In this message we come to Matt. 26:31-75, a long section in the Gospel of Matthew that is also related to the kingdom. The verses in this chapter regarding the Lord’s table indicate that the Lord’s death and resurrection have a great deal to do with the kingdom of the heavens. In these verses, however, we cannot find the resurrection, although we do have a clear reference to the Lord’s death in the breaking of the bread, which signifies the breaking of the Lord’s body. The Lord’s word about the pouring out of His blood (v. 28) is also an obvious reference to His death. Although there is no explicit mention of it, resurrection is implied by the fact that the bread signifies the Lord as our bread for our enjoyment. His death accomplished redemption for us, but He becomes our enjoyment through redemption in resurrection. When we come to the Lord’s table, we see on the table a symbol of the Lord’s death, but we remember Him, not in death, but in resurrection. In this remembrance we display His death. Both the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection are for the kingdom. Apart from Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, it is impossible for the kingdom to be established.
By our natural life it is not possible for us to be the kingdom people. This fact is made abundantly clear in 26:31-75. Here we have a picture of the arrest and judgment of Christ. This record reveals that no one can follow Christ on the pathway of the cross by the natural life. The King can take this pathway, but we in our natural life cannot. Therefore, the Lord must die for us and enter into resurrection for us. Through His death our negative situation is settled, and by His resurrection He is able to be taken in by us and even become us.
Years ago, I could not understand why in the record of the Lord’s arrest and judgment Matthew includes a long story about Peter’s denial of the Lord. I used to think that a few verses would have been sufficient to describe how Peter denied the Lord three times. But Matthew presents this in detail. It is important for us to see the significance of Peter’s denial. In chapter twenty-six the Lord Jesus and Peter stand in absolute contrast to each other. In every respect Jesus was able to pass through the pathway of the cross. But in every respect Peter was defeated in taking this pathway. All the other disciples, of course, were the same as Peter. If we see this matter clearly, we shall pay careful attention to Peter’s denial as well as to Christ’s victory.
What was Matthew’s main intention in 26:31-75 — to unveil the victory of Christ or to expose the defeat of Peter? I believe that his intention was to present both — each in vivid contrast to the other. When we look at the Lord Jesus, we see complete success, but when we look at Peter, we see total defeat. For the establishment of the kingdom, Christ’s victory is necessary. He had to be victorious in every respect. At the same time, we must come to realize that we, as fallen human beings, are not able to be the kingdom people.
Do not have any trust in yourself. Peter is our representative. As far as our natural life is concerned, we are all Peter. For the kingdom of the heavens to be established, there was the need of a man like Jesus. Throughout chapter twenty-six, the Lord Jesus stood in the position of a man, not in the position of the Son of God. In order for the kingdom of the heavens to be established, He stood as a man, a successful man, a victorious man, as a man that could withstand any hardship, defeat, opposition, and attack.
As we consider this picture of the Lord Jesus, we should receive the clear impression that in our human life it is impossible for us to be the kingdom people. The twelve disciples had been under the Lord’s teaching and training for three and a half years. During this period of time, they were with the Lord constantly. Peter, a fisherman, was called in chapter four, and he began from that time onward to follow the Lord Jesus. The Lord took special care to train Peter in a particular way. Peter heard the decree of the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens, and he heard all the mysteries concerning the kingdom. He was trained concerning Christ’s being the Son of God, concerning the building up of the church, and concerning the pathway of the cross. He was dealt with on the Mount of Transfiguration and corrected regarding the paying of the poll tax. Time and time again, Peter was adjusted. It is difficult to believe that such a qualified and trained person could take the lead in denying the Lord. If Peter could not succeed in following the Lord, then who can? If Peter had denied the Lord in chapter four, I would not have been surprised. But it is hard for me to believe that in chapter twenty-six, after being with the Lord for three and a half years, Peter could deny Him.
Not even Peter himself believed that he would do this. In verse 33 Peter said boldly to the Lord, “If all shall be stumbled in You, I will never be stumbled,” and in verse 35 he said, “Even if I must die with You, I will by no means deny You.” Peter was confident that he would follow the Lord to the uttermost. But, as this picture makes clear, all he could do was to deny the Lord to the uttermost. This proves that no human being can succeed in living the kingdom life. Perhaps after reading these messages, you have been stirred up for the kingdom and desire to be today’s kingdom people. But we must realize that none of us can make it. Therefore, we need to humble ourselves, bow down, and say, “Lord, I simply can’t make it. I am a Peter. If Peter could not make it, then who am I to think that I can make it? Lord, I can’t do it.”
