Matt 26:33 Then Peter answered and said to Him, If all will be stumbled because of You, I will never be stumbled. (34) Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you that in this night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. (35) Peter said to Him, Even if I must die with You, I will by no means deny You. And all the disciples said likewise. (73) And after a little while those who were standing there came to Peter and said, Surely you also are one of them... (74) Then he began to curse and to swear: I do not know the man! And immediately a rooster crowed. (75) And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly.
[Part 1 of 2] By our natural life it is not possible for us to be the kingdom people. This fact is made abundantly clear in 26:31- 75. Here we have a picture of the arrest and judgment of Christ. This record reveals that no one can follow Christ on the pathway of the cross by the natural life. The King can take this pathway, but we in our natural life cannot. Therefore, the Lord must die for us and enter into resurrection for us. Through His death our negative situation is settled, and by His resurrection He is able to be taken in by us and even become us. It is important for us to see the significance of Peter's denial. In chapter twenty-six the Lord Jesus and Peter stand in absolute contrast to each other. In every respect Jesus was able to pass through the pathway of the cross. But in every respect Peter was defeated in taking this pathway. All the other disciples, of course, were the same as Peter. If we see this matter clearly, we shall pay careful attention to Peter's denial as well as to Christ's victory. [continued tomorrow]
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Matthew, pp. 793-794. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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