse 10. And I will pour on the house 
of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace 
and supplication, then they will look on me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for him 
as one mourns for his only son and grieve for him as one grieves 
for a firstborn. It is because of the work of 
this particular servant, this Messiah prophesied that chapter 
13 verse 1 is a reality. In that day a fountain shall 
be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
for sin and for uncleanness. So you see the Jews that we're 
looking simply for a political messiah, one to subjugate the 
Roman Empire, one to give them prestige and power, we're simply 
misreading scripture. We see the focus, the redemptive 
focus of the ministry of Messiah. It was for sin and uncleanness. This is the announcement by the 
angel in Matthew 1 21. It is he who will save his people, 
not from Roman sort of tyranny, but from sin. There is something 
greater than human tyranny. And it's the bondage that we 
are in because of our sin and because of our rebellion. And 
then of course, the statement that Jesus cites is there in 
13 seven awake. Oh, sword against my shepherd, 
against the man who is my companion, says the Lord of hosts. strike 
the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. Then I will turn 
my hand against the little ones. So we see that Christ has in 
his mind, Christ here quotes to substantiate or to corroborate 
or to affirm the reality that they will in fact be scattered 
from him. This would scandalize them, this 
would cause them to flee from him in that moment when he needed 
it the most. But then notice on the heels 
of this declaration concerning their desertion, he follows it 
up with a promise to encourage them. Notice in verse 32, but 
after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. It's 
an amazing thing. He knows that he will be struck 
He knows that He will die, but He knows that He will be raised 
again the third day, and He will go before them, and He will meet 
them in Galilee. And again, that is precisely 
how the Gospel of Matthew unfolds from this point forward. We have 
this blessed prediction or foretelling of His death, but we also have 
it concerning His resurrection. There's four other places up 
to this point in Matthew's gospel where he highlights that he must 
go to Jerusalem, he must be tried at the hands of wicked men, he 
must suffer, he must die, and he must be raised again the third 
day. He makes those statements on several occasions so that 
his disciples would have the encouragement that that would 
afford. And nevertheless, notice this, they will still desert 
him and they will still deny him. It is an unfortunate reality 
in our religion that when we are saved, we still are prone 
to wander and prone to leave the God that we love. The Lord 
does ultimately meet with them in Galilee, chapter 28, verses 
16 to 20. The Lord's word pledges restoration 
from their fall. He's just told them, I'm gonna 
be struck and you're gonna scatter. He's just told them that they're 
gonna desert from him. We see it fulfilled in chapter 
26 at verse 56. But all this was done that the 
scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples 
forsook him and fled. He knew this. He knew this, obviously, 
because he's God. But I think he knows it here, 
according to his humanity, because he's a man of God's word. He 
knows the prophet Zechariah. He has this messianic consciousness. 
He knows what is in store for him. And as a result of that, 
he tells of his death and of his resurrection to encourage 
those that are going to desert him and those that are going 
to deny him. It is a most blessed thing that 
we have in our Savior. He knows our weakness. He knows 
our proneness to wander. And he loves us anyway. It really 
is amazing. When he saves us, he knows exactly 
what he's getting. Talk about buying a bad used 
car. He drives it off the lot, and 
it falls apart. Actually, he doesn't even drive 
it off the lot. He pays the money, and then it falls apart. That's 
what Christ gets in us for all of our desire and all of our 
determination and all of our resolution and all of our declarations, 
notwithstanding we are feeble and we are weak. And there is 
that reality in us of a proneness to wander and a proneness to 
leave the God that we love. Matthew Henry, well, before Matthew 
Henry, look at Luke 22, just a parallel. theme where Jesus 
tells them to be, gives them a reason for encouragement. Luke 
22 verses 31 and 32. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, 
indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. 
But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And 
when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. Think 
about the implications of that statement. He says that the devil 
has asked for you specifically that he may sift you as wheat. 
He wants to destroy you. He wants to decimate you. He 
wants to demolish you. He wants to take whatever good 
there might have been and utterly and thoroughly throw it away. 
