The Gospels: Jesus' Trial & Peter's Three Denials
Matthew 26:57-75
(v.64) Jesus said that He would raise the Temple in three days, but they didn't know that He was speaking of His own resurrection.
In this verse...under oath...He proclaims Himself to be God. Remember, in Jewish culture, the son is equated and has the same authority as the father, so Jesus calling Himself the Son of God, is literally calling Himself God. Of course, He is God, but they didn't want to believe that!
(v.74) Matthew's report of Peter's denials is quite interesting...Peter cursed and swore...it seems Peter was being fleshly, not spiritual. Pete did a lot of great things before and after Christ's time on earth, but here he acted of this world. He sought to save his own life, rather than give it for Christ.
To be fair, Jesus wanted it this way, for He wanted to die alone. He didn't want any of His disciples on the cross next to Him. Also, I think God used Peter again to drive a point home with all of us...no matter how spiritual we think we are, we are still fallen and sinful humans. We will never conquer sin and death without the One who did it for us!
In Luke 22:61 the report is more graphic and we can see the scene better. If you have seen the Passion of the Christ, then you have an idea of the scene.
With all the commotion and people in the courtyard, the very instant that Peter denies knowing Christ the third time, Jesus locks eyes with Peter through the crowd. In the movie, Jesus has no expression...just a penetrating stare. I can only imagine the pain in Peter when he realized that He abandoned His LORD.
We do this many times...sometimes daily...in our lives. When we live worldly, or when we're around non-believers, and we go along to get along...we are doing what Peter did. I think Jesus used Peter for this lesson, because Peter was the most vocal and passionate of the group. If Peter could deny Christ, then all of us could.
To Peter's credit, he was one of the most ardent advocates of Christ after His resurrection, and he died a martyr because of it.
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