Audio Download

Matthew 26:31–75 Peter’s Denial of Jesus

[Study Aired December 8, 2025]

Our study for today deals with Jesus praying in Gethsemane, His apprehension and being presented before Caiaphas and the Council. The study also highlights Peter’s denial of Jesus.     

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

Mat 26:36  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 
Mat 26:37  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 
Mat 26:38  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 
Mat 26:39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 

The name “Gethsemane” means an oil press, which is a device that uses high pressure to squeeze oil from seeds and nuts. At this point in Jesus’ life, He was pressured with the weight of offering Himself as sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is through this pressure that oil which symbolizes the Holy Spirt is produced. That is to say that it is through the Lord’s sacrifice that the Holy Spirit will come to dwell within His elect to show them all things.

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 

Jesus taking the three disciples (Peter, John and James) to the garden of Gethsemane is to let His elect of every generation know that His sorrowful state and heaviness of heart is all part of the process we have to go through to become spiritually mature through His judgment (the significance of the number three).   

If there is one thing we have to learn from our Lord Jesus’ life here on earth, we can see that He was very prayerful. Jesus always separated Himself to pray to His Father. If we are to lead an overcoming life like Christ, then we must find time to pray. 

Mar 1:35  And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.  

Luk 5:15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 
Luk 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. 

This time of Jesus’ life on earth was very critical in the sense that He had to offer His life as a sacrifice to reconcile the whole of the human race to God. As Jesus said to His disciples in verses 37 and 38, this was the time that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. He needed to be strengthened, comforted and delivered from His anxiety of what awaited Him. Through the word of the Lord, we know that it is through prayer that we are strengthened, comforted and delivered from anxiety. He therefore came to the garden of Gethsemane to pray so that God will intervene in His circumstance. 

Php 4:6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

2Co 1:3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 
2Co 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 

Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 
Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

These things are written for our admonition so that when we are overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, we will follow the example of our Lord and pray. It is also instructive to note that in spite of what Jesus was going through, His sole aim was to do the will of His Father, as shown in verse 39. This was the driving force of His life here on earth. As He is, so are we. We must make it our aim to do His will, no matter the circumstance. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus stated that entering the kingdom of heaven is not for those who simply say “Lord, Lord,” but for those who “do the will of His Father which is in heaven.” 

Mat 7:21  Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Joh 4:34  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 

Mat 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 
Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 
Mat 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 
Mat 26:43  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 
Mat 26:44  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 

Jesus coming back to find the disciples sleeping reveals the spiritual state of the disciples at that time of their walk with Christ. They were carnal or babies in Christ. We all start our walk with Christ as carnal before the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 

The Lord saying that the disciples could not watch with Him for one hour is to let us know that at that time, the disciples were not united in purpose with the Lord since the number one signifies unity. Here we find Jesus in an agonizing state, and the disciples were not agonizing with Him. In verse 41, Jesus gave the reason for this. That is, although the disciples were willing to support Him, the weakness of the flesh makes it impossible to do so. These disciples represent us, and when we are overwhelmed by the flesh, there is no way that we can please the Lord even though in the spirit, we are willing. That is why we must be judged so that the flesh influence is destroyed.  

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

The fact that Jesus came the second time to find the disciples sleeping serves as a witness to the fact that we must fall away before we are given to be faithful to Christ. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

This falling away is to give the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come and judge us. 

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. 

Mat 26:45  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 
Mat 26:46  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. 

It is important to note that when the Lord comes back to the disciples the third time, he tells them that they can sleep from now on. As indicated in verse 45, sleeping here means that we can now rest in Him because He was ready to offer Himself as a sacrificial offering to takes away our sins. Our rest in Christ is based on the work that He has done for us.  

Psa 4:8  I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. 

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

Mat 26:47  And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 
Mat 26:48  Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. 
Mat 26:49  And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. 
Mat 26:50  And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 

This betrayal by Judas was prophesied in the scriptures as follows:

Psa 41:9  Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 
Psa 41:10  But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them! 
Psa 41:11 By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. 

We can see from the Psalm above the raising of Christ from the dead silenced the shouting of triumph from the enemy, the devil. As He is, so are we. Our being raised from death to life in Him in this age, is what gives us victory over the devil. It is insightful to note that the multitude who arrested Jesus, through the instigation by the chief priests and elders of the people, came with swords and staves. This reveal the strategy of the devil when He comes like a flood to attack us. The sword here represents the false doctrines propagated by the devil through his agents. According to Strong, the staves can be defined as a branch of a tree or part of the body. This implies that sometimes our trials come from our brothers and sisters in the body who spew false doctrines to us through the instigation of the devil.

Psa 55:12  For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: 
Psa 55:13  But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 
Psa 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. 

On a positive note, a kiss signifies our love for one another as shown below:

Son 1:2  Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

1Pe 5:14  Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The negative application of a kiss has to do with betrayal of a brother as seen in Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. 

Mat 26:51  And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. 
Mat 26:52  Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 
Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 
Mat 26:54  But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? 
Mat 26:55  In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. 
Mat 26:56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.  

The one who stretched out his hand with a sword and smote off the ear of the servant of the high priest was Peter.

Joh 18:10  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 
Joh 18:11  Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? 

Jesus’ response to Peter was that if we take up the sword, we shall perish by the sword. Spiritually, what the Lord is telling us is that when we use violence to achieve a means, we shall be visited or destroyed by violence. 

