Luke 22:54-62 [ESV]
54Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, "This man also was with him." 57But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him." 58And a little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not."
59And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean." 60But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." 62And he went out and wept bitterly.
Parallel Passages…
Matthew 26:69-75
Mark 14:66-72
John 18:15-18;25-27
The scene shifts a bit here off the main character, Jesus, and onto a main supporting character of this story… the fisherman, disciple known as Peter! Peter… the man who’s bold words and actions had brought him to the forefront of leadership within this group of disciples. Peter, the man who wanted to walk on water with Jesus… the man who DID walk on water with Jesus!
Peter, the man who when asked by Jesus if he would leave… Peter said, “Jesus, we have left all for you, where would we go?”
Peter, the man who confidently proclaimed Jesus as the Son of the living God, the Messiah, God’s chosen and anointed One!
Peter, the man whom Jesus praised for his faith and spiritual sensitivity tp God in making that proclamation…
Peter, the man who had the nerve to challenge Jesus when Jesus had predicted his capture and ultimate fate…
Peter, the man whom Jesus rebuked as Satan, for his lack of spiritual sight in knowing God’s plans…
Peter, the man who vowed before the disciples and all who were in the room, that he would not leave Jesus’ side, even if it meant death…
Peter, the man who took action in the Garden of Gethsemane and struck at the servant of the High Priest with his sword and cut off his ear…
v. 54 is a transitional element in this event we know as the Passion… The soldiers and Judas had come, Judas had done his evil deed, Jesus had spoken, Peter had drawn and used the sword, and now it was time for action on the part of the crowd who had come to seize Jesus.
They take this opportunity (one that Jesus made possible I might add) and they ‘lay hands on Him’ or ‘seize Him’ and take Him away to the house of the High Priest. As almost a sidebar or footnote to the situation, Luke adds, “…and Peter was following at a distance…”
It is prudent to note that here in the parallel passages of both Matthew and Mark, the authors relate this one statement about the disciples at this point…
Matthew: “…then all the disciples’ left Him and fled…”
Mark: “…and they all left Him and fled…”
The point being that once the sword was drawn, and action had been taken against the Temple guards and the servants of the High priest, and Jesus had stopped it… the disciples got out of there quickly! Some ran away, others simply ran to a safe distance and then began to follow the crowd and Jesus back into Jerusalem.
v.55 55And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.
Peter was one of those who ‘dared’ to follow Jesus back into Jerusalem. Peter follows them to just outside the house of the High Priest, where he tries unsuccessfully to blend in…
Peter had ‘dared’ to walk right into the middle of the drama unfolding…at this point it looked as if Peter was going to be able stand behind Jesus, although he was doing it from a distance.
Then something happened to Peter that I can bet you he NEVER expected… but should have! People began to take notice of him and that he had BEEN WITH Jesus all this time!
The focus had been on Jesus always, but Peter’s presence was imprinted on their minds as being one of Jesus closest confidantes… After all it was PETER who spoke up so quickly in just about every situation… it stands to reason then that Peter was possibly the MOST well known of the disciples, and would be recognized in this setting!
v.56-57– Denial #1
56Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, "This man also was with him." 57But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him."
Peter is spotted in the courtyard by a servant of the High Priest. Why does she recognize him? Well there are many reasons for this… 1st she was in the garden upon arrest…highly unlikely knowing the status of women in 1st century Palestine.
2nd she had seen Jesus and His disciples on many occasions come thru the Temple complex and by the High Priest’s house… Jesus was well known and many of his disciples were also part of the cultural fabric as well. They were known…
3rd, someone had told this woman who Peter was…
The evidence generally points to either #1 or #2…simply because of context. Peter is asked a very direct question by the high priest’s slave and Peter gives a very direct answer!
Actually her question is really a ‘matter of fact’ statement… like her say, “Hey, I know THIS guy, he was one of Jesus’ main men…” to which Peter answers her, “Girl, I don’t know what you are talking about, I don’t know that guy…” I can almost hear the nervous laughter from Peter when he answers her…
The Greek word used here means slave girl. Now when a slave girl approached anyone, it was to perform her duties or to ask if they wanted anything… but here she makes a statement about Peter in public.