But Christ says, I have prayed for you that your faith should 
not fail. It may stumble, there may be 
some low ebb to be sure, but I have prayed that your faith 
should not fail. And when you have returned to me, imagine 
sitting with the Lord Christ, or standing with the Lord Christ, 
and He's telling you, you're going to fall. And then He tells 
you, when you have returned to me, this is my aim for you, strengthen 
your brethren. write 1 and 2 Peter, write to 
the people of God, preach on the day of Pentecost, tell sinners 
the glorious gospel of free grace, and assure the people of God 
of my unending and unceasing love for them. Matthew Henry 
says, though you will forsake me, back to our text in verse 
32, but after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. 
Henry says, though you will forsake me, I will not forsake you. Though 
you fall, I will take care that you shall not fall. Finally, 
we shall have a meaning again in Galilee. So this is a great 
encouragement by our blessed Savior on the heels of his prediction 
concerning the desertion by his disciples at a time when he would 
need them the most. Now notice, secondly, the prediction 
of denial in verses 33 to 35. Peter responds to this, and we 
expect this. Peter is sort of, you know, a 
first among equals. On the day of Pentecost, it's 
Peter who rises up, there he is, strengthening the brethren 
after he's returned to Jesus, after he's denied the Lord, this 
is Peter. But Peter's the sort of guy that 
is a bit impetuous. He's the sort of guy that just 
sort of does and thinks about it sort of afterward. And so 
it's not surprising that it's Simon Peter who responds to our 
Lord's prediction concerning desertion. Now notice his assertion. Verse 33, Peter answered and 
said to him, even if all are made to stumble because of you, 
I will never be made to stumble. Now, in terms of this assertion, 
notice the acknowledgment of the weakness of the other disciples. his acknowledgment of the weaknesses 
of the other disciples. I mean, he's quite gracious and 
benevolent there, isn't he? He knows the foibles and he knows 
the shortcomings and he knows the limitations of his friends. 
He hasn't thoroughly investigated his own, but he's certainly able 
to identify the proneness to wander among his fellows. It 
is quite the statement that we might expect in Peter at this 
particular time. Even if all are made to stumble 
because of you, I will never be made to stumble. And he not 
only acknowledges the weakness of the other disciples, but he 
highlights his own fidelity. He demonstrates that of the 12, 
these other 11 slobs aren't going to do what they're supposed to 
do. But Lord, I'm going to pony up. Lord, I am never going to 
depart from you. I am never going to desert. And 
I am never going to deny you. Now, obviously, if you follow 
Peter's rationale, there are several huge problems with his 
statement. When the Lord Jesus Christ tells 
you something, you need to take heed. You don't need to try and 
respond like, you know, sometimes the grandkids are over, and they 
tell us how things are going to be. And once in a while, I'll 
say, you know, we're the grandparents here. You just listen and do 
what we tell you. And they say, oh, OK, Papa, or 
OK, Meemaw, whatever the case may be. But there is that sort 
of arrogance on the part of a three-year-old or a five-year-old, where they 
know how to better manage the situation than the aged grandparents. Not too aged, thankfully. But 
you get the point. So Jesus makes this declaration, 
this assertion that comes from the scriptures itself. And then 
Peter says, no, not me, Lord. This may be a problem symptomatic 
of these other men, but it will never, ever, ever happen with 
reference to me. Again, there are large problems 
with this. In the first place, it is a rejection 
of the Word of Christ. When Jesus says, you will desert 
me, for you to say, oh no, I won't, is a rejection of the Word of 
Christ. C. H. Spurgeon says this was 
a very presumptuous speech, not only because of the self-confidence 
it betrayed, but also because it was a flat contradiction of 
the Master's declaration. Secondly, it was a rejection 
of the prophecy of Zechariah. Zechariah 13.7 must mean something. And Jesus, the divine son of 
God, in his humanity, understood it as a reference to the things 
that were going to befall him. He is the best interpreter of 
Holy Scripture. So Simon Peter certainly should 
have deferred to his take on Zechariah 13, 7. But as well, 
it expresses a condescension regarding the other disciples. 
He makes himself more loyal than the rest of them. Again, brethren, 
this is not a good pattern. This is not a good way to live. 
Not unconnectedly does Peter write about humility in 1 Peter 
5. I think Peter learned his lesson. And the language that Peter uses 
in 1 Peter 5 of clothing yourself with humanity, many Bible commentators 
connect that to what Jesus does in the upper room discourse. 