In the light of the contrast between Christ’s victory and Peter’s failure, let us now consider verses 31 through 75. Verse 31 says, “Then Jesus says to them, You will all be stumbled in Me this night, for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.” The Lord was the Shepherd, and the disciples were the sheep who were to be scattered. However, all the disciples said that they would not deny Him. All of them, especially Peter, had the assurance and the confidence that they would follow the Lord to the end, no matter what the pathway might be.
In His warning the Lord promised that He would be raised up and go to meet with them in resurrection in Galilee (v. 32). He also predicted that, on the night of His betrayal, Peter would deny Him three times (v. 34).
After warning the disciples, the Lord went with them to Gethsemane (v. 36). Gethsemane means the place of the oil press. The Lord was pressed there to flow out the oil, the Spirit. After taking Peter, James, and John, the Lord went to pray alone. When He returned from praying the first time, He found the disciples sleeping (v. 40). The Lord Jesus had told them seriously that His soul was “exceeding sorrowful, even unto death,” and He had asked them to watch with Him (v. 38). But it seemed to them that nothing was going to happen and that everything was peaceful. Perhaps the disciples fell asleep because they had been tired out by the Lord’s presence. According to the other Gospels, Peter and John were the ones sent ahead to prepare the room for the Passover. Perhaps they were tired from all the events of the day. Peter might have said to himself, “I would like to stay away from Jesus for a little while. Since I cannot get away from Him, let me take a little sleep. The Lord may need to pray, but I need to sleep.” This was a full exposure of the fact that Peter was unable to make it in following the Lord. It is also a portrait of our situation. We love the Lord, but like Peter we may get tired out from being in His presence. Although it is wonderful to have the Lord’s presence, sometimes we may get too weary to care for it.
According to verses 40 and 41, when the Lord came to the disciples and found them sleeping, He said to Peter, “So, you were not able to watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is ready, but the flesh is weak.” In spiritual things our spirit is often ready or willing, but our flesh is weak. Notice that the Lord Jesus spoke this word specifically to Peter, for Peter was the “nose,” the one who was the most prominent.
When the Lord came back after praying the third time, the disciples were still sleeping. In verses 36 through 46 we see a contrast between the life that is absolutely able for the kingdom and the life that is completely unable. We do not have the first life by our natural birth. The life we have by our natural birth is completely unable to be for the kingdom.
In the garden of Gethsemane, the Lord was pressed to be sorrowful and distressed, even unto death. After praying to the Father three times, He took the Father’s will and was prepared to be crucified for the fulfillment of the Father’s will.
Verse 47 says, “And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.” Judas kissed the Lord Jesus affectionately as a sign that He was the one to be seized. If it had been a stranger who had led the crowd to the Lord, it would not have been so painful to Him. But the one who led the crowd in arresting Him was one who had been so close to Him for three and a half years. Humanly speaking, this hurt the Lord Jesus.
When the Lord was arrested, one of the disciples, Peter, reacted by drawing his sword, striking the slave of the high priest, and cutting off his ear (v. 51). Instead of helping the Lord Jesus, this action merely caused trouble. In his Gospel, John gives Peter’s name (John 18:10), and Luke mentions the fact that the Lord had to heal the ear (Luke 22:51). After telling Peter to put his sword into its place, the Lord said, “Do you think that I cannot beseech My Father and He will provide Me at once more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?” (vv. 53-54). The word “so” refers to His death on the cross, which was prophesied in the Scriptures and needed to be fulfilled.
Once again we see here a contrast between two persons in the light of the kingdom. Peter resisted the Lord’s arrest, but the Lord was willing to accept it for the fulfillment of the Scriptures. Jesus’ life is more than able to be for the kingdom, but this is impossible for our life. Our life simply cannot withstand the events and environment related to the kingdom. We all must come to realize this. If we did not have this record of Peter’s failure, defeat, and denial, we might think that our natural life could succeed in being for the kingdom, and we would want to be bold like Peter. However, our natural life is not adequate. Here in chapter twenty-six we see a natural Peter, but in Acts 2, 3, and 4 we see a resurrected Peter. Following the Lord Jesus on the pathway for the kingdom can only be done in the life of resurrection.
