Matthew 26: Arrested (4)
Pray Psalm 55.1-3.
Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
Attend to me, and hear me;
I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.
Sing Psalm 55.1-3.
Bread of Life: Break Thou the Bread of Life
Hear now my prayer, O LORD, hide not from me.
Answer me by Your Word and set me free!
Wicked men sore oppress; restless am I.
LORD, ease my soul’s distress and hear my cry!
Read Matthew 26.1-35; meditate on verses 31-35.
Meditate on “I will never…”
Prepare.
1. What did Jesus say about the disciples?
2. How did Jesus counter Peter’s objection?
Meditate.
We might wonder what Peter’s problem was. Before, when Jesus said something he didn’t agree with, he rebuked Him, and contradicted His Word, which invariably left Peter embarrassed (cf. Matt. 16.21-23).
But aren’t we just like Peter in many ways? Jesus says, “As you are going, make disciples.” We say, “That’s the pastor’s job.” Jesus says, “You shall be My witnesses.” We say, “Nobody wants to hear it.” Jesus says, “Take up your cross.” We say, “Right after I get back from the golf course, Lord.” Jesus says, “Men ought always to pray.” We say, “Prayer doesn’t work for me.” Jesus says God’s Word is truth; we say it’s interesting reading. If we take the time to read it.
We’re just like Peter, so let’s not be too hard on him here. We can diagnose Peter’s problem. He didn’t want His Lord to suffer. He felt like he could do something to prevent that. In his spirit, he wanted to keep Jesus from suffering. But, as we shall see, when push came to shove, and a little girl challenged him as being a follower of Jesus, Peter caved. His flesh was weaker than his spirit.
But when Peter received the Holy Spirit of God, then he became the man he and Jesus wanted him to be. We have the Spirit, so whatever Jesus commands us, we can understand. And whatever He calls us to do, His Spirit makes us willing and able to the task (Phil. 2.13). But we must be filled with Him and walk in Him.
Peter would deny Jesus because he was relying on his spirit and his strength. We can follow and obey Jesus when, as Peter would come to know, we rely on His Spirit and His strength for whatever He calls us to do.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Jesus’ love is almost beyond comprehension.
He knew His disciples were going to deny Him.
And yet. He said,
“…after I have been raised, I will go before you into Galilee” (Matt. 26.32).
He promised that even after He had suffered, was betrayed, abandoned, and denied by them;
and after He rose victoriously from the dead—He would go before them into Galilee to meet with them there, and offer them forgiveness for their failures to stand strong with Him.
Jesus fixed them breakfast on the beach—then had a heart to heart with them (focused on Peter)
regarding forgiveness, love, and Kingdom work (Jn. 21.1-22). A new day had dawned.
Throughout His ministry, He had alluded to another gift that would be arriving soon—the Holy Spirit.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name,
He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (Jn. 14.26).
“It is to your advantage that I go away;
for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you;
but if I depart, I will send Him to you…He will guide you into all truth…” (Jn. 16.7, 13).
Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father, and through this Promise they no longer had to live helplessly, as victims of sin, but would “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1.4, 8).
Jesus, all courageous, all loving, all kind, all forgiving, all powerful, assures us that we can have those same characteristics, if we are indwelt by His Spirit—yoked with Jesus, to do His work, empowered by Him (Matt. 11.28-30). And “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2.16).
If we are defeated, deniers of Christ, destitute of His Word—we can be sure we are not living in His Spirit.
“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Prov. 24.10).
Our hope must be fully in Christ, not on human beings, only upon Him.
As Jesus Himself experienced on earth. His hope was only in God.
“Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help” (Ps. 22.11).
A hopeful, willing spirit can overcome weak flesh:
“Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts
by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us” (Rom. 5.5).
To live victoriously is almost beyond comprehension—but possible.
So, “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is…
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3.1, 2).
Reflect.
1. Since Jesus loves us so much, how should we relate to one another? To those who dislike us?
2. Is there any danger that we might betray Jesus? How can we guard against that?
3. How can you know that you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit?
It was not only out of carelessness but almost also out of wickedness that he said, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will not fall away.” He made a rash promise because he did not know the deceitfulness of human nature. This is why Peter didn’t simply fall away from Jesus or even deny Him once but abandoned Him so completely that he denied Him three times. Origen (185-254), Commentary on Matthew 88
Pray Psalm 55.9-15.
If Peter could betray the Lord, so can we. Pray that the Lord will give you strength to serve Him faithfully today.
Sing Psalm 55.9-19.
Bread of Life: Break Thou the Bread of Life
Let judgment fall, O LORD, let violence cease.
Daily they mock Your Word while sins increase.
You were for us betrayed; You bore our grief.
By You was judgment stayed for our relief.
LORD, I will call on You, answer and save!
Noon, morning, evening too, my voice I raise.
Grant me Your peace, O LORD; answer my foes!
All who reject God’s Word He overthrows.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast features excerpts from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column continues our study of “Everyday Christianity”. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