Normally anything a woman said was not taken seriously, and Peter could have simply ignored her and it may have gone unnoticed or ignored by the crowd… after all she was just a slave girl…
BUT…Peter’s mind was racing! Before you judge Peter… think about the night he had up to this point! FIRST he was asked by Jesus to set up the Passover meal and just as Jesus had said it would happen… it happened!
Then there was this wonderful Passover meal with Jesus and He had said some things to them that was a little confusing, but Jesus always came back and explained things… so he knew it would be explain in time!
Then Jesus said something strange that shook him to his core… Jesus said someone would betray Him TONIGHT! He was outraged, how could ANYONE betray such a great teacher and Master? He had voiced his opinion about this situation, and told Jesus how firm his resolve was, and that there was NO situation that would make him betray Jesus.
Jesus then spoke to him and told him that not only would he deny him, but Peter… you will deny me 3 times tonight before the rooster crows. This cut Peter’s heart deeply… how could Jesus think that of me? I have been the 1st to defend him always… I am going to prove my loyalty… just wait!
Then in the Garden as Jesus is being arrested Peter decides to act on his own… partially hoping that the other disciples will join in and catch the temple guard by surprise… maybe? They would over power the guards and rescue Jesus and make their escape… but after his 1st swing, Jesus steps in and tells him to stop… but the damage was done, he had attacked the High Priest’s servants… he was IN TROUBLE NOW!
I can see Peter dropping his sword and RUNNING away from the scene, but not too far, as he begins to follow the crowd after they arrest Jesus and begin to lead him back to Caiaphas’ house.
He follows the crowd, heart beating so hard that he can hear it in his head, his breathing is heavy and labored, his mind is racing… he has to see what is going on, but he cannot get caught because of what he has done that night…
He sneaks as close as he can… he thinks that in the firelight he can blend it with the others around the courtyard…I can imagine his thoughts when this girl begins to speak to him… “WHO IS THIS GIRL? WHAT IS SHE DOING? I cannot allow them to know who I am… they will arrest ME!” So Peter does what he believes will protect him from arrest… He lies and denies!
v.58 – Denial #2
58And a little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not."
Evidently the servant girl had walked away from Peter and maybe his heart had slowed a bit, but you can imagine his anxiety and fear… they must have been off the charts.
The 2nd denial carries a more generic accusation toward Peter as this passage relates that ‘someone else’ said, “You are one of them!” Peter’s response here lets us know it was not the girl again (according to this account) but a man…
I can imagine a man sitting by the fire, warming himself and then hearing the servant girl and this man getting into an argument. Why would this man even recognize this servant girl? What were they arguing about? What was that she said? Did she say that he had been with this man, Jesus that they had just arrested? I went to some of their events… I saw some of them… it might be… let me take a closer look.
I can imagine the man standing up and casually walking over to Peter, who was nervous and jumpy, possibly trying to start up a casual conversation with Peter… but instead got nothing but nervous chatter from him… and then he recognized him!
Yes! This was that man… the man who had tried to run all the children away… this was the man who had told them to leave his master alone! How rude… Yeah, he was with Jesus, I recognize him!
Peter fields this accusation with the same fervor and zeal as the first, “I am NOT!” he says! Emphatically denying any relationship with Jesus to this man! Peter was terrified and now 2 people had asked him… maybe he had better move to another location, it was getting to HOT in here for him. So Peter decides to move to another place in the courtyard, possibly a place less lit and would provide him with much more anonymity… but this fails!
v.59-60 – Denial #3
59And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean." 60But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about…"
Peter has moved his location and has tried to hide himself, but finally after about another hour, someone else still recognizes him and blurts out… This guy was with them as well! He is a Galilean…
Peter not only refuses but in 2 of the four accounts it relates that Peter invoked a curse upon himself began to swear that he was not lying… although he knew he was!
Peter has sunken to the lowest point he could sink here… he had not only abandoned Jesus by running away when He was arrested, BUT when asked about his relationship with Jesus, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus! Peter was squirming in the light of fire… and he was lying thru his teeth to avoid getting into trouble with the legal authorities… but all the while he was doing this, he was betraying the One he had confessed as Christ/Messiah!
v. 60b-62 - Reality hits…
And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." 62And he went out and wept bitterly.