When the Lord Jesus sort of takes off His outer garment, and He 
gets on His knees, and He washes the feet of those disciples, 
some see in that Peter's emphasis on clothing yourselves with humility. So Simon Peter thankfully learned 
the lessons, but in this instance there is a condescension with 
reference to his fellows. But then finally, there is a 
confidence in himself. And overconfidence, we might 
say, because he says, even if all are made to stumble because 
of you, I will never be made to stumble. And the tense or 
the language that he uses, it enlarges Peter's confidence. He will never do what others, 
what all will do. Chrysostom says concerning Peter's 
statement, where he should have prayed and have said, help us 
that we be not cut off, he's confident in himself. See, brethren, 
we always need to take heed lest we fall. Pride is a monster that 
isn't confined to Simon Peter in the first century. Pride is 
something that is consistent among all the sons and daughters 
of Adam. Someone has well said, if they 
ever find the center of the universe, there's going to be a whole lot 
of people surprised that it's not them. We are the center of our own 
universe. We are narcissists. We are filled 
with an exalted view of ourselves, and Peter's remark evidences 
that. And again, it's not unique to 
Simon Peter. It is something symptomatic of 
all of the people of God. Matthew Henry comments on what 
he says here. It argues a great degree of self-conceit 
and self-confidence to think ourselves either safe from the 
temptations or free from the corruptions that are common to 
men. We should rather say, if it be possible that others may 
be offended, there is a danger that I may be so also. See, that's 
the better disposition. That's the better tact. That's 
the better way to proceed, marked by cautiousness. marked by not 
a confidence, but a cautiousness in the reality that we need to 
take heed lest we fall. And Bruner makes the observation, 
the painful irony, as we know, is that the very man who here 
exalts himself over all the others was the man who, except for Judas, 
fell more deeply than any of the others. They certainly deserted 
him, but Peter deserted and denied him with reference to the slave 
girl. So what Simon Peter evidences here is that reality that pride 
is not vacant in the hearts of the redeemed. Brethren, it is 
good for us to ponder this. It is good for us to think about 
this, not because it's a pleasant sort of an experience, but so 
that we can be realistic and identify where we are prone to 
wander and where we are prone to leave the God that we love. 
When we are confident or overconfident instead of cautious, then the 
locus or our focus rather is upon ourself and our performance 
rather than upon the empowering spirit of the living and true 
God. So a confidence in self causes us to focus on self, but 
a cautiousness directs us to God where we belong. Now notice 
the declaration of Jesus on the heels of Simon Peter's statement. 
Jesus said to him in verse 34, Assuredly, I say to you that 
this night before the rooster crows, you will deny me three 
times. Mark 14 30 says crows twice. There was a phrase or a statement 
called cock crow. It was midnight to 3 a.m. It is simply a marker of time. 
The point is before the night is over, you will deny me three 
times. Notice the shift. Peter says, 
I will never do this. Jesus says, you're going to do 
it tonight. I will never depart from you. I will never deny you. 
Jesus says, you're going to do it before the cock crows. You're 
going to do it before midnight. You're going to do it not before 
the Caesar. You're going to do it not before 
the police. You're going to do it not before 
the soldiers. You're going to do it before 
a slave girl. Now, he doesn't amplify that because he's gracious 
and kind and Jesus, but we know what the truth is. We know what's 
going to happen relative to Simon Peter and his denial of his blessed 
Lord and sovereign. Now, Peter, I guess he never 
heard the parable. When you're in a hole, stop digging. 
When you're in a hole, stop digging. More people need that advice. 
They need that encouragement. When you're in a hole, stop digging. 
Peter, unfortunately, keeps digging. And again, symptomatic and evidentiary 
of what we are before our holy God. Notice in verse 35, Peter 
said to him, even if I have to die with you, I will not deny 
you. And so said all the disciples. Mark 14, a parallel says, but 
he spoke more vehemently. In other words, there was more 
zeal in him. Now he's doubling down on his 
sort of statement or assertion that he will never desert and 
he will never deny his sovereign Lord. Now it is intriguing what 
he says here. Even if I have to die with you, 
I will not deny you. The Lord will be accompanied 
by criminals when he goes to die, not by disciples. Notice 
as well back in chapter 16, when Jesus makes his first prediction 
concerning death and resurrection, Simon Peter rebukes him. Simon 
Peter will have nothing to do with that. In Matthew 16 at verse 
21, from that time Jesus began to show to his disciples that 
he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and 
chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third 
day. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, 
Far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen to you. But 
he turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan. You are 
an offense to me for you are not mindful of the things of 
God, but the things of men. A far cry different than what 
Jesus had just said to Simon Peter back in chapter 16. Notice 
in verse 13, when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, 
he asked his disciples saying, who do men say that I, the son 
of man am? So they said, some say John the 
Baptist, some Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. 
