Introduction
A. This is an unusual message this morning because it is stickily informational
1. At the end you will have to decide of what use this information is
B. Let us read a few passages from the gospels
1. First is Matthew 26:34-35
2. Jesus told Peter that he would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed
Matthew 26:34-35 (NKJV)
Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." {35} Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples.
a. Peter denied the accusation that he would deny Christ
3. Second Mark 14:29-31
4. Notice a little change here in Mark
Mark 14:29-31 (NKJV)
Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be." {30} Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." {31} But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all said likewise.
a. Peter denied that he would deny Christ even with great passion
b. Note also that Mark records Jesus words, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times
5. Third Luke 22:31-34
6. Look again at what Jesus says
Luke 22:31-34 (NKJV)
And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. {32} "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." {33} But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." {34} Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."
a. Jesus gave Simon the name Peter
b. So why did He say, Simon, Simon?
(1) It seems that when Jesus calls Peter Simon, Simon has done or said something out of human pride
(2) When Jesus calls Simon Peter he had done or said something by the Holy Spirit
7. Fourth, John 13:36-38
8. There is a little more in this John passage
John 13:36-38 (NKJV)
Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward." {37} Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake." {38} Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.
9. How should we understand this incident in Jesus and Peter’s life
a. During Peter’s conversation with Jesus he boasted that he would follow Jesus anywhere, to prison or even death
b. But, Jesus says that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crows
(1) In the Mark passage Jesus says before the rooster crows twice
(2) Some have interpreted this to mean that Peter would deny Christ six times
(a) Three times before each crowing of the rooster
i) We will examine each denial to see if Peter denied Jesus three times or six times
10. That Peter would deny Jesus is established fact
a. Three or six difficult to really say, but we shall try
b. The point now is this
(1) Jesus predicted Peter’s denial
(2) Peter vehemently denied this
(a) Saying that he would go to prison
(b) Or even die before denying Christ
i) Lets turn to Matthew 26:58
C. Peter followed the arresting mob
Matthew 26:58 KJV)
But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.
1. Notice Just one thing, Peter followed at a distance
2. And he tried to fit in with the rabble as they observed the proceedings
a. Now turn to John 18:15-16
3. Not just Peter followed Jesus
a. A second disciple went along with Peter and he was John
John 18:15-16 KJV)
And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. {16} But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.
(1) It seems that Peter the leader of the apostles and John went together during the beginning of their ministry
(2) But, John disappears from view at this point during Jesus trial
(a) So what is specifically pointed out in all four gospels is Peter’s denial of Christ
i) Lets turn to Matthew 26:69 & 70
II. Body
A. The denials
1. First time in Matthew, let us deal with the denials detailed in Matthew first
a. The first denial
Matthew 26:69-70 KJV)
Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee." {70} But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."
(1) A servant girl in the courtyard
(2) She accused Peter of being with Jesus of Galilee
(3) Peter stated, “ I do not know what you are saying.”
(a) Matthew 26:71 & 72
b. The second denial
Matthew 26:71-72 KJV)
And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth." {72} But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"
(1) A second servant girl near the gateway
(2) She accused Peter being with Jesus of Nazareth
(3) Peter said, “I do not know the man.”
(a) Turn to Matthew 26:73 & 74
c. The third denial
Matthew 26:73-74 (NKJV)
And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you." {74} Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.
(1) The people in the group around the fire accused Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.”
(a) Ever listen to some one from the deep south?
i) Its not hard to guess where that person is from
ii) Or some one from Boston
(b) Peter was a Galilean
i) His accent was different from those people in Jerusalem
ii) They knew where he was from
iii) Lets face it, they had Peter dead to rights, he was a Galilean
iv) And if a Galilean, and in Jerusalem
a) And watching the trial of Jesus
b) It was a pretty good chance that Peter was a disciple of the man on trial
(2) Peter denied that even knew Jesus, “I do not know the Man!”
(a) Then Peter backed up his denial by cursing and swearing
i) One fellow said that Peter called a curse down upon himself if he was lying
a) Some thing like, “If I’m lying may God strike me dead”
ii) Another said that Peter let loose a string of vulgar expletives
iii) But Matthew says Peter cursed and swore
a) So perhaps both interpretations are correct
2. Think of the progress of Peter’s denials
a. First Peter pretended ignorance
b. Then Peter denied even knowing Jesus
c. Last it seems he blew off a string of curses
d. Each denial worse than the preceding one
(1) Quick Sand
(2) Unless you call upon the Lord you will be pulled down to the very depths of depravity
B. Well, lets look at the denials outlined in Mark 14:66 - 68
1. The first of the Mark denials
Mark 14:66-68 (NKJV)
Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. {67} And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Nazareth."{68} But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying." And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.
a. This is very much like the first denial in Matthew
(1) The servant girl accused Peter of being with Jesus of Nazareth
(2) Peter denied it claiming ignorance, only the words, “nor understand” to what was recorded by Matthew
(a) Turn to Mark 14:69 - 71
2. The second and third of the Mark denials
Mark 14:69-71 (NKJV)
And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, "This is one of them." {70} But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, "Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it." {71} Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!"
a. You will notice that this is very much like Matthews record of the second denial
(1) The girl mentions the Galilean accent
(2) And Peter says, “I do not know the man”
(a) Mark adds, “of whom you speak”
(3) And Peter denies both times and the third time Mark says that he cursed and swore.