Now Peter had lied 3 times… Peter had abandoned Jesus in the Garden, and Peter had denied the man he had followed for over 3 yrs a total of 3 times in the matter of about an hour! What Peter had said would NEVER happen… not only happened, but it happened 3 times!
When it happens, the reality of the situation is revealed to Peter… and that reality hits home with him in 2 separate ways! First, the rooster crowed as Jesus had said… 2nd when Peter denied Jesus for the 3rd time and the rooster crowed, Peter looked to see Jesus looking at him, almost as to say, “I told you so…”
Peter was lower than low at this point and we find that in v.62 Peter takes off… presumably running or at the least, a determined walk or gait that would get him out of there as soon as possible…
Peter goes off into a secluded area and begins to weep bitterly about how he had disappointed Jesus and how he had let God down… He had seen Jesus look at him and he believed that Jesus was going to judge him, but when we get to the end of the story we can see that the look Jesus gave him was NOT a look of judgment or I told you so but it was a look of compassion… possibly it could have been a ‘told you so’ look, but when we get to the back of John in chp 21 we find Peter being fully restored by Jesus.
Could it be that Jesus was looking toward Peter with compassion and concern in His eyes… compassion for Peter’s eternal soul and spiritual well being! Where Peter saw judgment, I believe our Lord had forgiveness in mind! Regardless of your situation, Jesus still wishes to forgive and restore…this is exactly what He did with Peter.
How often do we find ourselves seemingly at our wits end and when push comes to shove our duty to represent Jesus is simply that… a duty… there is no love involved, no Christian witness… and we begin to strike out! We are afraid, and believe everyone desires to tear us down…
There is no evidence that Peter would have suffered the same fate as Jesus, but he was afraid he would! When we believe we are trapped, we will strike out… Peter struck out… that did not work… then Peter decided to HIDE out but that did not work either… and so Peter decided to OPT out of this whole mess by denying he ever knew him!
Have you ever been caught red handed by God? Sorta like Peter when he denied Jesus? Caught with your hand in the cookie jar? If you have, then you can understand with some relevance just how Peter felt! He had been caught doing what he swore he would NEVER do… betray Jesus!
However there is a great ending to this story… it happens 1st here in v.62 and then again in the last chapter of the book of John. First, let’s look at Peter’s reaction to being caught red handed with his hand in the cookie jar…
62And he went out and wept bitterly.
The term wept here in the Greek is the Greek word klaye-oh which does NOT represent crying based on shame or embarrassment, BUT it represents crying based on grief, pain, mourning… a sort of bewailing the situation, almost as if a loved one has died! A pain so deep, no words could console at the moment… we have all been to that point!
The term used here for bitterly is an adverb to further emphasize the meaning of the tears. These tears were NOT tears of sorrow that he had gotten caught, but they were tears of mourning that he had failed his Lord… they WERE tears of regret and sorrow, but it went much deeper!
Peter’s heart understood that he had done a great evil here and was bitterly remorseful for his actions… this shows to us that his spirit was broken!
And when we look at Peter’s action in John 21 we see Peter was wondering lost… remorseful to the point of not knowing what to do… This was after the resurrection and I am sure that the guilt was eating Peter alive… He could not stand to look at Jesus because of what he had done, and in his mind Jesus could not stand to look at him either… so he returned to what he knew… FISHING!
Then that next morning Jesus meets him on the beach with breakfast! Jesus cooks him a meal and calls him aside and restores him… and calls him out specifically to minister to the church and reach out to the lost!
What does this say? It tells that we can fail HIM, and we will, especially when we try to do things on our own! But it also tells us that when we fail Him, He is willing to restore us if our heart is right…
Pride and a stubborn heart will always keep God’s forgiveness at an arms length… but a soft and broken heart will invite God’s forgiveness in and you can be restored, regardless of what you have done and how far you have fallen!
Let us be ever thankful of that restorative love that God shows us on a daily basis and vow to never abuse His love for us… let’s pray!