He said to them, but who do you say that I am? So Christ starts 
in the general sphere. What's the ruckus on the street? What do people out there think 
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ? But then he hones in on the disciples. 
He wants to know what is their evaluation of him. Verse 15, 
who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, 
you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus answered 
and said to him, blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh 
and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father who is 
in heaven. On the one hand, blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, you've 
been blessed richly by my Father, who has revealed unto you that 
I am the Son of the living God. Now here in verse 23, get behind 
me, Satan, you are an offense to me, for you're not mindful 
of the things of God, but the things of men. The text then 
continues. Simon Peter doesn't offer up 
any more refutation. So I think the implication, at 
least by silence, is that he accepted this. When Jesus repeats 
that he must go to Jerusalem to die in chapter 17, Peter doesn't 
rebuff him. When Jesus repeats it in chapter 
20, again, Simon Peter doesn't rebuke him or rebuff him. So 
it almost seems like he got it, but we get back to this particular 
section. Not only did he not get it, but 
he still has this overconfidence in himself and in his ability. 
Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. Now in Gethsemane, 
remember what Simon Peter does. When the soldiers come to take 
the Lord Jesus, Peter takes out his sword and lops off the ear 
of Malchus. Now, brethren, I don't think 
he was going for the ear. I think he hit the ear, but he 
was going for the head. He wanted to neutralize the threat. He did not want whatsoever for 
his Lord Jesus to be taken by these men. And I think that demonstrates 
something about Simon Peter. He knew what it was to take the 
sword against the Roman Empire army. He knew what that was and 
what that meant. I think that expresses or evidence 
says that he might not have been afraid to die as a hero. But in this context, he still 
hasn't embraced the reality that the death that Christ is going 
to die isn't going to be the traditional heroic sort of death. He still hasn't entered in to 
all that's associated with substitutionary curse bearing. He still hasn't 
fully entered in to what lie ahead for the Savior in terms 
of His death. The statement here by Peter indicates 
that he is doubling down in his self-confidence. Now, Matthew 
Henry again, and this is gold. He says, those often fall soonest 
and foulest that are most confident of themselves. Those are least 
safe that are most secure. Man, if we get that, we're going 
to be happier people. Those often fall soonest and 
foulest that are most confident of themselves. Those are least 
safe that are most secure. That's the paradox of our faith. When we feel ourselves to be 
most secure, that is when we need to take heed. It is when 
we understand that proneness to wander, it is when we understand 
that proneness to leave the God that we love, that weans us from 
that confidence and promotes and produces in us a cautiousness 
that is most excellent in the children of God Almighty. Now 
notice in the end of verse 35, It says, Peter said to him, even 
if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. And so said all 
the disciples. The attitude was not Simon Peter's 
alone, but it was all the disciples. Look back at chapter 20, just 
to illustrate this point also. Chapter 20 in Matthew's gospel, verse 20. Then the mother of 
Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, kneeling down and asking 
something from him. And he said to her, what do you 
wish? She said to him, grant that these two sons of mine may 
sit, one on your right hand and the other on the left in your 
kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, you do not know what you 
ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink 
and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They 
said to him, we are able. So he said to them, you will 
indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized 
with. But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine 
to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my 
father. So the sons of Zebedee are jockeying for position. The 
sons of Zebedee want proximity to the Lord, which in and of 
itself isn't a bad thing. But the Lord shuts that down. 
He says, it's not mine to give. The Father is sovereign. As well, 
they evidence or express this desire for the crown without 
any cross. Jesus emphasizes, you don't get 
the crown unless you first go through the cross. They claim 
they're able to undergo the baptism that he must be baptized with. 
