Matthew 26:72 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”

NIV: He denied it again, with an oath: 'I don't know the man!'

NASB: And again he denied it, with an oath: 'I do not know the man.'

CSB: And again he denied it with an oath: "I don't know the man! "

NLT: Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. 'I don’t even know the man,' he said.

KJV: And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

NKJV: But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

Peter has been accused, for the second time, of being associated with the now-condemned Jesus (Matthew 26:69–71). Since Peter is in the courtyard of the high priest's house, he recognizes that he is in real danger (Matthew 26:64–66).

For the second time, Peter denies any association with Jesus. He swears by an oath not merely that he is not a follower, but that He does not even know Jesus, at all. The use of an oath means Peter swears by something sacred that he is telling the truth. Peter likely remembered well that Jesus had condemned exactly this kind of oath-swearing, saying instead, "Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil" (Matthew 5:37).

Peter's oath and denial shows how desperate he is to get away and save himself from possible arrest and execution. This is the second of three predicted failures (Matthew 26:30–35). Unfortunately for Peter, the more he speaks, the more his Galilean accent reminds people of those who are closest to Jesus (Matthew 26:73).

Matthew 26:69–75 finds Peter sitting outside in the courtyard of the high priest's home. Inside, Jesus is being unfairly convicted and condemned to die. Three times, Peter is accused of being a Jesus-follower. Three times, he denies even knowing Jesus, swearing oaths and cursing himself if he is lying. Hearing a rooster, Peter remembers Jesus had said he would deny Him in exactly this way. The man who bragged he would die before turning from Jesus now flees in tears of shame. Parallel accounts are found in Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:54–62, John 18:15–18, and John 18:25–27.

The Jewish religious leaders further their plots to arrest and kill Jesus, finding a willing traitor in Judas Iscariot. A woman anoints Christ with oil during a dinner at Bethany. Next, Jesus and the disciples hold the Passover meal in an upper room where Jesus predicts His arrests and introduces the sacrament of communion. Then Jesus prays in unimaginable agony in the garden of Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas and captured. The disciples scatter. Before the high priest, Jesus explicitly claims to be divine. They convict Him of blasphemy and sentence Him to death. As this happens, Peter denies knowing Jesus and runs away in shame.

After a long series of teaching (Matthew 24—25), Matthew 26 begins with Jesus saying He will be delivered up for death. Christ is anointed at a dinner in Bethany and Judas agrees to turn Him over to the chief priests. Jesus holds a Passover meal with the disciples, predicts an act of treachery, and introduces the sacrament of communion. He tells the disciples they will run in fear and that Peter will deny Him, which happens just as prophesied. Christ prays in great sorrow in a garden and is then arrested and taken away and unfairly sentenced to death. After this, Jesus will be taken to the Roman governor, where Jewish leadership will press for Him to be executed as an insurgent.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 5/2/2024 8:44:02 AM