Matthew 26:75, commentary and pictures

After his third denial with cursing and swearing that he did not know Him, Peter heard the cock crow, remembered Jesus' prediction that he would deny Him thrice before the cock crowed, and went out alone to Gethsemane and wept bitterly in shame and sorrow. At that moment Jesus turned from His mock trial before Caiaphas and looked full upon him with deep pity, sorrow, compassion and forgiveness and no anger, and that look pierced and melted his heart like an arrow. His fall came from self-confidence and self-trust, from failing to watch and pray in Gethsemane, and from fear of scorn and suffering that led him onto the enemy's ground among Christ's mockers. His bitter weeping was genuine repentance and conversion, and though Jesus tenderly forgave his accepted repentance, Peter never forgot his humiliation nor excused it as small, and had to give public evidence of sincere repentance to regain confidence. The converted Peter became distrustful of self, firm as a rock through the Holy Spirit and bold to openly honor the name he had disowned, and his rising through grace warns against disguising faith from fear and against careless self-confidence while encouraging the weak to press forward.

Setting and Sequence

After the third denial the cock crowed and Peter remembered the prediction that before the cock crowed he would deny Him thrice, and he went out and wept bitterly. The denial fulfilled what had been foretold, for Peter denied three times before the crowing and then recalled the words with shame and reproach. The denials rose to a climax in cursing and swearing, spoken in rage to deceive the questioners and to keep up a false character. In that final denial he said he did not know the man.

It took place in the early morning darkness in the palace of Caiaphas the officiating high priest. There Jesus, weary and faint from fasting, endured a mock examination with coarse accusations, sneering questions, insult, mockery and reviling from the whole assembly. While the oaths were still fresh on Peter's lips and the crowing still ringing in his ears, Jesus turned His face from the frowning judges and looked full upon Peter. Peter's eyes were involuntarily fixed on Him, and in that gentle, suffering face he read deep pity and sorrow with compassion and forgiveness and no anger, as if saying not to know Him. That sorrowful, reproving look pierced his heart like an arrow, melted him and broke his heart.

Under that conviction Peter fled from the crowded courts without caring where he went until he reached Gethsemane. He came to the very spot where Jesus had poured out His soul in agony to the Father. There he fell on his face stricken and wounded and so overwhelmed by what he had done that he wished he could die there. This was the same Peter who had earlier received heavenly light and declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, a truth revealed not by flesh and blood but by the Father in heaven. Though favored with Jesus' presence and lesson upon lesson, line upon line, at the trial none of the disciples dared open their lips to acknowledge Him, showing that great opportunity and clear principle had not transformed character.

Why Peter Fell

Peter's fall came from self-confidence and self-trust, thinking himself strong where he was weak and relying on himself rather than on divine power and continual dependence on Christ. Self-confidence cannot be trusted to sustain a person in trial, and one who relies on self rather than strength from above will go astray unless given a deeper experience. He had not yet learned to distrust himself, and only grace could overcome the weakness of character that led him to fall. His confident claims of greater zeal than the other disciples did not keep him faithful when opposition came, warning against self-confidence and self-righteousness and teaching humility.

He was impulsive, self-confident and a proud boaster, yet his fall was not instantaneous but gradual, led step by step by self-confidence until he denied with cursing and swearing. A few hours before he had firmly assured Jesus he would go with Him to prison and to death, but he was so self-confident he did not take Christ's words as verity and truth, showing how little he knew himself. When circumstances tested his loyalty he was unprepared and failed to prepare for the temptation.

Being overcome with sleep, he failed to watch and pray with Jesus in Gethsemane and was left to his own weak strength, and in that weakness denied Jesus at the trial. Had he watched he would have received the light God desired to give, a knowledge of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, and would have shared in His self-sacrifice. Watching and praying would have fortified him so he could have stood securely, been defended by angels, overcome the wicked one through God, and kept faith, with rays of hope lighting the gloom of the terrible trying hour and sustaining faith amid the darkness of the cross.

Fear of scorn, reproach, suffering, persecution and abuse led him to conceal his identity as a follower and to use policy to avoid trial. He took his place among Christ's mockers on the enemy's ground, though he would have fought bravely in open fight. Seeing Christ humiliated gave way to unbelief, which he entertained until in crisis he wickedly denied his Lord.