They claim that they are able to drink the cup that he is going 
to drink. Now, if you understand what he's 
doing, he's speaking metaphorically about God's wrath. In the Old 
Testament, the cup of God's wrath was poured out upon Babylon, 
for instance. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane 
has this cup, and he doesn't want to drink it. If it is possible, 
let this cup pass. What's he saying? He knows the 
wrath, fury, and judgment of God that awaits him on the other 
side of Gethsemane. And then this baptism, Luke 12, 
50, sort of illustrates baptism as a metaphor for death. Baptism 
isn't sprinkling. Baptism isn't pouring. Baptism 
is immersion. And so Jesus uses it as a metaphor 
for his own death. He will not just be touched with 
suffering. He will not just be sprinkled 
with suffering. He won't just have a bit of suffering 
poured on him, but it will overwhelm him. He will be baptized by it. And then when Jesus says, you 
will, he's speaking specifically of John, who ends up on the island 
of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus. He also refers to James. So the 
sons of Zebedee here are James and John. John ends up in exile 
on the island of Patmos, and then James is beheaded by Herod 
in Acts chapter 12. So he says, yeah, there is going 
to be suffering, there is going to be cross before your crown. 
Now notice what happens in verse 24. And when the ten heard it, 
they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. Now, do 
you think they were greatly displeased with the two brothers because 
the two brothers were evidencing something they shouldn't have? 
Do you think the 10 were saying, brothers, you need to be more 
holy, you need to be more pious, you need to be more understanding, 
you need to give way to Jesus, to go through the suffering, 
to go through the death, you need to yield to the sovereignty 
of God who puts men on the right hand and on the left. That's 
probably not what they were doing. They were displeased because 
they wanted that proximity. They were displeased because 
they wanted that nearness. If James and John are there, 
it's going to crowd them out. So with reference to the disciples, 
it's not just Simon Peter that has his problems. And they seem 
to have at least a degree of consciousness of this in Matthew 
26. Go back to chapter 26, verse 
20. When evening had come, he sat 
down with the twelve. Now as they were eating, he said, 
Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. And they 
were exceedingly sorrowful, and each one of them began to say 
to him, Lord, is it I? That's a better disposition. That's the better sort of response, 
is to understand the potentiality of soul where we may end up doing 
those sorts of things that God calls us not to do. In other 
words, we are dependent. 24 hours a day, seven days a 
week, 365 days out of the year on Jesus. We are dependent upon 
the one who in John 15 said, apart from me, you can do nothing. And this overconfidence crowds 
out the cautiousness and therefore we look to ourselves instead 
of looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ. So here, so said all 
the disciples, so Peter was not alone. So we see the prediction 
of their desertion, we see the prediction of Peter's denial, 
and then notice the prediction of death and resurrection in 
verses 31 and 32. All of you will be made to stumble 
because of me this night, for it is written, I will strike 
the shepherd. The shepherd, the man who is 
the companion of Yahweh, will be struck in accordance with 
the father's plan. Zechariah 13, seven, Gil says, 
being an order of Jehovah the father's to justice, to awake 
its sword and sheath it in his son, his equal by nature, his 
shepherd by office. So it was prophesied in Zechariah 
13, Yahweh with this shepherd, he would be struck. And that 
indicates to us that whatever is happening in the passion narrative, 
Jesus is not unawares. The hippies made a movie about 
Jesus back in the day called Jesus Christ Superstar. And Jesus 
Christ in that depiction was this wandering hippie that didn't 
have any consciousness whatsoever. of what he was supposed to do. 
That's not true of our Savior. Our Savior was a man of the Word 
of God. When it says in Luke's Gospel, 
as a young boy, that he increased in wisdom and stature among men, 
it's because he fed himself with the Word of God. It's because 
he saw himself in the pages of the prophets. It's because he 
had that messianic consciousness. It's because he knew of a truth, 
what he was there for. There was no willy-nilly, there 
was no arbitrariness, there was no capriciousness in the Son 
of Man. In fact, in Matthew 16, in Matthew 
17, in Matthew 20, He says, I must go to Jerusalem. There is divine 
necessity laid upon Him. This is the compact made with 
the Father. This is the covenant of redemption. 
