Matthew 26:69 says, Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.  Peter, who had followed the crowd into the palace, now sat outside.  He may have boldly claimed that even if everyone else deserted Jesus, he never would, but he was separating himself more from Jesus.  We cannot stand firm in our faith if we do not know who Jesus really is.  At this point Peter saw Jesus as a powerless individual under the control of the crowd, because he still did not understand Who Jesus really was and always will be.  A damsel, or young girl, said that Peter was with Jesus, and he couldn't even stand up to her.  Under his own ability, Peter was helpless to even stand up to a young girl.  That is the extent of our power today to stand for Christ without knowing Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seventy says, But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.  When given his chance to stand with Jesus, Peter lied.  No matter what bold predictions we may make about following Christ, if we are confronted with a hostile situation and claim not to know Him, then our faith is a lie and our actions if not our words prove it.  Peter had moved physically farther away from Jesus, and now he denied even knowing Him.  Verse seventy-one states, And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.  Peter moved a little farther away, and once again was accused by a damsel of being with Jesus.  Though Peter did not betray Jesus for money, he betrayed Him out of fear.  Spiritually, it does not matter if we attempt to discredit Jesus or if we simply deny knowing Him.  Even if we profess that Jesus might indeed be the Savior of others, those who put their faith in Him, but not for us, we are just as lost as those who actively work against Him.  Verse seventy-two declares, And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.  Peter became a little more firm in his denial of knowing Jesus.  I believe that the farther we get from Christ, the more firm we become in our denial of Him.  Verse seventy-three says,  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee.  Peter was accused for the third  time of knowing Jesus.  Peter was told that the way he spoke betrayed him.  It is not enough to just sound like a follower of Christ through, if we do not know Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Peter did not yet.  Verse seventy-four states, Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.  Peter went from simply denying knowing Jesus to denying knowing Him with an oath to denying knowing Him with cursing and swearing.  I believe that the farther we get from Christ the more sinful our behavior will become toward Him.  Verse seventy-five says, 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.  The cock immediately crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus' words, and he went out and wept bitterly.  If we have been fighting against acknowledging Jesus and then finally accept the truth of His words, we like Peter should be broken hearted for denying Him so long.  Peter realized that his bold words and actions before he was confronted with possible danger to himself for following Jesus did not matter.  Like Peter, we must accept the truth of God's word, then repent and follow Christ.  Though it doesn't say so at this point, we know that Peter did become a great witness for Jesus once he knew Who Jesus really was.  We cannot allow past failures, before or after we accept Christ, to keep us from boldly witnessing for Him.

Matthew 26:58 says,  But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.  Peter did not totally abandon Jesus, but he followed from afar off.  Peter wanted to see what would happen to Jesus.  Peter had been following Jesus with certain expectations, but it seemed that things were not working out as he expected.  We cannot just follow Jesus from afar and wait to see what happens.  We know that Jesus died for our sins, so we must openly profess our faith in Him if we are to claim His salvation for us.  Verse fifty-nine states, Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;  The chief priests and elders sought anyone who would bear false witness against Jesus.  It is indeed a sad state of affairs when those who are supposed to be the religious leaders of God's people resort to lies to discredit the truth of Christ.  Verse sixty says, But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,  The chief priests and elders could not find a credible false witness.  We are told that there were many false witnesses, but there was nothing to charge Jesus with worthy of His death until the last two came.  When people attempt to discredit Jesus, they want it to be based on something believable.  Verse sixty-one states, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.  These two said that Jesus declared that He could destroy the temple of God and build it again in three days.  Evidently these two had been following Jesus and listening to His teachings, but they had no real understanding of what He was saying.  It is not enough to just know what God's word says, but we must understand what it means spiritually.  In order to do this, we must have a personal spiritual relationship with Jesus.  Verse sixty-two says, And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?  The high priest asked Jesus what He had to say in defence against this charge.  There was no way that Jesus could deny the truth of what He said, so He said nothing.  We can never change the word of God, even if we feel that it would benefit us materially or physically to do so.  