The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 543

the question to the council; and at onoe, without hesitation, and, it appears from St. Mark, unanimously, they condemned him to be guilty of death. He was condemned to death who is the Lord of lite-the Life of the world. He was condemned who is the All-hol.r One, who kuew no sin. He was judged who is the Judge of all; before whose judgrnent-seat quick and dead must one day stand; who shall say to some, 11 Como, ye blessed ; " and, al~ I t-0 others, " Depart from me." 4. The mocking. They spat on his face ; they buffeted him; they derided his sacred office ; they bade him prophesy; they called him•• Christ'' in bitter mockery. Fearful guilt, horrible brutality, So.tanio cruelty. We shudder as we read the wordil; we feel shame for our fellow-creatures, for our common human nature. They covered that face which is the light of the world; they spa.t upon him whom all the angels of God worship; they buffeted him who had gone about doing good; they scoffed at him whose holy soul was filled with sacred love, who bad come down from heaven for them, who was ready to die for them that they might live. What a contrast !-their rough, savage brutality, and his sweet, heavenly dignity; their violence, and his meekness; their noisy clamour, and his calm holy silence. May we learn of him the lesson which he taught, "Blessed are the meek" I llL TB11: DENIALS OF ST. PETER. 1. The first denial. He had followed afar off' when the disciples fled. He had been vehement, as usual, in his protestations of fidelity and steadfastness. For a time he had stood true to his words ; he only had attempted resistance; he only had drawn the sword, and struck a bold blow in defence of his Lord. It was a daring action. Resistance was evidently useless. The Lord interfered; he saved his apostle from the consequences of his rashness. But he yielded himself to bis enemies. A.nd then at once St. Peter's courage failed him. He shW"ed the panic fear of the disciples; he fled like the rest. But he soon turned from his flight. He deeply loved the Lord, and be was full of anxiety for him; he followed afar off. St. John, it seems, was able to procure bis admission into the hall of the high priest's pa.lace. He sat there with the servants, warming himself at the fire (small details like this give a human interest to the narrative, and evince its simple truthful- ness), anxious to see the end. He had thrown himself into danger, as be had done once before on the Sea of Galilee; and again the event proved that he had miscalculated his courage, his endurance. A damsel came to him, saying," Thou also wast with .'Jesus of Galilee." It was not a soldier, only a damsel; and she seems to have addressed him out of curiosity. Ho was in no more danger than St. John, whom, it seems, the damsel knew as a disciple of Jesus. But at once he lost courage. Be denied before them a.II, saying, "I know not what thou sayest." His first words, as reported by St. Matthew aud St. Mark, are not a direct falsehood. He begins by equivocating, &hu.ffiing, pretending not to understand words which were plain to any one. His fall shows us bow dangerous it is to tamper with the truth ; an evasion soon leads to false- hood, to a wicked oath; it shows us the need of watchfulness and prayer, the danger of self-confidence. It is a sad picture of vacillation, cowardice, falsehood. Very strange too it would be, were it not that we find the like instability in our own weak, wavering, sinful hearts. It was sad for Peter that he over-estimated his firmness, and went into the high p1iest's palace ; but his weakness has turned to the good of the Church. This precious episode is full of sacred lessons. It tells us of our utter weak- ness, of the need of constant watchfulness and constant prayer. And it tells of the blessed love of Christ, of the constraining power of his loving, mournful look fixed upon the faithless disciple. 2. The second denial. Peter went into the porch; he feared to linger among the crowd of servants round the fire ; he was anxious to e~cape from t~ose inquiring eyes, from those busy tongues. But he had thrust himself into temptation, and the temptation thickened around him. He was not left alone in the porch. Another maid l!IIW him, and said unto them that were there, "This fellow wae also with Jesus of Nazareth." And now he sinned more deeply than before. He denied with an oath, " I do not know the Man." And this was Peter, the rock-like apostle, to whom the Lord had entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven; Peter, who a few hours before had said, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee;" Peter, who had drawn the sword in his Lord's defence I 'fhe trembling self. distrustful question, "Lord, is it I?" is more becoming io a Christian ~han that proud eelf-confidence which so often goes before a fall. 3. The third, denuil. Satan had ou. xxv1. 1-75.] TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'fO ST. MATTHEW. 6Hl