I was sent for this particular time and purpose. He will save 
his people from their sins. He always knew what he was supposed 
to be doing. And then the divine initiative 
in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Verse 32, but after I 
have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. So it was ultimately 
the father that bruised him. It was ultimately the father 
that put him to grief. Certainly, the Roman Empire was 
involved. Certainly, the unbelieving Jews were involved. Certainly, 
our sins sent Him to that cross. But it was ultimately the will 
of the Father that the Lord Jesus Christ die on our behalf. But 
it was also the Father who raised Him up. Paul summarizes the Gospel 
in Romans 4.25, that Jesus, or the Lord Jesus, was delivered 
up because of our offenses, and He was raised for our justification. In both instances, as I recall, 
those are passives. That means that God delivered 
Him up. That means that God raised him up. That means the father 
was approving of the ministry of the son and brings him back 
from the dead. And Chrysostom again makes this 
observation. He says, and he teaches us to 
know what the disciples were before the crucifixion and what 
they were after the crucifixion. For indeed they, who when he 
was crucified were not able so much as to stand their ground, 
these after his death were mighty and stronger than adamant." That 
is a glorious depiction, what these men were, but what these 
men became by the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Christ or 
rather Peter denying Christ before that servant girl is the one 
God uses on the day of Pentecost to preach that glorious sermon 
concerning the person and work of the Lord Jesus. It's Simon 
Peter that's basically the spotlight in the book of Acts is upon him 
for about the first half of the book. The Lord God most high 
used him brilliantly and we see him with courage, but as well, 
we see him even in that state, still with his issues. Remember 
in Galatians 2, the apostle Paul had to rebuke him openly to his 
face because he was miscommunicating truth concerning the gospel when 
he wouldn't have table fellowship with Gentiles. So what they were, 
what they became. But even what they became, they 
were not perfect men. Even what they became, they were 
still men at best. I mean, they were inspired by 
God in terms of their writings. They were blessed by God in terms 
of their preaching. But nevertheless, they were not 
perfect and sinless. There's only one hero in the 
Bible, and that is our Lord Jesus. Well, in conclusion, a couple 
of thoughts. First, the blessed truthfulness of the word. When 
we look at this particular passage, it's sort of like when we look 
at 2 Samuel chapter 11. See, if we were Jews living in 
Israel, and we loved King David, and we were writing his history, 
we might not write the part about Uriah and Bathsheba. We might 
want not to include that, right? As biographers, we want to present 
our subject in the best possible light. not Scripture. This is 
one of the evidences or proofs in how we know, sort of an indirect 
evidence or proof, in how we know of divine inspiration. I 
mean, the Scripture tells us it's divinely inspired, but there 
are those indirect sort of evidences or proofs, rather. When we look 
at that, men that have a fear of God and an understanding of 
who man really is, they are not afraid to record or highlight 
the sins of their heroes. And the same sort of thing obtains 
in this instance. It would have been nice if we 
just kind of not focus on this. It would have been nice in this 
passion narrative not to consider the desertion and the denial. 
The Word of God is honest. Origen said, if she, the church, 
had not been truth-loving, she would never have written down 
that Peter denied and that the disciples felt. That's just the 
reality. When you go to write biography, 
you want to make your hero look like a hero. As well, the consistency. Now, thinking back or thinking 
about Peter's denial, think back or go with me to Matthew chapter 
10. Matthew chapter 10, Jesus speaks about denial there. In 
Matthew chapter 10 at verse 32, he says, therefore, whoever confesses 
me before men, him I will also confess before my father who 
is in heaven. But whoever denies me before 
men, him I will also deny before my father who is in heaven. Some would suggest that we have 
inconsistency. Oh, there it is. Jesus says in 
verse 33, but then the disciples deny him and he doesn't cut them 
off. I think France explains it well. There, in chapter 10, 
verse 33, a determined course of opposition to Christ. Here, 
a temporary lapse under pressure. Now brethren, that is how you 
have to read the narrative. Simon Peter didn't defect in 
a complete sense. Simon Peter did not commit apostasy. Simon Peter didn't fully renounce 
the Lord. Simon Peter did a horrible thing. 
Simon Peter shouldn't have denied his Lord, but Simon Peter was 
restored. It wasn't a full apostasy. It 
wasn't a full defection. It wasn't full abandonment. That's 
what 1033 is. There is a consistency in Scripture 
that we need to appreciate. Secondly, and I kind of, you 
know, hesitate to bring this out because typically at the 
supper, our focus is supposed to be on Jesus. We really don't 
like to think about ourselves, but we're kind of in the passage, 
so we got to think about ourselves. The persistent problem of remaining 
corruption. I'd say in the first place, there's 
a tendency toward pride instead of the cultivation of humility. Now, these are general statements. 
