Mat 26:69 Peter meanwhile was sitting outside in the court of the palace, when one of the maidservants came over to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean."
Mat 26:70 He denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean."
Mat 26:71 Soon afterwards he went out and stood in the gateway, when another girl saw him, and said, addressing the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."
Mat 26:72 Again he denied it with an oath. "I do not know the man," he said.
Mat 26:73 A short time afterwards the people standing there came and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your brogue shows it."
Mat 26:74 Then with curses and oaths he declared, "I do not know the man." Immediately a cock crowed,
Mat 26:75 and Peter recollected the words of Jesus, how He had said, "Before the cock crows you will three times disown me." And he went out and wept aloud, bitterly. WNT
Introduction
Jesus predicted that Peter would disown Him before the cock crowed. Matthew 26: 31- 35. Then Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane where in agony He prayed the more and more earnestly. He was arrested and betrayed by the kiss of Judas and arraigned before the Jewish Council or Sanhedrin. There He confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of God. For this they accused him of Blasphemy. Now while this Kangaroo Court was being held Peter is in the Courtyard of the High Priest's palace. There as he warms himself by a fire the following scene unfolds and the cock crowed.
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| The Denial of Saint Peter, by CaravaggioThe Denial of Saint Peter (Caravaggio), 1610 Wikipedia.com |
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Mat 26:69 Peter meanwhile was sitting outside in the court of the palace, when one of the maidservants came over to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilaean."
Notes
one of the maidservants came over to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilaean."
A damsel came unto him - A maid servant, παιδισκη.
Thou also wast with Jesus - What a noble opportunity had Peter now to show his zeal for the insulted cause of truth, and his attachment to his Master. But, alas! he is shorn of his strength. Constables and maid servants are no company for an apostle, except when he is delivering to them the message of salvation. Evil communications corrupt good manners. Had Peter been in better company, he would not have had so foul a fall.A.C.
Mat 26:70 He denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean."
Notes.
The first denial.
He denied that he was a disciple; he denied that he knew Jesus; he denied (Mark) that he understood what was meant - that is, he did not see any reason why this question was asked. All this was palpable falsehood, and Peter must have known that it was such. This is remarkable, because Peter had just before been so confident. It is more remarkable, because the edge of the charge was taken off by the insinuation that “John” was known to be a disciple thou “also” wast with Jesus of Galilee. Barnes
Mat 26:71 Soon afterwards he went out and stood in the gateway, when another girl saw him, and said, addressing the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene."
Mat 26:72 Again he denied it with an oath. "I do not know the man," he said.
Notes
The Second Denial.
He has told a lie, and he swears to support it. A liar has always some suspicion that his testimony is not credited, for he is conscious to his own falsity, and is therefore naturally led to support his assertions by oaths.
Mat 26:73 A short time afterwards the people standing there came and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your brogue shows it."
Notes
His very accent showed that he was a Galileen.
Thy speech - Thy manner of speech, η λαλια σου, that dialect of thine - his accent being different from that of Jerusalem. From various examples given by Lightfoot and Schoettgen, we find that the Galileans had a very corrupt pronunciation, frequently interchanging ת ה א and ע, and so blending or dividing words as to render them unintelligible, or cause them to convey a contrary sense.
Betrays you - Δηλου σε ποιει, maketh thee manifest, from the Anglo-saxon, to accuse, betray; a word long since lost from our language.
Mat 26:74 Then with curses and oaths he declared, "I do not know the man." Immediately a cock crowed,
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| Following Jesus after an extreme Failure. He denied Him Three times |
Notes
The Third denial.
What a shock for Peter. With curses and oaths he declared that he did not know Jesus. The Noose is getting tighter and he can’t escape. Even the confident, boastful, brash Peter has been caught and fallen.
Peter was now irritated beyond endurance. He could no longer resist the evidence that he was known. It had been repeatedly charged on him. His language had betrayed him, and there was a positive witness who had seen him. He felt it necessary, therefore, to be still more decided, and he accordingly added to the sin of denying his Lord the deep aggravation of profane cursing and swearing, affirming what he must have known was false, that he knew not the man. Immediately then the cock crew - that is, the second crowing, or not far from three in the morning. Barnes
Mat 26:75 and Peter recollected the words of Jesus, how He had said, "Before the cock crows you will three times disown me." And he went out and wept aloud, bitterly.
Notes
Luke has mentioned a beautiful and touching circumstance omitted by the other evangelists, that when the cock crew, “Jesus turned and looked upon Peter,” and that then he remembered his words. They were in the same room - Jesus at the upper end of the hall, elevated for a tribunal and Peter below with the servants, so that Jesus could look down upon Peter standing near the fire. By a tender and compassionate look - a single glance of his eye the injured Saviour brought to remembrance all Peter’s promises, his own predictions, and the great guilt of the disciple; he overwhelmed him with the remembrance of his sin, and pierced his heart through with many sorrows. The consciousness of deep and awful guilt rushed over Peter’s soul; he flew from the palace, he went where he might be alone in the darkness of the night, and “wept bitterly.” Barnes
Perhaps you have fallen into sin and even denied the Lord. If you will acknowledge your sin repent and turn from it then Our Gracious Lord Jesus Christ will forgive you. He who confesses and forsakes His sin will find MERCY.
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