Even if Jesus had explained what He really meant when He said this, the religious leaders were not looking for the truth.  They simply wanted to do away with Jesus.  People today who do not want to believe in Jesus still look for ways to discredit Him.  Verse sixty-three declares, But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus reminded silent.  The high priest then evoked the power of God to compel Jesus to answer.  Had the high priest really been acting under the power of God, he would have known the answer.  Physically being in a position of religious power is of no benefit unless the person in that position is there thorough the calling of God.  The religious leaders in Jesus' day were there through their physical birth and not by a spiritual relationship with God.  In verse sixty-four Jesus replies, Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.  Jesus simply answered to the high priest that the high priest had said Jesus made this statement.  Then, Jesus said that the high priest would one day see the Son of man, Jesus, sitting on the right hand of God in power and coming down from the clouds in heaven.  No matter how long Jesus tarries, there is coming a day when this will happen.  Even those long dead will witness this, since the soul never dies.  Verse sixty-five says, Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.  The high priest became very angry and accused Jesus of blasphemy.  He said they no longer needed a witness, but would use Jesus' own words against Him.  Jesus could not be guilty of blasphemy, no matter what the high priest said.  We cannot use the truth of God to convict God of lying.  Verse sixty-six states, What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.  The multitude that had just welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with honor now turned on Him and said He deserved to die..  They may not have been all the same people, but some surely were.  Crowd mentality will never save a person.  Verse sixty-seven declares, Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,  instead of olive branches and coats, they now greeted Jesus with spit and slaps.  Even had Jesus been guilty, this would not have been acceptable actions from God's people.  We are to love everyone with a Godlike love and not to torture and abuse them.  Verse sixty-eight states, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?   They not only physically abused Jesus, but they mocked Him as well.  The truth is that Jesus could have named each of them by name had He chosen to.  When we encounter Jesus, whether we accept or reject Him, He knows us each individually by name.

Matthew 26:47 says, And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Though the other disciples had been asleep, evidently Judas had not been.  Judas had been busy setting up his betrayal of Jesus.  Even when we as followers of Christ are asleep, we can be certain that the Devil is still at work.  Judas came with a bunch of armed people, who evidently thought that gave them power over Jesus.  Verse forty-eight says, Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.  Judas had set up a sign to betray Jesus.  Judas was going to kiss Jesus, a sign of greeting in that day and parts of the world today.  With a sign of friendship, Judas betrayed Jesus.  There are still people today who outwardly appear to be friends of Jesus, but who are secretly betraying Him to gain something from the world.  Verse forty-nine states, And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.  Judas was very hypocritical.  He hailed Jesus as Master, while at the same time betraying Him with a kiss.  We need to be aware that not everyone who professes to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord is sincere.  Verse fifty declares, And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.  Jesus referred to Judas as friend, and Jesus had been a friend to him, and still was if Judas had accepted Him.  Jesus asked Judas why he had come, but He already knew.  I believe that Jesus was giving Judas an opportunity to at least admit the truth.  We cannot hide the reasons behind how we treat Jesus.  We will never betray Jesus without Him knowing it.   Verse fifty-one states, And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear.  This one who drew the sword and cut off the ear of the servant is understood to be Peter.  He could not stay awake to pray with Jesus, but now he was ready to take action to defend Him.  We need to make sure that whatever we claim to be doing for Jesus is really what He wants us to do.  Verse fifty-two says, Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.  Jesus told this disciple, Peter, to put away the sword.  Jesus also warned that anyone who lived by the sword would die by the sword.  Jesus came to bring peace to those who follow Him.  Verse fifty-three asks, Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?  These people were not taking Jesus, even though they thought they were.  God never needs us to protect Him.  Jesus said that He could have more than twelve legions of angels to protect Him if He asked, but that would have defeated His purpose.  In verse fifty-four Jesus asks, But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?  Jesus knew that His life was a fulfillment of the scriptures, and so would His death, burial and resurrection be.  So, even though He could have called down twelve legions of angels, Jesus willing surrendered Himself to those who were there to arrest Him.  