Mat 10:33 | KingComments | STEP | A third encouragement is reward. Disciples of the Lord Jesus confess Him before the people, despite the hatred and mockery this entails. He rewards this by confessing them before His Father. This recognition by the Lord before the Father goes beyond the honor of people many times over. But whoever denies Him before men will be denied by him before His Father. People who confess only with their mouths that they know the Lord, and call Him “Lord, Lord” ( ), arrive in situations where they deny Him. He will also deny them. The consequences of this are terrible. They will be denied by Him forever ( ; ). Peter’s denial is of a different nature. It is a shameful act. Against his better judgment, he denies that he knows the Lord ( ). We know for sure that Peter is a believer, for he has confessed this sin and the Lord has forgiven him. This sin can be committed by any believer. If that happens, the Lord must deny that believer, just as He also had to deny Peter. From the moment that Peter denied the Lord Jesus, the Lord told His Father that He did not know Peter. This does not mean that the Lord did not keep His eye on Peter. We know that He brought him to repentance ( ). But until the moment of repentance the Lord denied before His Father that He knew Peter. This denial by the Lord also means that Peter lost the blessing and reward he would have received if he had not denied the Lord. The denial of the Lord has consequences for the present and for the future.

‏ Matthew 10:33

Confessing or Denying

A third encouragement is reward. Disciples of the Lord Jesus confess Him before the people, despite the hatred and mockery this entails. He rewards this by confessing them before His Father. This recognition by the Lord before the Father goes beyond the honor of people many times over.

But whoever denies Him before men will be denied by him before His Father. People who confess only with their mouths that they know the Lord, and call Him “Lord, Lord” (Mt 7:21), arrive in situations where they deny Him. He will also deny them. The consequences of this are terrible. They will be denied by Him forever (Mt 10:33; Mt 7:22-23).

Peter’s denial is of a different nature. It is a shameful act. Against his better judgment, he denies that he knows the Lord (Mt 26:69-74). We know for sure that Peter is a believer, for he has confessed this sin and the Lord has forgiven him. This sin can be committed by any believer. If that happens, the Lord must deny that believer, just as He also had to deny Peter.

From the moment that Peter denied the Lord Jesus, the Lord told His Father that He did not know Peter. This does not mean that the Lord did not keep His eye on Peter. We know that He brought him to repentance (Lk 22:61). But until the moment of repentance the Lord denied before His Father that He knew Peter. This denial by the Lord also means that Peter lost the blessing and reward he would have received if he had not denied the Lord. The denial of the Lord has consequences for the present and for the future.