Matthew 26:69-27:10

Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:24-39

Need a Speaker for Nursing Home Service at Introduction

2 Corinthians 7:8–10 (NASB95)

8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

There are 2 Types of Sorrow:

Sorrow that Produces Repentance

Sorrow that Produces Death

When You Feel Sorry for a Wrong that You’ve Done…

You’ve Got 2 Options:

Repent (Do Something)

Commit Yourself to Not Do that Wrong Anymore

This Leads to Forgiveness & Restored Salvation

Remorse (Feel Something)

Feeling Bad about the Wrong…

But Doing Nothing to Make it Right

This Only Leads to Death

In Our Text this Morning…

We’re Going to See 2 Apostles of Jesus Experience Sorrow

One will Take the Path of Repentance

The Other will Take the Path of Remorse

And the Outcome will Be Exactly as Paul Described

Matthew 26:69-27:10

Last Week, We Saw Jesus on Trial at the House of Caiaphas, the High Priest

While Jesus was on Trial…

There was a Second Story-Line Developing Outside in the Courtyard

Matthew Told Us that the Apostle Peter…

Was Hiding Amongst the Crowd of Officers & Servants

Now Matthew is Returning to that 2nd Story-Line…

To Show Us that While Jesus was on Trial…

So was Peter

While They’re Both Being Accused…

Jesus Stands Strong & Confesses Who He is

Peter, Unfortunately, Does Not

Matthew 26:69–70 (NASB95)

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

The Last Thing We See Happening to Jesus…

Is Him Being Mocked & Told to Prophecy

Ironically, Matthew Immediately Proceeds to Show Us…

That One of the Prophecies Jesus Made Earlier in the Night…

Was Coming True Right Outside the House

While Peter was Warming Himself By the Fire…

A Little Servant-Girl was Staring at Him (Luke)

Then, in Front of Everyone, She Says:

“You were with Jesus the Galilean!”

Peter Responds with:

“I Don’t Even Know What You’re Talking about!”

He Doesn’t Just Deny His Association with Jesus…

He Denies Any Knowledge of the Entire Situation

Matthew 26:71–72 (NASB95)

71 When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.”

After the 1st Girl Recognized Him…

He Tries to Find a Less Crowded Area at the Entrance Gate

But Then Another Girl Recognizes Him…

And Points Him Out to the Crowd

This Time Peter Denies having Any Knowledge of Who Jesus is

And He Denied Jesus with an Oath

He’s Putting Extra Weight onto His Claim

“I Swear (By Something Near & Dear to Me) I Don’t Know Him!”

Matthew 26:73–75 (NASB95)

73 A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” 74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

About an Hour Passes (Luke)…

And it Seems that Peter’s Identity…

Has Been a Topic of Discussion Amongst the Crowd

They Decide to Confront Him:

“We Know that You were with Jesus!”

“We can Tell By Your Northern Accent!”

He Sounds Like a Country-Boy from Galilee…

Instead of a City-Boy from Jerusalem

So then Peter Begins Cursing & Swearing

That Doesn’t Mean He was Saying Bad Words

It Means He was Making More Oaths…

And Calling Down Curses

In a Desperate Attempt to Get Them to Believe Him…

He was Calling for God to Strike Him Down if He was Lying

Notice How Each Denial is More Extreme than the Last:

“I Don’t Know What You’re Talking About!”

“I Swear I Don’t Know the Man!”

“I Swear I Don’t Know the Man…”

“And May God Strike Me Down if I’m Lying!”

Some Commentators Believe…

Based Upon a Careful Study of the Greek…

That Peter wasn’t Calling for Curses Upon Himself…

But Upon Jesus

Regardless of if His Calling for God to Kill Himself or Jesus…

It’s Obvious He’s Desperate to Separate Himself from Jesus

Immediately After He Disowned Jesus for the 3rd & Final Time…

Peter Hears a Rooster Crow

(Luke) Jesus Turns & Looks at Him…

And Then Peter Remembers a Few Hours Before…

When Jesus Said He’d Do this

He’d Been So Fervent that He’d Never Disown Jesus…

But Now He’s Done Exactly that

He hadn’t Just Disowned Jesus as His Master

He Passionately Claimed that He Didn’t Know Jesus at All

After this, Peter Leaves the Courtyard & Breaks Down in Sorrow

Matthew 27:1–2 (NASB95)

1 Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; 2 and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.

The Long Night of Prayer, Arrest, & Trial is Over

It’s Now the Morning of the Day Jesus will Die

And the Sanhedrin Assembles One More Time…

To Finalize Their Conviction of Jesus…

And Decide How They’re Going to Frame the Charges Against Him…

So that the Roman Governor, Pilate…

Will Agree with Them that Jesus Needs to Die

Pilate wasn’t Known for Caring…

About the Laws & Customs of the Jewish People

So Blasphemy Probably Wouldn’t Be Good Enough

They Need Something Better

Once They have Their Plan Worked Out…

They Bind Jesus Up & Take Him to Pilate

Matthew 27:3–5 (NASB95)

3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

After the Verdict had Been Decided…

Judas Suddenly had a Change of Heart…

And Felt Remorse for Betraying Jesus

So He Goes to the Chief Priests…

To Return the Money They’d Given Him

He Confesses His Sin of Betraying Innocent Blood

Normally this is Where Priests would Help the Sinner…

Make Atonement for His Sins

But, Instead, They Tell Him:

“What Do We Care!”

