Matthew 26.69-75

After Thursday night, things just keep going downhill for Jesus and the disciple. The first half of the week, Sunday through Thursday, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem, cleanses the temple, wins in the public debates, condemns the Pharisees, prepares the disciples for his resurrection, and finally, eats the Lord's supper.

After this, Judas leaves to betray him, he prays in Gethsemane, is arrested, tried before the Sanhedrin...and now this. His right hand man, Peter, disowns him three times. This is how it goes:

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.
 ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
 ⁷¹ Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
 ⁷² He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
 ⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.”
 ⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”
   Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.


There are a couple of different ideas as to why Peter denied Jesus. Some said he was just trying to get close enough to the trial to free Jesus by force, so he was lying in order to get close. Others said it was out of fear for his life. Whichever option is true, the fact of the matter is that Peter, Jesus' right hand man, runs away from danger in the garden, lies about knowing Jesus, and weeps bitterly about it after. 


But to truly understand this scene, you have to realize that the trial of Jesus is going on at the exact same time as Peter's denials. Look how John portrays this scene in his gospel:


 ¹² Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him ¹³ and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴ Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

 ¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, ¹⁶ but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
 ¹⁷ “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter.
   He replied, “I am not.”
 ¹⁸ It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.


These are going on simultaneously. The next trial of Jesus begins with this word, "Meanwhile", showing that these two scenes are occurring at the same time. 


So at the same time, you have Jesus being tried unfairly, but being faithful and obedient to God even if it means going to a cross. On the other hand, you got Peter, who has attacked a soldier with a sword, abandoned Jesus, ran away sacred, and now has denied even KNOWING Jesus. 


When we are unfaithful, God is faithful. 


When Peter is making a mess of his life, denying knowing Jesus, Jesus is submitting to unjust punishment in order to die for the sins that Peter is committing. 


And that is true for our own lives. 


When we are unfaithful to God, he is still faithful to us. 


The question is, how will we respond?


Will we respond how Judas does in the very next passage? Or will we respond how Peter does in the book of Acts?


Who will you be, Judas or Peter?