Matthew 26:75 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

NIV: Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: 'Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly.

NASB: And Peter remembered the statement that Jesus had made: 'Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly.

CSB: and Peter remembered the words Jesus had spoken, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

NLT: Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.' And he went away, weeping bitterly.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

An unpleasant realization has come back to Peter in a rush, in a single moment. Christ had told Peter he would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed (Matthew 26:30–35). Peter had boldly and brashly declared that he would die with Jesus before such a thing could happen. He'd wielded a sword in a misguided attempt to prevent Jesus' arrest (Matthew 26:51; John 18:10). Now the rooster had called out and Peter is painfully aware of his denials: three, just as Jesus had said.

Peter had the chance to follow through on his earlier pledge of loyalty. He was in the courtyard of the home where Jesus was condemned to die, where Jesus was being beaten (Matthew 26:64–69). All Peter had to do was admit that, yes, he was one of Jesus' disciples. He could declare he did in fact believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:15–17). That would have been honest, even if it might have resulted in being taken for death, rather than denying the Lord.

Peter finally got away from danger after his third denial. This is not a clean escape, however. The crushing weight of his own disloyalty, cowardice, and lies is crashing down around him. Eventually, Peter will come to know that Jesus did not want him to die that night (John 18:8). He would experience Jesus' forgiveness and learn that he would one day die for Jesus, after all (John 21:18–19). Tonight, though, Peter would suffer in knowing that he was not as strong in himself as he thought he was. He would need that humility to carry out what God had next for him in the coming weeks, months, and years.

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.