Seeking company he should have avoided put him within reach of temptation and exposed him to words and actions he would otherwise have rejected. To hide his true sorrow he tried to appear indifferent, joined in mocking jokes, and became angry that Jesus submitted passively to abuse. In denying with cursing and swearing he gave voice to words Satan suggested, showing how Satan's power was working on human hearts and that even beloved disciples are vulnerable when spiritually blind.

Repentance and Forgiveness

Peter went out and wept bitterly in shame and sorrow as intense as his denial, a genuine work of repentance and not a momentary self-confident claim of being saved. His bitter weeping expressed deep repentance after remembering the prediction that before the cock crowed he would deny three times. His denial led to genuine repentance, conversion and renewed commitment to his Saviour, making him ready to strengthen his fellow disciples and fellow believers. His repentance was accepted, his sin forgiven, and he was treated with compassion.

Jesus' sorrowful, reproving look was not hopeless but spoke pardon and brought a ray of hope, assuring the sorry and repentant disciple of forgiveness for his transgression. That grieved look blended with compassion and love melted Peter and saved him, bringing him to heartfelt sorrow and to the turning point where with broken heart he lamented his wrong. Surprised and shocked by the crowing that reminded him of the words, he turned and met that look and understood himself.

He never forgot the intensely painful reality and humiliation of his denial nor treated it as a small sin, remaining deeply conscious of it all his life. When converted he did not repeat his old assertions in the old spirit and manner and claimed nothing in himself to boast of, knowing only grace could overcome the weakness of character that had led him to fall. Though his sin was forgiven and he later served faithfully, even the prospect of death did not lessen his sorrow, and his conversion led to a life of repentance and humility willing to suffer for Christ. At last he accepted death for the gospel with joy, yet felt dying in the same manner as his Master too great an honor and asked to be crucified head downward.

Even during the time Peter denied Him, the love Jesus bore him never faltered, and Christ dealt with him tenderly with patience, sympathy, forgiving love and compassion. Jesus did not forsake His poor disciple who hated himself afterward, did not thrust him away, but loved him still, and after the resurrection called him by name and sent him a loving message. Although he repented, his denial had dishonored Christ and damaged his standing and influence among the disciples as representative of the twelve, shameful and inconsistent with his former assertions of loyalty and devotion. Before he could resume his apostolic work he had to give all the disciples public evidence of sincere repentance where Christ placed him to regain their entire confidence, lest their distrust because of his former failure cripple his usefulness in time of emergency. In Gethsemane, to the very place of agony, he also remembered that he had slept while Jesus prayed, and remorse for that failure humbled him.

Transformed Life and Service

The Peter who denied became widely different after conversion, no longer impulsive, self-confident and proud, no longer a boaster putting confidence in himself, but distrustful of self, filled with the Holy Spirit and through its power made firm as a rock, courageous yet modest in magnifying Christ and standing forth as His bold witness. When he later stood for trial in that very room before those very men, Annas and Caiaphas and the other temple dignitaries and leaders of the Sanhedrin and council, his shameful denial with wicked cowardice came distinctly before his mind. That denial had disowned and dishonored the name of Christ in the hour of His greatest need and left the stain of apostasy, and the return to the same place before the same men gave opportunity to redeem the former cowardice, remove the stain, and openly honor the name once disowned.

Remembering his own weakness and failure taught him as under-shepherd to feel just such unfaltering love for the sheep and lambs committed to his care as Christ had shown him when His love never faltered even while being denied. From the chief Shepherd he learned to deal with the transgressor, the tempted and erring, and those gone astray with patience, sympathy, forgiving love, tender help and tenderness, to pity and sympathize with the tempted, to caution the presumptuous, and so to teach, help and strengthen his fellow believers. After conversion he still kept ardent zeal that sometimes needed mild caution from John, his boldness and energy remaining valuable to the work while John's patient forbearance and devotion helped win people.

His denial in Christ's humiliation and rejection remained a painful memory that later stirred remorse when he recognized his unbelief and failure to appreciate Jesus. His conversion led to a life of repentance and humility willing to suffer for Christ, and he remained deeply conscious of the denial throughout life, sincerely repenting and forgiven by Christ yet unable to forgive himself, so that even the prospect of death did not lessen his sorrow. When facing martyrdom he felt that dying in the same manner as his Master was too great an honor and asked to be crucified head downward, upside down, at last accepting death for the gospel with joy.