In verses 57 through 68 the Lord was judged by the Sanhedrin. He was accused unjustly with false testimonies, but He did not say a word to vindicate Himself (vv. 59-63). The Lord, standing before the Sanhedrin like a sheep before its shearers, would not say a word to vindicate Himself. By remaining silent, He was fulfilling Isaiah 53:7.
Then the high priest said to Him, “I adjure you by the living God that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (v. 63). This was the same question the Devil used in tempting the Lord (4:3, 6). Verse 64 says, “Jesus says to him, You said it! Moreover, I say to you, Henceforth you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest asked the Lord if He was the Son of God, but He answered with “the Son of Man.” He answered the Devil in the same way in His temptation (4:4). The Lord is the Son of Man, not only on the earth before His crucifixion, but also in the heavens on the right hand of God after His resurrection (Acts 7:56), and even at His coming back on the clouds. To accomplish God’s purpose and to establish the kingdom of the heavens, the Lord had to be a man. Without man, God’s purpose could not be carried out on earth and the kingdom of the heavens could not be constituted on earth.
The Lord seemed to be saying to the high priest, “You asked Me whether or not I am the Son of God. I am the Son of Man. Even after you have crucified Me and I have been resurrected from the dead, I will be in the third heaven as a man. And when I come back on the clouds to take the earth, I will still be the Son of Man.”
When the Devil in the wilderness tested the Lord regarding His being the Son of God, the Lord answered by saying, “Man.” The Lord seemed to say to the Devil, “I’m not here as the Son of God to be tempted by you. If I were the Son of God, I could not be tempted. I am standing here as a man.” The high priest, Caiaphas, was the same as the Devil, and his question was the same as the Devil’s temptation in the wilderness. The Lord also answered him in the same way.
When the high priest heard the Lord’s answer, he tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy” (v. 65). After the others said that the Lord was liable to death, they spit in His face, beat Him with their fists, slapped Him, and mocked Him (vv. 67-68). When the Lord was treated this way, He was victoriously silent. Thus, He was victorious not only before the Sanhedrin, but also before Peter, who had followed Him afar off to the courthouse of the high priest and had sat down with the deputies to see the end (v. 58). Again we see here that only the life of Jesus is good for the kingdom. Even the life of a man as strong and as bold as Peter is not fit for the kingdom.
Verses 69 and 70 say, “Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard; and a maid came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied before all, saying, I do not know what you are saying!” Peter could not withstand even one fragile little female. Peter’s denial of the Lord was an exposure. It seems to me that this one test was sufficient to expose Peter. But under God’s sovereignty, the environment would not let Peter go until he was tested to the uttermost, that he might realize he was absolutely not trustworthy and should no longer have any confidence in himself. Thus, verses 71 and 72 say that another maid came to him and said, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man!” Finally, those standing by said, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech also makes you known” (v. 73). Then Peter “began to curse and to swear, I do not know the man!” (v. 74). In his first denial, Peter said only the word; in his second denial, he replied with an oath; and in his third denial, he cursed and swore. After denying the Lord the third time and hearing the cock crow, Peter remembered the word of the Lord, and he went out and wept bitterly (v. 75). As the Lord was suffering an evil and unjust judgment, Peter denied Him. By denying Him, Peter was exposed to the uttermost.
We should not read this account merely as a story about Peter, for it reveals that it is impossible for our natural life to enter into the kingdom. Because we all are the same as Peter, we should not try to follow the pathway into the kingdom by our natural life. No matter what kind of mind or will we may have, we cannot succeed. The test will come that will fully expose us. Sooner or later, all of us on the pathway to the kingdom will face the same tests. Praise the Lord that there is still the way of repentance, weeping, and confessing that brings in the Lord’s forgiveness and His further visitation. For the kingdom, we must have another life and be another person. Only after we have passed through all the tests and have suffered all the defeats and failures will we realize our need for another life.
Praise the Lord for the strong contrast presented in this chapter! In Peter we see the black, and in the Lord Jesus we see the white. All the way from the garden to the cross, Peter and the other disciples were defeated. Only one man, Jesus, was victorious. Actually, He was not even arrested; He handed Himself over to those who came for Him. Thus, His death was not a matter of compulsion, but a voluntary fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning His crucifixion. Truly, only the life of Jesus is good for the kingdom.
