What does Matthew 26:35 mean?
Peter is flatly contradicting the words of Jesus. This is remarkable, in that Peter was one of the first to declare Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16). He has been the boldest of all the disciples. He was the one who asked Jesus if He could walk on the water with Him (Matthew 14:28). Peter, though, also became afraid and began to sink (Matthew 14:30). Jesus has said that all the disciples will fall away in fear (Matthew 26:31), something Peter entirely denied.Then, in a moment that must have been heartbreaking for Peter, Jesus added that not only will Peter fall away, but he will deny Jesus three times (Matthew 26:34). In short, Peter's great faith in his own courage will be revealed to be untrustworthy (Matthew 26:69–75). Faced with immediate danger or death, this very night, Peter will succumb to fear.
Peter still refuses to believe this is possible. He insists that even if it means dying with Jesus, he will never deny Him. Peter demonstrates once more that he is a leader, for good or bad. All the other disciples parrot his claims. They will all soon prove to be wrong (Matthew 26:56). Jesus does not want their self-confidence. They will eventually learn to keep their confidence in Him.