You may be the humblest person that you know. So I don't want to hurt your 
feelings or, you know, trigger you or make you feel bad. But 
a general observation, there doesn't seem to be this cultivation 
of humility. In fact, typically when I think 
about or preach about these things, I kind of want to say, don't 
try to cultivate humility, because you'll be proud then too. Just 
be humble. Just understand the rage of your 
own pride and seek by the grace of God to kill it. When you're 
killing pride, the blessed fruit that remains is humility. But that whole idea of, you know, 
I wrote a book recently called Humility and How I Mastered It. 
That is contrary to the whole concept of humility. So kill 
pride, and in its wake there will be, hopefully, humility. 
Secondly, there is a tendency towards self-confidence instead 
of dependence upon the Spirit of the living God. Brethren, 
we are Trinitarians. We come to the Father through 
the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. There is a real Holy 
Spirit. It shouldn't just be the Pentecostals 
or the Charismatics who speak about Him. We are dependent upon 
the aid and the ministry of the Spirit, His indwelling power, 
His government over our lives and hearts. We need to acknowledge 
that. We need to rejoice in His power and in His presence in 
our lives. Thirdly, there is a tendency 
toward a lofty self-assessment instead of embracing God's accurate 
assessment in His Word. We may think, we'll never deny, 
we may think that I will die, but when the Lord Jesus Christ 
says, you're not going to do that, we need to humble ourselves 
and we need to take seriously the Word of the living God. The 
Scriptures are clear, and perhaps this offends some people sometimes, 
because in churches that try to preach the gospel, there is 
often an emphasis on sin. Why is that? Because without 
sin, there's no need for the Savior. And so while we remind 
ourselves about sin, it should ultimately lead us back to the 
embrace of the Savior. It's a blessed and a beautiful 
thing. But the reality is that Scripture tells us what we are, 
and in that light, we shouldn't be proud or arrogant or have 
this lofty self-assessment. That lofty assessment puts us 
above, at least in our minds, other disciples. Brethren, we're 
not supposed to try and do that. We're supposed to put them first. What does John the Baptist say 
concerning Jesus Christ? He says, he must increase, but 
I must decrease. And that statement is brilliant. He doesn't say he must increase, 
but I must increase too, just not as much. He must increase, 
but I must stay the same? No! It's a zero-sum game. He must increase, I must decrease. That's the trajectory that the 
Christian life has, and that is the pursuit that we need to 
be about. not a lofty assessment that we're 
better than our fellows, not a sort of a congratulations in 
our prayer life about how we're not like that guy in church or 
how we're not like that guy at Walmart or how we're not like 
this tax collector that's sitting next to us. No, brethren, a A 
biblical self-assessment goes a long way to helping us to kill 
pride. That lofty assessment as well 
hardens us with reference to the warnings of Scripture. 1 
Corinthians 10, 12. Therefore, let him who thinks 
he stands take heed lest he fall. And then Galatians 6. This came 
up recently in one of our studies. A brother pointed this out, and 
it's most excellent. Galatians 6.1, Brethren, if a 
man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore 
such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Why do we think it's in our prerogative 
to wag our fingers at a fellow redeemed sinner and tell them 
how they have to perform? Where do we get off thinking 
we are now right there alongside of the persons of the Trinity? 
Gentleness wins the day. Graciousness, kindness, compassion. Should we ever have to enact 
the final stage in Matthew 18 in terms of church discipline? 
It's not with wagging fingers, it's with pouring eyes. It's 
being affected by the reality that sin has overtaken someone, 
and we realize that we have that same propensity. Therefore, take 
heed lest you fall, and Paul says as much, continuing. He 
says, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, 
restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, 
lest you also be tempted. You see, it's not the case that 
we're so holy and so pure and so awesome and so excellent that 
no bad thing could ever happen to us. Brethren, if you don't 
see what Peter says as being wrongheaded and misguided, perhaps 
it was zeal, but it wasn't according to knowledge. Let us not ape 
Peter in those declarations. Let us, by the grace of God, 
understand where we are before God and the dependence that we 
have on that constant grace from God. And then finally, before 
we transition into the supper, the continuing scandal of the 
cross. Why do you think these men deserted? 
