Matthew - Week 83

Before the Rooster Crows 

READ 

Matthew 26:33-34 

33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 

Peter was insulted by Jesus’ comments that all of them would desert Him. Peter boasted that he would never do that even if the others did. In answer to that, Jesus gave this prediction of Peter’s denial of Him. It would have been serious enough had Jesus predicted Peter’s denial would eventually occur, but how startling it must have been to Peter that it would happen in the same night. 

REFLECT 

Think of this serious confrontation of Jesus with Peter. Surely Peter thought the possibility of him denying Jesus was impossible. 

RESPOND 

Discuss with a Christian friend the seriousness of denying Jesus. Talk about times when you did not speak up in defense of Jesus that you now think you should have. In this regard, consider 2 Timothy 2:11-13.  

Vows of Loyalty 

READ 

Matthew 26:35 

35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same. 

As expected, Peter rejected any possibility of him denying that he knew Jesus. Although Peter was usually the first to speak as he did this time, the other disciples often agreed with him as they did here. It is hard to know what people will do when their own lives are threatened for knowing Jesus. 

REFLECT 

Think how serious it was for all the disciples to vow they would never deny Jesus. They would eventually also feel guilty of deserting Jesus. 

RESPOND 

Some wonder if they would have the grace to die for Jesus as many have done over the centuries. One person has said, “You won’t have dying grace until you need it.” This means the most important thing now is to apply and enjoy the grace God has given us to live for Him. See Ephesians 5:1-3 for how the apostle Paul said believers ought to live. 

Crushed With Grief 

READ 

Matthew 26:36-38 

36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 

Of the disciples, Peter, James and John seem to have been the closest to Jesus. They were with Him at the Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1). Jesus wanted them to wait for Him while He prayed. He was “anguished and distressed”, and His soul was “crushed with grief to the point of death.” These statements reveal that Jesus in His humanity was fully man as well as fully God. He wanted the three men to “keep watch” with Him.  

REFLECT 

Does this give you more insight into the humanity of Jesus? He went through all of this for lost humanity. 

RESPOND 

With another believer read some passages about the suffering of Jesus. The inspired Scriptures could have told us much more but see now Philippians 2:5-8 and Hebrews 12:1-4. Much more will be said in the Gospels as they comment about the crucifixion of Jesus. 

Your Will Be Done 

READ 

Matthew 26:39 

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 

After telling the three men to stay where they were and keep watch, Jesus went on a short distance to pray. He was fully aware of the agonizing death that was ahead of Him. He asked the heavenly Father to remove that cup of suffering from Him. Jesus’ greater desire, however, was to do the Father’s will, not His own.  

REFLECT 

In your prayers for some special interest, do you ask above all that the heavenly Father’s will be done and not yours? 

RESPOND 

Dwell on the agony of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Think about His desire to escape what was ahead of Him and yet He wanted to do the Father’s will. As John 3:16 says, the Father sent His only son as an act of His love. Jesus came to pay the penalty of sin for lost mankind. In His prayer, Jesus wanted to carry out the Father’s love more than anything else. 

Caught Asleep 

READ 

Matthew 26:40-41 

40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” 

Jesus wanted the three disciples to be praying for Him, but they were tired and fell asleep. Jesus questioned why they could not watch with Him for even an hour. He commanded them again to keep watch and be in prayer so they would not yield to temptation. He added, “For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Jesus acknowledged their weakness and tiredness at night with this statement. 

REFLECT 

Is it helpful to realize that Jesus understands the weakness of your flesh even as He desires you to serve His wishes? 

RESPOND 

Ask a friend how it is going with weakness. The apostle Paul told of being caught up to heaven. He would not boast about that; however, he would boast about his weaknesses. Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 and talk with a friend how this might apply to you.