Matthew 26:69–75: The Denial of Peter
Introduction
Speaking personally, the story of Peter’s denial of Jesus is one of the most difficult things for me to read in the whole Bible. His sin is so great, and yet the narrative sounds like something that I could easily do in the same circumstances. I can think of countless times where my weakness has tripped me up in the same way, even while the circumstances may have been different. Especially, we must not read this as though this were a mere tragedy by ignoring the promise of Christ’s grace to reinstate Peter later on (Matt. 26:32). As we read this, we must not study Peter’s fall at arm’s length, as though this were Peter’s peculiar sin. In this story, we find a powerful reminder that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Discussion Questions
1. How many warnings had Peter received to prepare him for this trial (Matt. 26:31, 34, 41)? Through the scenes leading up to this moment, how often do we find Peter taking advantage of his opportunities to pray? How does Peter attempt to thread the needle of evading the servant girl’s question without entirely disowning Jesus (v. 70)? How does this exemplify a legalistic approach that attempts to look for a loophole rather than give wholehearted obedience?
2. What does Peter’s movement toward the entrance of the courtyard symbolize (v. 71)? When Peter is confronted again, by another servant girl, how does his second statement compare with his first? How had the compromise of the first encounter calloused his heart for this encounter? What does the “oath” element add to Peter’s words here? How does Pete’s moving from bad to worse warn you about the dangerous circumstances of your own life right now?
3. What do you think Peter may have been thinking in the “little while” between the second and third confrontation (v. 73)? How does Peter’s third statement compare with the second (v. 74)? What does the “curse” that Peter invokes add to his statement? How did Peter go from insisting that he would die before denying Jesus to asking God to strike him dead if he is lying about his denial of Jesus (Matt. 26:35, 74)?
4. Where do you find yourself making little compromises in your sin, in an attempt to protect yourself in the midst of weakness? How does Peter’s example warn you about the momentum that sin can gain to callous our hearts toward further sin? Have you been crushed by the weight of your sin (v. 75)? Has your grief been godly, driving you to repentance, or worldly, leading you only to feel bad about your sin, like Judas (2 Cor. 7:10; Matt. 27:3–5)?
