Episode Transcript
The theme of Matthew’s Gospel is the arrival of the kingdom of heaven. At the beginning, Jesus is born and begins preaching, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). At the end of the Gospel account, He proclaims, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). Matthew is telling the story about how king Jesus has come and has established His kingdom on the earth. Along the way, Matthew reveals much about the nature of Christ’s kingdom. The iconic scene in which Peter denies Jesus thrice sits just after Jesus reveals that from now on (from the moment of His illegal trial and consequent crucifixion, the people will see Him sitting at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds. From Jesus’s perspective, the kingdom was being established as the result of His trial. But, according to Peter’s perspective, they had lost the battle and the Messiah was somehow not victorious.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Remember, Matthew has an agenda as he is writing his Gospel account. He did not set out to make Peter look bad. He set out to show that the kingdom of heaven has come and the Messiah reigns. After Jesus plainly claimed before Caiaphas that the kingdom was nearer than ever before, His chief apostle denies Him thrice.
Earlier in Matthew 26, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him along with the other disciples,
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and bafter a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness 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.” After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all afall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a 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.” All the disciples said the same thing too (Matthew 26:26-35).
Jesus knew they would all fall away because it was foretold in the Prophets,
“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones. It will come about in all the land,” Declares the Lord, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God’ ” (Zechariah 13:7-9).
Just before the true kingdom people are revealed, there will be a Shepherd, the associate of Yahweh, who will be struck so that the sheep are scattered. This prophecy is not only fulfilled as Peter denies Jesus, but as all the the disciples scatter. Not only do all the disciples scatter, but all of Israel scatters away from the Messiah—accusing Him unto His crucifixion and the consequent establishing of His kingdom as we see prophesied in Zechariah.
Jesus did not condemn Peter for denying Him because He knew it must happen according to the Prophets for the kingdom to be established conspicuously by God alone (cf. Isaiah 9:7). The kingdom of heaven would not depend on the success or faithfulness of people. The zeal Yahweh of hosts will accomplish the establishing of the kingdom. Even when people deny Jesus, Jesus will accomplish the establishing of His kingdom and the ever-increasing of His government and peace. The disciples can’t do this by faking a resurrection or by trying to continue Christ’s work in His absence. We see how dedicated they are to the cause here in this part of the story. They all denied Jesus. Without the resurrection first, they would never have had the faith to carry on the work.
Even though Jesus never condemns Peter for denying Him, Peter goes out and wept bitterly. He loves Jesus, and Jesus loves him. Jesus has compassion on Peter despite Peter’s necessary sin.
This chapter in the story is one of the more heartbreaking. There are people today who deny Jesus for any number of reasons. I find some tension in the text. We know Peter will be restored (cf. John 21:15-17). We know that Jesus also taught,
Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come (Matthew 12:32).
Then, Jesus also teaches that,
“…everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).
Peter denied Jesus, yet Jesus does not condemn Peter. Has Christ gone against His own word? When we look at Matthew 10:32-33, the “whoever denies” is the only word written in the aorist tense. The other confesses and deny are written purposefully in the future indicative. Explained well, Jesus indicated that whoever lived a full life of denying Him would be denied before the Father in the future. Whoever would eventually confess Him would also eventually be confessed before the Father. There is room for restoration. Denying Christ at any point in time before it is the day of our judgment does not mean we are damned. If we go our entire lives without confessing Christ, then we will be denied before the Father.
The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of second and third and fourth chances. God is gracious and patient with us. There are many super religious people who get it wrong, claiming that those who deny Christ or the existence of God or worship the wrong God will be immediately subject to His wrath. This is not so. God is patient with us, not wanting any to perish but for all to come to repentance. Have you denied Jesus either verbally or practically? His kingdom is here, and He has made a way for you to be a part of it. Will you repent and confess Jesus? Will you have eternal life with the Father?