“That’s Your Problem!”

Their Response Seals the Deal

To Judas, Atonement/Forgiveness Probably Feels Unattainable

So He Throws the Money into the Temple…

And, in His Despair, Takes His Own Life

Matthew 27:6–10 (NASB95)

6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” 7 And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; 10 and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.”

Notice the Irony of Their Shameless Hypocrisy

They Used Money from the Temple Treasury…

To Shed Innocent Blood

But Now They Won’t Take the Money Back…

Because that would Be an “Unlawful” Thing to Do

So They Use it to Buy the Potter’s Field…

As a Burial Place for Strangers:

From then on Called the “Field of Blood”

This All was in Fulfillment of Prophecies…

From Both Jeremiah & Zechariah

Even the Most Minute Details…

Happened By God’s Predetermined Design

Application

Both Judas & Peter Experienced the Sorrow…

Of Turning Their Backs on Jesus

But Their Responses were Very Different:

Judas, in His Despair, Killed Himself

Peter, in His Despair, Wept Bitterly & Repented

I Want You to See Luke’s Version…

Of the Denial Conversation Between Jesus & Peter

Just Before Jesus Told Peter that He’d Deny Him 3 Times, We Read:

Luke 22:31–32 (LSB)

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat. 32 “But I have prayed earnestly for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, once you have returned, strengthen your brothers.”

Satan Wanted to Tempt All the Disciple to Fall Away from Jesus

But Jesus Prayed Specifically & Earnestly for Peter…

That His Faith would Hold Strong

Then Jesus Tells Him:

“Once You’ve Returned”

Jesus Knew Peter would Turn Away from Him

But He Also Knew Peter would Return to Him

“Strengthen Your Brothers”

Jesus Wanted Peter to Be the One…

To Keep the Disciples Firm in Their Faith

We See this Come Back Up in the 1st Private Conversation…

Between Jesus & Peter After Jesus’ Resurrection:

John 21:15–17 (NASB95)

15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

3 Times Jesus Asks Peter if He Loves Him

3 Times Peter Says that He Does

But that 3rd Time Caused Peter to Get Emotional

Why?

Peter Disowned Jesus 3 Times

Now Jesus was Giving Him 3 Opportunities…

To Reaffirm His Love & Devotion to Him

Peter has Returned

And Now, Just as Jesus Told Him Before…

His Mission from the Master is to Strengthen His Brothers

Or as Jesus Says it Here:

“Feed/Shepherd My Sheep”

Jesus Wanted Peter to Be a Leader Among the Disciples

And that’s Exactly What Peter Became:

He would Go on to Become the Foremost Leader of the Apostles

He would Lead the Way in Openly Proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus…

Just 50 Days Later at Pentecost

One of the Greatest Leaders of Jesus’ Church…

Who was Hand-Picked By Jesus to Be a Leader…

Was a Man Who Shamefully Disowned Our Lord

What’s Even More Interesting is that:

The Gospel Writers Don’t Try to Cover Up His Failure

All 4 Gospel Accounts Tell it in Great Detail

And Yet, the Church Still Looked to Him as a Leader

They Didn’t See His Unfaithful Past…

As Disqualifying Him from Being a Faithful Leader

Is There a Lesson in that for Us to Learn?

We Don’t Look Down on Disciples with an Unfaithful Past

We Raise Them Up/Exalt Them…

Because They Returned to Their Lord

Peter would Go on to Write an Entire Letter…

To Christians Suffering from Persecution…

With the Very Purpose of Encouraging Them…

To Remain Faithful to Their Lord…

And Not Fall as He Did

And as Historic Tradition Tells Us…

Peter would Go on to Be Crucified…

For His Unwillingness to Deny/Disown His Lord

Peter was Once a Broken, Ashamed Denier of Jesus

Then a Few Weeks Later He was a Bold, Unashamed Disciple

What Brought about His Amazing Transformation?

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Resurrection of Jesus Shows Us that Death…

Our Greatest Enemy…

Has Been Defeated

There’s Nothing for Us to Fear…

Because We Know as Long as We Remain Loyal to Our Lord…

There’s Nothing But Victory & Life in Our Future

Or as Peter Put it in His 1st Letter:

We’ve Been “Born Again to a Living Hope…”

“Through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead”

Judas Ended His Life Because He Believed There was No Hope for Him

He Believed God’s Atonement/Forgiveness was Limited

Had He Only Returned to His Lord…

He would have Known that Living Hope

Let’s All Take a Lesson from Peter…

And Know that We can Always Repent & Come Back to Jesus

He had Plans for Peter & He has Plans for All of Us