The Prediction of Desertion and Denial (Matthew 26:31–35)

Jim Butler · 2020-07-05 · Matthew 26:31–35 · 9,495 words · 54 min

Summary

Expository

Christ's prediction of the disciples' desertion and Peter's denial demonstrates that salvation rests entirely on Christ alone, and calls His people to replace self-confidence with humble dependence on His grace and Spirit.

Matthew 26:31–35 records Jesus predicting both the desertion of all His disciples and the specific denial of Peter on the night of His arrest. The passage demonstrates that the salvation accomplished at the cross was entirely the work of Christ alone — His friends fled, leaving no horizontal assistance — and that Scripture, citing Zechariah 13:7, had appointed this scattering from eternity. The sermon draws out the persistent problem of remaining corruption in the regenerate: the pride, self-confidence, and lofty self-assessment that Peter epitomizes are not unique to him but are symptomatic of all God's people. The remedy is not stronger resolution but a biblical self-assessment that drives the believer away from confidence in the flesh and toward continual dependence on the grace and Spirit of God.

Key quotes

He knows our weakness. He knows our proneness to wander. And he loves us anyway.

Those often fall soonest and foulest that are most confident of themselves. Those are least safe that are most secure.

There's only one hero in the Bible, and that is our Lord Jesus.

Applications

Recognize the pride latent in your own heart and actively put it to death by grace, rather than cultivating a self-conscious humility that becomes its own form of pride.
Replace self-confidence with conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit, acknowledging that apart from Christ you can do nothing.
Submit to Scripture's accurate and honest assessment of your spiritual condition rather than maintaining a lofty self-image that places you above your fellow believers.
When dealing with a fellow Christian overtaken in sin, approach in a spirit of gentleness, considering your own susceptibility to temptation rather than wagging a finger in condemnation.
Do not be ashamed of Christ or the gospel; fight the scandalisation that leads to apologetic, fearful witness and stand firm in who Christ is.

Questions this sermon answers

What does it mean that the disciples would 'stumble' in Matthew 26:31?

The stumbling Jesus predicts falls somewhere between merely taking offence and final apostasy — a serious but temporary lapse under pressure from which the disciples would be restored, not a complete and permanent defection from the faith.

Why did Jesus quote Zechariah 13:7 when predicting the disciples' desertion?

Jesus grounded the prediction in Scripture to show that the scattering of the flock was not an accident but the appointed plan of God the Father, and that He, as the man who is the companion of Yahweh, was the shepherd whom the Father would strike.

Was Peter's denial the same thing as apostasy?

No — the speaker distinguishes a temporary lapse under pressure, which is what Peter committed, from a determined, final renunciation of Christ; Peter's denial was a grievous sin, but he was restored to effective discipleship.

Why were the disciples scandalized by the crucifixion?

For first-century Jews, a suffering, crucified Messiah was a contradiction in terms — they expected a conquering king, not one condemned by Rome — and associating with a publicly shamed and executed man carried real social cost even for believing Jews.

What practical lessons does the disciples' failure teach believers today?

The sermon draws three applications: believers must cultivate humility rather than pride, depend on the Holy Spirit rather than self-confidence, and submit to Scripture's honest assessment of their own weakness rather than maintaining a lofty self-image.

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.

Introduction

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.

Prediction of Desertion

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

Zechariah 13:7 and the Scattered Flock

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.

Christ's Promise to Restore

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.

Prediction of Peter's Denial

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

Peter's Presumptuous Assertion

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.

Three Problems with Peter's Claim

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.

Christ's Precise Counter-Prediction

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.

Peter Doubles Down

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

Prediction of Death and Resurrection

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.

Application

Well, in conclusion, a couple of thoughts. First,

Truthfulness of Scripture

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 Problem of Remaining Corruption

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

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.

Closing Prayer

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.