3. So, what we see a consistency in the Matthew and Mark accounts of Peter’s denial
a. So lets now turn to Luke’s account, Luke 22:56 - 57
C. Luke’s account of Peter’s denial
1. The first of Luke’s account
Luke 22:56-57 (NKJV)
And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him." {57} But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."
a. This agrees with the first denial as recorded in Matthew and Mark
(1) Moving on to Luke 22:58
2. The second of Luke’s accounts
Luke 22:58 (NKJV)
And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"
a. Here we do find a difference
b. The second accusation was made by a man in the Luke account, but by a girl in the Matthew and Mark account
c. The accusation is different, “You also are of them”
d. The denial is different, “Man, I am not”
e. This account does not match any of the three recorded in Matthew and Mark
(1) We could not stretch the account in any way to fit in the other accounts
(a) Difference # 1
i) Lets turn to Luke 22:59 - 60
3. The third of Luke’s account
Luke 22:59-60 (NKJV)
Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean." {60} But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
a. This account could be construed to fit the third of Matthew and Mark’s account, because the witness says that Peter is a Galilean
(1) This one does not end with the cursing and swearing like the first two
(2) But that is of no consequence
(a) Now lets turn to John 18:17
D. John’s account of Peter’s denials
1. The first of John’s account
John 18:17 (NKJV)
Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not."
a. In this account a servant girl, who kept the door accused Peter, saying, “You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?”
b. Peter’s answer was to affirm what the girl said
c. This record does not agree with any of the records in the first three gospels
d. This first denial of Peter’s in John’s record happened while Jesus was before Annas
(1) Difference # 2
(a) We turn to John 18:25
2. The second of John’s account
John 18:25 (NKJV)
Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not!"
a. This second denial is similar to the third denial recorded by Matthew and Mark
(1) But there are slight differences
(2) We could stretch the point and say that this second denial recorded in John is the denial recorded as third recorded in Matthew and Mark
(a) Turn to John 18:26 - 27
3. The third of John’s account
John 18:26-27 (NKJV)
One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" {27} Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.
a. This accusation is completely unique
(1) A relative of Malchus, the guy who lost his ear
(2) Recognized Peter as having been in the garden with Jesus
(3) He didn’t accuse Peter of loping off his relative’s ear, but did recognize him
(4) John simply that Peter denied that
(a) Difference # 3
4. There are three accounts that match each other in different gospels
5. And there are three accounts that do not match the other accounts
6. All four gospels do mention of crowing of the rooster
a. Mark mentions the rooster twice
(1) Lets turn to Matthew 26:74 & 75
E. The rooster crowed
Matthew 26:74-75 (NKJV)
Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. {75} And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.
1. Notice in Matthew’s account, Peter recalls Jesus’ words, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times”
a. Turn to Mark 14:72
Mark 14:72 (NKJV)
A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times." And when he thought about it, he wept.
2. I know that each author recalled certain events and actions to fit their own agenda, as they address their particular audience
3. There is no intention to deceive, only to emphasize certain aspects of a particular event
4. What may be the particular point made in the Matthew account?
a. Perhaps to emphasize the remorse Peter suffered
5. What may be the particular point made in Mark’s account?
a. It seems that Mark is emphasizing the denials and a little of Peter’s remorse
6. What may be the point in Luke’s account?
a. Since Luke was not Jewish, his point may be simply facts
(1) Jesus and Peter’s reaction and Peter’s remorse seems to be emphasized
7. What is the point that John is trying to make in his account?
a. Since John was with Peter this may be a factual account
(1) It seems that there is a little more detail
(2) And Peter’s reaction is not recorded
III. Conclusion
A. How many times did Peter deny the Lord?
1. Was it three times only
2. Was it two sets of three times
a. Three before the rooster crowed the first time
b. And three before the rooster crowed the second time
3. Or is it six times and the rooster crowed twice
B. No matter what you decide there is one fact we must remember
1. The Bible is without error
2. If the account differ, why do they differ
3. What is your reaction?
4. Great subject upon which to meditate
