51 And lo, one of those with Jesus, having stretched forth the hand, drew his sword, and having struck the servant of the chief priest, he took off his ear. 52 Then saith Jesus to him, 'Turn back thy sword to its place; for all who did take the sword, by the sword shall perish; 53 dost thou think that I am not able now to call upon my Father, and He will place beside me more than twelve legions of messengers? 54 how then may the Writings be fulfilled, that thus it behoveth to happen?' 55 In that hour said Jesus to the multitudes, 'As against a robber ye did come forth, with swords and sticks, to take me! daily with you I was sitting teaching in the temple, and ye did not lay hold on me; 56 but all this hath come to pass, that the Writings of the prophets may be fulfilled;' then all the disciples, having left him, fled.
57 And those laying hold on Jesus led 'him' away unto Caiaphas the chief priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together, 58 and Peter was following him afar off, unto the court of the chief priest, and having gone in within, he was sitting with the officers, to see the end. 59 And the chief priests, and the elders, and all the council, were seeking false witness against Jesus, that they might put him to death, 60 and they did not find; and many false witnesses having come near, they did not find; and at last two false witnesses having come near, 61 said, 'This one said, I am able to throw down the sanctuary of God, and after three days to build it.' 62 And the chief priest having stood up, said to him, 'Nothing thou dost answer! what do these witness against thee? 63 and Jesus was silent. And the chief priest answering said to him, 'I adjure thee, by the living God, that thou mayest say to us, if thou art the Christ—the Son of God.' 64 Jesus saith to him, 'Thou hast said; nevertheless I say to you, hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds, of the heaven.' 65 Then the chief priest rent his garments, saying,—'He hath spoken evil; what need have we yet of witnesses? lo, now ye heard his evil speaking; 66 what think ye?' and they answering said, 'He is worthy of death.' 67 Then did they spit in his face and buffet him, and others did slap, 68 saying, 'Declare to us, O Christ, who he is that struck thee?'
69 And Peter without was sitting in the court, and there came near to him a certain maid, saying, 'And thou wast with Jesus of Galilee!' 70 And he denied before all, saying, 'I have not known what thou sayest.' 71 And he having gone forth to the porch, another female saw him, and saith to those there, 'And this one was with Jesus of Nazareth;' 72 and again did he deny with an oath—'I have not known the man.' 73 And after a little those standing near having come, said to Peter, 'Truly thou also art of them, for even thy speech doth make thee manifest.' 74 Then began he to anathematise, and to swear—'I have not known the man;' and immediately did a cock crow, 75 and Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, he having said to him—'Before cock-crowing, thrice thou wilt deny me;' and having gone without, he did weep bitterly.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 26:51-75
Commentary on Matthew 26:47-56
(Read Matthew 26:47-56)
No enemies are so much to be abhorred as those professed disciples that betray Christ with a kiss. God has no need of our services, much less of our sins, to bring about his purposes. Though Christ was crucified through weakness, it was voluntary weakness; he submitted to death. If he had not been willing to suffer, they could not conquer him. It was a great sin for those who had left all to follow Jesus; now to leave him for they knew not what. What folly, for fear of death to flee from Him, whom they knew and acknowledged to be the Fountain of life!
Commentary on Matthew 26:57-68
(Read Matthew 26:57-68)
Jesus was hurried into Jerusalem. It looks ill, and bodes worse, when those who are willing to be Christ's disciples, are not willing to be known to be so. Here began Peter's denying him: for to follow Christ afar off, is to begin to go back from him. It is more our concern to prepare for the end, whatever it may be, than curiously to ask what the end will be. The event is God's, but the duty is ours. Now the Scriptures were fulfilled, which said, False witnesses are risen up against me. Christ was accused, that we might not be condemned; and if at any time we suffer thus, let us remember we cannot expect to fare better than our Master. When Christ was made sin for us, he was silent, and left it to his blood to speak. Hitherto Jesus had seldom professed expressly to be the Christ, the Son of God; the tenor of his doctrine spoke it, and his miracles proved it; but now he would not omit to make an open confession of it. It would have looked like declining his sufferings. He thus confessed, as an example and encouragement to his followers, to confess him before men, whatever hazard they ran. Disdain, cruel mocking, and abhorrence, are the sure portion of the disciple as they were of the Master, from such as would buffet and deride the Lord of glory. These things were exactly foretold in the fiftieth chapter of Isaiah. Let us confess Christ's name, and bear the reproach, and he will confess us before his Father's throne.
Commentary on Matthew 26:69-75
(Read Matthew 26:69-75)
Peter's sin is truly related, for the Scriptures deal faithfully. Bad company leads to sin: those who needlessly thrust themselves into it, may expect to be tempted and insnared, as Peter. They scarcely can come out of such company without guilt or grief, or both. It is a great fault to be shy of Christ; and to dissemble our knowledge of him, when we are called to own him, is, in effect, to deny him. Peter's sin was aggravated; but he fell into the sin by surprise, not as Judas, with design. But conscience should be to us as the crowing of the cock, to put us in mind of the sins we had forgotten. Peter was thus left to fall, to abate his self-confidence, and render him more modest, humble, compassionate, and useful to others. The event has taught believers many things ever since, and if infidels, Pharisees, and hypocrites stumble at it or abuse it, it is at their peril. Little do we know how we should act in very difficult situations, if we were left to ourselves. Let him, therefore, that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall; let us all distrust our own hearts, and rely wholly on the Lord. Peter wept bitterly. Sorrow for sin must not be slight, but great and deep. Peter, who wept so bitterly for denying Christ, never denied him again, but confessed him often in the face of danger. True repentance for any sin will be shown by the contrary grace and duty; that is a sign of our sorrowing not only bitterly, but sincerely.