Verse fifty-five states, In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.  Jesus asked the multitudes, those He had sat teaching daily, why they were now coming after Him with swords and staves.  The crowds quickly turned against Jesus when the religious authorities came to arrest Him.  We need to pray that if it starts to look dangerous to follow Jesus today that we will not turn away from Him and begin to persecute Him.  If we have truly put our faith in Him and live under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, we will not.  Verse fifty-six states, But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.  We are told that this was a fulfillment of the scriptures, and that even the disciples, those closest to Jesus, fled.  One, Judas, betrayed Jesus and the other eleven deserted Him and fled.  They had followed Jesus physically all this time, but they still did not understand Who He was.  Reading the Bible and being close to the church and Christians does not save a person.  Just like the disciples, we must come to a spiritual understanding of Who Jesus is or we will abandon Him when times get tough to be one of His followers.  Verse fifty-seven declares, And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  Those who took Jesus to the religious leaders thought they were now in control of Him.  There will never be a time when the forces of the world will overpower Jesus, no matter how strong they may be.

Matthew 26:36 says, Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  Jesus and His disciples came to the garden of Gathsemane, and He told them to sit, or wait, there.  Jesus was about to go and pray, not for deliverance but for the strength to fulfill His mission of salvation.  Verse thirty-seven states, And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  Jesus took Peter, who had just declared his undying faith, and James and John, who had agreed with Peter and wanted to sit on either side of Jesus in His kingdom.  Jesus was giving them an opportunity to begin to show their faithfulness.  We should not be surprised if God asks us to show our faithfulness to Him in small, simple ways each day.  Verse thirty-eight says, Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.  Jesus told them that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, and simply asked these three to watch, or stay awake, with Him.  I believe that Jesus is exceedingly sorrowful over the fate of the lost world today, and that He wants His followers to be awake and at work to help bring the lost to Him.  Verse thirty-nine states, And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.  The disciples could not go all the way with Jesus, because He needed time alone with His heavenly Father.  Jesus prayed that if there was another way to salvation than by His death on the cross to let it happen.  More importantly, He asked that the Father's will be done and not His.  As I have said before, I believe that this was the real example of the Lord's prayer.  Verse forty declares, And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  Jesus returned to the disciples and found them asleep.  Jesus addressed His question to Peter, but it would apply to James and John as well.  Jesus asked Peter, who had just declared that he would die for Jesus, if he couldn't even stay awake with Jesus for one hour.  When Jesus returns, we need to pray that He won't find us spiritually asleep.  No matter how strong our declaration of faith may be, the question is how faithful are we in the everyday temptations we face.  Verse forty-one declares, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  Jesus told Peter and tells us that we are to watch and pray so that we do not give in to temptation.  Verse forty-two states, He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.  Jesus went alone once more and asked in prayer once more that if there was another way to salvation that the heavenly Father make it known.  Still, Jesus accepted the answer.  Verse forty-three says, And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  Jesus came and found the disciples asleep again.  This further disproved their bold statements of faith made before they really understood Who Jesus is.  The only way we can be bold for Jesus is if we really understand Who He is and accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Until then, we will be spiritually asleep, no matter what we may declare.  Verse forty-four states, And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Jesus went for the third time praying the same prayer.  Though Jesus already knew the answer, I believe that He was sincere in His prayer.  When we have a heavy burden in life, we are never wrong to ask God to lift it if it is His will to do so.  Jesus did not pray for His will but for the heavenly Father's will to be done.  Verse forty-five declares, Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Jesus had finished His prayers, so He left the disciples asleep.  It may be that if we sometimes fail to do what God asks us to do, and once the time to do it is past, He doesn't awake us for that purpose again.  Peter, James and John were still Jesus' disciples, but they had missed a great opportunity to serve Him.  Verse forty-six states, Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.  Then, Jesus awoke them because His betrayal was at hand.  We still cannot afford to be asleep while Jesus is being betrayed today.  As the world attempts to discredit Jesus, we must awake and stand with Him.