Christ's Suffering and Love

In the early morning darkness in the palace of Caiaphas the officiating high priest, while enduring a mock examination with coarse accusations, sneering questions, insult, mockery and reviling from the whole assembly, Jesus heard Peter deny Him three times with curses and oaths. That denial pierced His heart with a keener pang and more deeply than the insults, accusations and reviling of His persecutors.

The verse belongs to Christ's greatest trial, when Peter denied Him three times as foretold and then remembered His words and wept bitterly, while the other disciples forsook Him and fled. It is cited as one of the ways Christ was forsaken by His own disciples during His suffering, enduring betrayal, abandonment, shame and reproach though without sin.

With prophetic eye Jesus knew this humiliation and rejection in advance and voluntarily endured it as part of drinking the bitter cup and bearing the guilt of sinners. Before it happened He saw the scene when Pilate would deliver Him, a Galilean, up to be scourged and crucified, and felt beforehand the agony of hearing Peter, His own disciple and Lord's follower, say he did not know Him. Peter had been favored by being in Jesus' presence and hearing the words from His lips, blessed with lesson upon lesson, line upon line, yet denied Him with cursing and swearing, and the denial stands beside the betrayal by one of the Twelve into the hands of sinners as proof that great opportunities and clear principles showing God's hate for sin had not transformed character.

Peter's denial under temptation disappointed Jesus, showing that even His disciples are vulnerable to Satan's temptations. Professed followers who act with spiritual blindness can likewise disappoint the Saviour. Jesus did not forsake His poor disciple who in the hour of trial was tempted and overcome in weakness and hated himself afterward, did not thrust him away, but loved him still. After His resurrection He called Peter by name and sent him a loving message, showing a kind, loving and compassionate Saviour who loves sinners though they err and still loves those who are tempted and overcome in weakness.

Warning and Application

Disguising faith from fear of suffering, scorn, ridicule or reproach is in practice as real a denial of the Lord as Peter's, even in one who might have shown courage in open fight. Peter's denial came from concealing his identity as a follower and taking his place among Christ's opposers on the enemy's ground, and fear of scorn made him act like a coward though he would have fought bravely for his Master. Seeking company that should have been avoided exposes a person to temptation and to words and actions otherwise rejected, making such failure more likely. Those who persuade the conscientious to yield may then despise them for yielding. Those who condemn Peter and the Jews for rejecting Jesus should consider that their own professed love will also be tested, for some who wept over the story of the cross rejected the message of His coming and opposed those who welcomed it.

The recorded failure of a believer, with the struggle and fall and rising through grace to conquer, is meant to warn others and encourage them to keep pressing forward despite human weakness. Peter's repeated denial, despite warning of the danger, exposed self-confidence, self-righteousness, confidence in his own will, claims of greater zeal than the others, and careless entry into temptation, and when Jesus stood condemned, humiliated and crowned with thorns Peter failed to show the bravery and loyalty he had claimed. His example warns against self-confidence, self-righteousness and self-trust, which make a person unreliable, and teaches humility, tenderness and sympathy toward those who have erred, with safety lying in distrusting self and trusting God's wisdom. He could have heeded Christ's warning, asked for help, and remained watchful when Satan attacked, and his steadfastness under trial would have honored Christ by showing Christ's character in his life.

To say "I know not the testimonies" is the same willful denial of Christ as saying "I know not the man." One who lives this denial lacks the Spirit of Christ and is an unsafe guide and teacher, unable to discern spiritual things in himself and therefore unable to discern God's word for others or give every man his portion of meat in due season. He may present clear and cutting truth to others while keeping that truth in the outer court outside the inner life, not brought into his own life and interwoven with character. Peter's denial stands in contrast with earnestly following Christ and carrying forward His work, showing that the church may likewise include rash and flawed people who fail under trial, which are evils Christ seeks to correct through instruction. In that denial with cursing and swearing the gates of hell prevailed against Peter, which proves the church was not built upon Peter but upon Christ, the Son of the living God, against whom the gates of hell cannot prevail.