Psa 7:15  He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. 
Psa 7:16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate. 

The Lord also told Peter that His purpose was for the scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Him and not to demonstrate His ability to call on twelve legions of angels to come to His aid. There are times in our walk with Christ that injustice is meted out to us, and our natural reaction was to call fire from heaven to consume those responsible. However, to what end will this achieve? We will just be like the people of this world. What makes us different is that we know that vengeance belongs to our Lord and therefore in our patience we must possess our souls.

Rom 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 
Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Luk 21:17  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 
Luk 21:18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls. 

The disciples forsaking Jesus and fleeing is to let us know that we must first fall away before we are given to be faithful to our Lord. As indicated in 2 Thessalonians, our falling away is for the purpose of the revelation of the man of sin or our flesh, who sits in our hearts and minds thinking himself to be God because of the false doctrine of man making his own decisions just like God. As we are aware, even Jesus did not make His own decisions.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

Mat 26:57  And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 
Mat 26:58  But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 
Mat 26:59  Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 
Mat 26:60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 

It is instructive to note that on the day of atonement, Aaron the high priest, shall take two goats and casts lots upon the two goats. The one on which the lot fell shall be offered for a sin offering. Jesus being brought before the high priest Caiaphas after His arrest is therefore significant in the sense that He represents the goat upon whom the lot fell to be offered for the sin offering. It is also important to note that Peter followed Jesus afar off into the high priest’s palace. Peter, who is a symbol of the Lord’s elect, represents the scapegoat which was set free into the wilderness of this life. We, His elect, are therefore like Peter who also came to the High priest’s palace but was set free.    

Lev 16:6  And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. 
Lev 16:7  And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Lev 16:8  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 
Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. 

As we are aware, the lamb to be offered for sacrifice must be without spot or blemish. Because Jesus lived a blameless life here on earth, He was the perfect sacrifice, prepared by God for our sins. That was why they could not find a false witness against Him.  

1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 

Mat 26:61  And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 
Mat 26:62  And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 
Mat 26:63  But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 

What this false witness said about Jesus was true as Jesus stated in one of His discourse with the Jews that the temple will be destroyed and built in three days. However, the temple He was referring to was our bodies, which is the temple of God. 

Joh 2:18  Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 
Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 
Joh 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 
Joh 2:21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 

The three days for the building of the temple signifies the process of spiritual maturity (building our temple) through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh. Jesus could have responded to the high priest but remained silent to fulfil scripture as follows:

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

Mat 26:64  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 
Mat 26:65  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 

What Jesus said about the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the cloud of heaven refers to His physical appearing at the end of this age. That is when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. We can see that in spite of the ominous situation where Jesus found Himself, He was eagerly looking forward to the reward which was to sit on the right side of His Father and to rule the world with His elect.  

Psa 110:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Psa 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 

Just as Jesus was determined to endure the cross because of the reward, we must also do the same. As we go through the sufferings marked out for us in this life, we must also focus on the reward of sitting on thrones with the Lord and ruling the world with our Lord Jesus.  

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 

According to the custom of the Jews, when they heard or saw anything done or said, which they looked upon to be a reproach to God, they rent their clothes. The high priest therefore rent his clothes because he thought Jesus had blasphemed. 

Isa 36:20  Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
Isa 36:21  But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not. 
Isa 36:22 Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh. 

However, while Caiaphas would be thought of by the people as extremely zealous for the Lord, he was himself the greatest blasphemer for renting his clothes, since a high priest is not required by the law to do so. 

Lev 21:10  And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 

Caiaphas here represents the leaders of the church system of this world, who outwardly, seem to have the zeal of the Lord, but are actually the greatest blasphemers or wolves in sheep clothing. We were also blasphemers until Christ came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

1Ti 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 
1Ti 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 

It is also important to note that Caiaphas renting his clothes implies that he has rejected the righteousness that comes with Christ. It is as we are judged by the Lord that we learn of this righteousness. 

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.  

Caiaphas also represents the church system of this world or Babylon. It is therefore not strange to see that the church system of this world has rejected the righteousness of Christ through the judgment of our old man, in favor of the righteousness which comes from the law, which no man can attain.

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 
Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  

Mat 26:66  What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. 
Mat 26:67  Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 
Mat 26:68  Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? 

Our Lord Jesus did not sin but was condemned for our iniquity. 

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 
Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

The people spitting on Jesus’ face was a severe cultural insult, symbolizing ultimate shame, rejection, and condemnation of Jesus. This humiliation of Jesus was all for our sake and was prophesied in Isaiah as follows:

Job 30:10  They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.

Isa 50:6  I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Isa 50:7  For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 

Peter Denies Jesus

Mat 26:69  Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 
Mat 26:70  But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 
Mat 26:71  And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 
Mat 26:72  And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
Mat 26:73  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayed thee. 
Mat 26:74  Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 
Mat 26:75  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. 

As we indicated, there is the need to fall away first before we can become His sons and daughters. Peter denying the Lord three times is to let us know that falling away is part of the process of spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment (significance of the number three). When Peter remembered the word of the Jesus concerning his betrayal, he went out and wept bitterly. This means that Peter repented of his actions.

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

The steadfast love of the Lord never fails or comes to an end. It is renewed every morning. Great is the Lord’s faithfulness! Amen!!