Matthew 26:31 says, Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.  Jesus warned the disciples that they would be offended by what was going to happen to Him that night, and they would be scattered like sheep without a shepherd.  If we are offended by the cross, then we will likewise be scattered about like sheep without a Shepherd.  We cannot remove the cross and the shed blood of Jesus from salvation.  In order to be His sheep, we must be born again through the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross.  Jesus said that even His closest disciples would be offended by His death before they understood the significance of it after the fact.  They were still looking for Jesus to declare His earthly kingdom.  I believe that unless we accept Jesus for Who He truly is, the Savior of all who believe, that the gospel will be something that we ignore at best or find offensive at worst.  Verse thirty-two says, But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.  Had the disciples been really listening and understanding Jesus, they would have recognized that the cross was not the end.  Jesus said that after He had risen again.  Jesus did not say that there was a possibility He might rise again, but that He would.  We can rest assured in that fact.  Jesus has already defeated the power of death over us if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  Jesus told the disciples after the resurrection that He would go before them in to Galilee.  Jesus will always go before us wherever we go as we follow Him by faith.  We cannot afford to be offended by or fail to share the gospel under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  In verse thirty-three Peter declares, Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.  Peter was very outspoken in his declaration of faithfulness to Jesus.  Peter said that even if all men should be offended by Christ, that he never would.  Peter made this statement based on his own power and before Jesus was arrested.  We may make bold statements about our faith, but until it is tested, we cannot really know how strong it is.  The test may not even be life threatening, but may simply be how we respond to any temptation.  In verse thirty-four Jesus answers Peter asserting, Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  Jesus told Peter that before the night was over, Peter would deny Jesus three times.  Peter had great faith in himself, but Jesus knew him even better than he knew himself, just as He does with each individual.  If we are making bold statements of faith based on our own strength and ability, then we will often fail.  I believe even if we succeed, it will be an empty success if we aren't acting from faith in God, so that He alone will be glorified.  Verse thirty-five states, Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.  Peter basically said that Jesus didn't know what He was saying.  Peter said that even if he died, he would not deny Jesus, as did the other disciples then.  Peter was bold in his declaration, and I believe that the other disciples simply didn't want to be seen as less faithful than Peter.  Peter had yet to face the possibility of dying for his faith, and neither had the other disciples.  We may make the same statement in the security of our home or church, but how will react if actually confronted with death for our faith?  Hopefully, we will stand firm.

Matthew 26:20 says, Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.  At the time for the passover meal, Jesus sat down with the disciples.  We are not told where the man who owned the house was, but evidently the disciples and Jesus had a separate eating area.  When God is using us to accomplish His will, we may not always be in the center of what is going on, but we need to be obedient non the less.  Verse twenty-one states, And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.  Jesus had been teaching the disciples for a long time now, but He knew that one of them was not to really listening.  Just because someone is always around Christians does not necessarily mean that they are a Christian, even if they celebrate all the Christian holidays.  To be a Christian, a follower of Christ, requires a personal, spiritual relationship with Jesus.  Verse twenty-two says, And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?  Though this says that the disciples were sorrowful and asked if they were the one who would betray Jesus, there was one, Judas, who knew the answer.  We might question why the other disciples had to ask if one of them was the one.  If our faith is strong enough, we will not question our obedience to Christ, but the disciples were not at that point yet.  If Judas was really sorrowful, I believe that it was because he saw an end to the material benefit of following Jesus.  In verse twenty-three Jesus answers, And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  Jesus did not name anyone by name, but He let them know that He knew who it was that was going to betray Him.  We can never fool God about our true relationship to Him.  Verse twenty-four declares, The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.  This was not just a warning to Judas, but to anyone who professes to follow Jesus and the betrays Him by their actions.  Verse twenty-five states, Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.  