And why do you think this man denied? It was embarrassing. Right? It was the scandal of 
the cross. You see that in 1 Corinthians 
1. The Jews seek after signs, Greeks 
seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ and Him crucified to the 
Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. See, 
the idea or the concept for the unbelieving Jew of a suffering, 
crucified Messiah was an oxymoron. That was like old news or jumbo 
shrimp. That was like military intelligence. It just didn't comport. Suffering 
and Messiah didn't connect. That's why when Paul goes to 
the synagogues of the Jews, that's what he emphasizes. Your Old 
Testament prophesied that Messiah must suffer and that Messiah 
must be raised again from the dead. Why do you think he emphasized 
that from synagogue to synagogue to synagogue? Because they missed 
those parts. They misunderstood those parts. 
In the mindset of the first century Jew, Messiah was going to come 
and he was going to destroy the Roman Empire, he was going to 
rule and reign in Jerusalem, and they would regain that earthly 
prestige that they once possessed under the likes of Solomon and 
David. So Paul emphasizes the reality 
of the cross, and it scandalizes unbelieving Jews. Now, these 
were believing Jews, but it was still scandalous, being a friend 
of the man who's being crucified by the Roman state, being a friend 
of the man who is being scoffed at by the religious priests, 
being a friend of the man that is being castigated and mocked 
and insulted. It's typical of us that we don't 
identify with and associate with those who perhaps may bring us 
down, too. So no doubt there was some of 
that at play in the hearts and minds of these disciples. You 
see the disciples scandalized during the arrest trial and crucifixion. The first century Jews are scandalized 
in the ministry of Paul. He says that in 1 Corinthians 
1. And then the opponents of Christianity remain scandalized 
today. And unfortunately, the friends 
of Christianity, at times, can have this mindset also where 
we live in this world feebly and weakly and apologetically 
that we serve God most high. Do you realize that everybody's 
supposed to serve God most high? Everybody at Tim Hortons should 
be bowing and praying before God as they eat their muffins. 
Everybody eats his food. Everybody drinks his water. Everybody 
enjoys his gifts. Everybody feels the sun. Everybody 
feels the rain. It is absolutely tantamount to 
every living creature that they praise God Almighty. But for 
whatever reason, we get embarrassed when we want to pray in public. 
or we get riddled with fear when we wanna tell somebody about 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Fight the scandalization and 
stand firm with reference to who Christ is. Be like Paul, 
I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto 
salvation for everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to 
the Greek. It is a most blessed and most 
glorious thing. And in that scandal of the cross 
we have the Lord Jesus Christ, according to his humanity, going 
to the cross, suffering for our sins, taking the penalty that 
was due for us in himself. The blessedness of the word propitiation. I think our brother mentioned 
that in Romans four this morning. We certainly see it in Romans 
chapter three. Propitiation is that gospel word that means that 
Christ took in himself the wrath of God. See, he didn't just deflect 
it. He wasn't just our human shield. 
Jesus stands before us and the wrath of God is averted. No, 
Jesus took it in himself. As John Murray says, he drank 
the cup of God's wrath down to its final dregs. He exhausted 
God's wrath on behalf of his people. Brethren, that is not 
scandalous. That is most glorious. That is 
most excellent. Paul draws that out in Romans 
chapter 5. For scarcely for a righteous man would one be willing to die, 
but the glory of the gospel is in the reality that God demonstrates 
his own love toward us, and that while we were still sinners, 
Christ died for us. That is not something that should 
scandalize the mind of God's people or produce or promote 
any embarrassment whatsoever, but it should promote and produce 
gratitude, praise, glory given to Him, obedience as a result 
of His work on our behalf, and a desire genuinely to testify 
concerning His great and awesome name. Well, we will pray and 
ask God's blessing upon this Word. Father in heaven, we thank 
you for the Word, and I pray that we would see in this passage 
not just Peter and the disciples, but in a sense all of us, and 
we know it's only by grace that we stand. We thank you for that. 
God, as one has well said, if we were able to lose our salvation, 
we would. We know that you who began this 
good work in us will complete it unto the day of Christ. And 
Paul says in Romans 8, there is nothing that shall separate 
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
May this and may the way that our Lord dealt with the disciples 
in his earthly ministry give us great cause for encouragement 
May it promote in us a cautiousness and no confidence in our own 
strength or in our own self, but a confidence solely in the 
grace of God Almighty, in the person of the Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit. And may you grant us the help 
that we need to persevere and to bring glory and praise and 
honor unto you. And we ask this through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen.