Then Jesus said to them, “This night all of you will be made to fall away from me, for it is written, “I will strike down the shepherd and the sheep in the flock will be scattered.’ but after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.

Peter answered him, “Even if they are all made to fall away, I will never fall!”

Jesus said to him, “This very night, before the cook crows, you will deny me three times.”

Peter said to him, “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you!”

And all the pupils said the same.

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The Greek verb skandalizein is important here, and elsewhere in Matthew. It comes from an unpleasant tool of warfare or other form of violence and refers to the blocks of stone or wood which might be strewn about a roadway or path to trip up the enemy or make him stumble. In the Gospels it is used of a person whose actions or words drive others away from them, as in the English expression, to scandalise, in particular of Jesus’ words or actions which cause people to turn away or lose trust in him. Indeed if you haven’t been scandalised, you haven’t met the real Jesus. In this case, it is Jesus’ weakness before the power of the religious leaders, that is scandalous to his pupils who know him as the magic leader who will not defeated. Obviously this bears on Matthew’s magical realism which insists that the magic cannot exclude reality. The magic is Jesus’ oneness with God, that is, with the loving and persuasive God who will not overpower evil by force. Yes, God also is scandalous.

The pupils, especially Peter, do not want to reckon with such scandalous weakness: he, they, will be strong. They do not know themselves or Jesus well enough and are consequently no use to him in his hour of need. Matthew sketches their ineptitude delicately but definitely.

Jesus expresses his hope after his death they can regroup in their place of original magic, Galilee.