Judas didn't really have to ask the question for himself, but I believe asked it to see if Jesus really knew what he was going to do.  If we decide to betray Jesus, we can be certain that He already knows that we are going to do it.   This was not a case of Judas being selected as the one who had no choice but to betray Jesus.  Though Judas knew what he was going to do, he was not somehow forced into doing it.  He did so of his own free will.  Verse twenty-six says, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  This was the first Lord's Supper as we observe it today, and if it is to have real meaning then Christ does indeed need to be in the center of the observance and bless it.  Nothing miraculous happens to the bread changing it to something else, but it is simply symbolic of the body of Christ.  Verse twenty-seven says, And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;  Then continuing in verse twenty-eight, For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  Jesus gave thanks for the cup and told the disciples to drink it all, as it was symbolic of His shed blood.  We are not covered with just a little of the blood of Christ when we accept Him as our Savior, but we are covered by all His blood.  There is no partial salvation, only complete through the death of Christ.  Verse twenty-nine states, But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.  Jesus told the disciples that he would not drink again here on earth.  Jesus' time to go to the cross was almost at hand, and He knew it and was attempting to prepare His disciples for it.  I don't believe that God will ever send us into a situation unprepared if we are following Him in total obedience and faith.  Verse thirty says, And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.  We are told that the sang a hymn and went out to the mount of Olives.  After we observe the Lord's Supper, we are to sing praises to Him, and then we are to go out into the world to do His work, and it means we must die to self will and live under the will of God.

Matthew 26:14 says, Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,  After Jesus commended the woman for anointing Him with the expensive oil instead of selling it for money, Judas Iscariot left Jesus and went to the chief priests.  Hopefully, we will never be guilty of leaving Jesus for anyone else, even those who are seen as religious leaders.  We are to be obedient to and worship Christ alone.  Verse fifteen states, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.  The chief priests had been trying to figure out how to seize Jesus without upsetting the crowds.  Judas asked them how much they would pay him to deliver Jesus to them.  Judas was one of the twelve who had been with Jesus physically since the beginning of His ministry, but Judas was not with Jesus spiritually.  Being close to other believers does not necessarily make someone close to God.  I have said this before, but we cannot make what Judas did any less terrible than what it was.  I don't believe that Judas was working to force Jesus to declare His kingdom, but that he began to realize that following Jesus was never going to be materially rewarding.  Judas did not betray Jesus because he had no choice but to do so, but simply betrayed Him for material gain.  Of course, the chief priests, those who were supposed to represent God, were guilty of wanting to kill Jesus, their Messiah.  There may be times today when those who are supposed to be followers of Christ, even religious leaders, will sell out their relationship with Him for material gain.  Anytime a person puts material gain ahead of a spiritual one, that person is guilty of betraying their relationship to Christ.  Verse sixteen says, And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.  Judas had agreed to an amount and had been paid to betray Jesus.  He was still with Jesus physically, but was never with Jesus spiritually.   Judas was looking for a way to gain materially from following Jesus.  I believe some people today are guilty of the same thing.  They profess to follow Jesus simply to gain materially from that profession of faith, but never really accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Verse seventeen states, Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?  At the beginning of the feast of the observance of the passover, the disciples asked Jesus where they should prepare the passover meal.  When we have a religious celebration today, we need to insure that Jesus is the One Who is in charge of the celebration.  We should never just prepare a celebration and expect Jesus to show up, but we should always pray for His guidance even before we start.  Verse eighteen says, And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.  Jesus told the disciples to go to a certain man and tell him that the disciples and Jesus would eat the passover at his house.  The disciples had to act in faith, but so did the man they went to.  Even though the man may not have really known who Jesus was, he followed His request.  We still do not know who the man was, but he had the honor of having Jesus celebrate the passover with him.  Verse nineteen states, And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.  Once Jesus told the disciples what to do, they did it.  We need to react the same way.  Once Jesus tells us what to do, we need to simply do it putting our faith in Him.