The Weakness of Presumed Strength
What can we expect from Peter but a triple denial of his master among his enemies, when he dares deny the truth of Christ to his own face? He that will venture to deny the truth of Christ’s Word will quickly, under temptation, deny the profession of his truth.
Peter had not yet learned not to contradict his master, though he once got rebuked for it with the appellation of “Satan.” Weak man! Do you not see how you have already begun to deny the Lord, and even when you seem most fortified and resolute to defend Him? You deny Him if you deny His Word. Why would you either doubt Christ’s word when he told you “all should be offended”(Matthew 26:31) or else should have such confident presumption in your own strength and uncharitable conceit of your brother’s weakness? God, who has out of true weakness ordained strength, does in Peter’s case, out of presumed strength foretell weakness.
He who can make the mouths of babes and sucklings(Psalm 8:2; Matthew 21:16) to confess him can suffer the mouth of Peter to deny him. This shows the dependence that both the strong and the weak have on God’s goodness. The strongest apostle is not able to confess Christ without his sustaining grace and with the same grace the weakest infant is able to cry “hosanna.”
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