Then
Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.” But Peter answered him, “Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Most certainly I tell you that tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” All of the disciples also said likewise.
Matthew 26:31-35
Matthew 26 [26.] As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26 [31.] Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.”
Matthew 26 [33.] But Peter answered him, “Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.”
Matthew 26 [34.] Jesus said to him, “Most certainly I tell you that tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
Matthew 26 [35.] Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” All of the disciples also said likewise.
Matthew 26 [36.] Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.”
Meaning:
On the way from the upper room to the Mount of Olives, Jesus warns his disciples that they will all fall away that very night. Peter protests loudly that he never will, and Jesus tells him he will deny him three times before morning. The others join Peter’s protest. Mark records the same exchange (Mark 14:27; Mark 14:28; Mark 14:29; Mark 14:30; Mark 14:31), and Luke and John record a similar warning given at the table (Luke 22:31-32; John 13:37-38).
- “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight”
To “stumble” here means to be tripped up in faith, to fall away under pressure. Jesus says it will happen to all of them and “tonight.” He supports his warning from Scripture: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” The words come from Zechariah: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7). In Zechariah it is Yahweh who calls the sword against “the man who is close to me.” Jesus’ death would not be an accident or merely the work of his enemies; it was within God’s purpose. When the shepherd was struck, the sheep would run. A few hours later it happened exactly so: “Then all the disciples left him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56).
- “But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee”
Before the disciples fail, Jesus promises restoration. He will rise, and like a shepherd going ahead of his flock he will lead them back to Galilee, where their journey with him had begun. On Easter morning the angel repeated the promise: “go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee’” (Mark 16:7). The risen Jesus met the eleven on a mountain in Galilee and sent them out to all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
- “I will never be made to stumble”
Peter’s reply is sincere but proud. He sets himself above the others: “Even if all will be made to stumble... I will never.” He trusted his own strength and ignored both Jesus’ word and the Scripture just quoted. Proverbs warns, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Paul gives the same caution: “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
- “before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times”
Jesus answers with a precise prophecy. Before dawn, signalled by the rooster’s crow, Peter would deny knowing him not once but three times. Mark adds that the rooster would crow twice (Mark 14:30). Peter would not only stumble; he would publicly disown his Master. The prophecy was fulfilled to the letter in the high priest’s courtyard (Matthew 26:69-75).
- “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you”
Peter insists even more strongly, and “All of the disciples also said likewise.” Their love was real; they meant every word. But good intentions are not the same as strength in the hour of testing. Jesus had taught, “whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). Yet he also prayed for Peter, “that your faith wouldn’t fail”, and gave him a task for after his return: “establish your brothers” (Luke 22:32).
The Significance of Matthew 26:31-35
- Know your weakness
The disciples were confident and failed; Jesus was troubled and stood firm. Strength comes not from self-confidence but from dependence on God in prayer, as the next scene in Gethsemane shows.
- Grace goes before failure
Jesus knew the disciples would fail, and he told them in advance that he would meet them again. He did not reject them. After the resurrection he restored Peter with three questions, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” (John 21:15-17). Our failures do not cancel his faithfulness.
- God’s word is sure
Every detail Jesus foretold came true: the scattering, the three denials, the rooster, the resurrection and the meeting in Galilee. We can trust his promises as surely as his warnings.
Cross-References:
Zechariah 13:7: "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." The prophecy Jesus quotes.
Mark 14:29: "Although all will be offended, yet I will not." Peter’s boast in Mark.
Luke 22:31-32: "I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn’t fail." Jesus prays for Peter before his fall.
John 13:37-38: "I will lay down my life for you." Peter’s promise in John’s account.
Conclusion: Matthew 26:31-35 records Jesus’ warning that all his disciples would stumble that night, fulfilling Zechariah’s words about the struck shepherd and the scattered sheep, and his promise to go before them into Galilee after his resurrection. Peter boasted that he would never fall, but Jesus foretold that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed. The passage warns against self-confidence and shows the faithful grace of Jesus toward weak disciples.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible