Christ Submits So Our Pride Is Met with Grace. (Matthew 26:30-35).Wednesday February 18, 2026
Mat 26:30-35 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, 'I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.' 32 "But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." 33 But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away." 34 Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." 35 Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You." All the disciples said the same thing too.
1. Jesus announces that they will be caused to fall away because of Him that very night.
He knows this because He knows the Scripture (Zec 13:7).
Zechariah is a wonder in connection with the passion narrative. Zec 9 - entry. Zec 11 - rejected shepherd. Zec 11 - shepherd’s wage: 30 pieces of silver which were thrown to the potter. Zec 12 - Pierced Son. Zec 13 - Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. Zec 14 - ultimate victory of returning Messiah.
Fall away is passive: they will be caused to fall away, and His being struck is the reason.
When the Shepherd is struck, which is by the Father, the sheep of the flock will scatter and it will be because of Him.
Their behavior matches the second soil:
Mat 13:20-21 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”
The disciples have a shallow understanding. It shows that you can be a believer and fall away due to persecution.
“Because of Me” is the key.
People fall away for many reasons; all are heartbreaking. Sin, addiction, relationships, job, money, busy lives (soil 3).
Mat 13:22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
Our hearts are idol worshipping factories. We can make any good thing into an idol.
“Our hearts deify them as the center of our lives, because, we think, they can give us significance and security, safety and fulfillment, if we attain them.” [Keller]
This situation is a falling away because of the unpopularity of Christianity, mockery, losing friends, insults, loss of possessions, injury.
Mat 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”
Mat 10:39 he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
Victory is certain:
The Lord confidently prophesies His own resurrection and a regathering in Galilee. On every occasion the Lord has discussed His crucifixion, He adds His resurrection.
2. Peter boldly and emphatically states that though everyone else might do that, he [emphatic pronoun] would never fall away.
Peter uses a strong word to emphasize “never.”
The leader, Peter the rock, steps forward confidently and assertively.
Bravado and imagination are no match for absolute conviction, assurance, certainty.
He also throws his brothers away from himself. Pride always does this.
Pride will always end in failure.
Mankind was never designed for pride.
3. Jesus equates falling away, at least in Peter’s case, with denying Him, which He prophesies.
Many Christians have a fear of proclaiming Christ..
And not only will Peter fall deeply by turning his back on Christ, but also he will do so quickly – before the cock crows.
Lack of assurance = fear of people and life.
Being convinced in Christ, not ourselves, is where courage really is.
Rom 8:37-39 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Courage is not bravado. It is faith.
4. Peter responds that if it was necessary for him to die with Christ, he would never [second one] (even more emphatic double negative) deny Him.
Peter feels completely free to contradict Jesus’ word, which has been twice repeated.
Peter is convinced but he is convinced in himself: and the key is in the word “deny.”
A lot of people have been very convinced about the wrong things. History is littered with some of the destruction and death they have left behind.
“Every day the world turns over on someone who thinks he is sitting on top of it.”
Peter succeeds in making Jesus out to be a liar by what he confidently says about himself.
Deny: you are to deny someone, not the Lord but yourself.
Mat 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
There is pressure in the world to deny Christ.
Luk 12:8-9 "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”
What is also somewhat unfortunate, is that there is usually only one way to find this out. Peter’s way - fail and feel the deep emotional sting of your inability and failing, embarrassing fall, deeply disturbing crash of your idea of your own strength.
Failure is met by grace: (hard lessons)
But never forget, our failures, big and small, are always met by grace. That does not make them okay (infuriating false doctrine) but it always opens the door of repentance without regret (2Co 7).
Peter will have to learn, like we all do, to accept his own fallibility and weakness and bankruptcy and to simply follow what the Lord says.
Courage for the wrong thing results in wickedness.
Peter’s mind at the time is full of courage to do the wrong thing.
Jesus said that the Shepherd will be struck (by the Father) and yet Peter takes it upon himself to strike the enemy.
The Shepherd is struck to save the enemy, and Jesus displays this on the spot, so beautifully, by putting Malcus’ ear back on with full.
5. All the disciples jump on to Peter’s promise.
Peter fails the most, but they’re not far behind him, none of us are. But by the grace of God do we go.
Christ, knowing how alone and brokenhearted He is over mankind, Israel, His friends, what He is about to endure, walks ever onward, longing to pray in peace to the only One He has left - His Father.
I pray we all get here. Our own Gethsemane where we come to truly know that everything depends on God alone. |