Peter Denies Christ
Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. Moreover, when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, "This man also was with him." But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him." And a little later, someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not."
Moreover, after about an hour, another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. Furthermore, the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Moreover, Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." Moreover, he went out and wept bitterly.
All four Gospels record an episode of the Apostle Peter denying Jesus three times on the night of Christ's betrayal in the high priest's courtyard. In each account, his first denial is in response to the challenge of a servant girl. Immediately following the third denial, a rooster crows, causing Peter to remember the Lord's prediction. Peter then goes away and weeps with bitter remorse.
Scripture References
The story of Peter's denial of Christ is told in the following Scripture passages: Matthew 26:33-35, 69-75; Mark 14:29-31,66-72; Luke 22:31-34, 54-62; John 13:36-38, 18:25-27, 21:15-19.
Peter Denies Jesus Story Summary
Jesus Christ and his disciples had just finished the Last Supper. Jesus revealed Judas Iscariot as the apostle who would betray him.
Then Jesus made a disturbing prediction. He said all his disciples would abandon him during his time of trial. The impetuous Peter vowed that even if the others fell away, he would remain loyal to Jesus no matter what: "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and death." (Luke 22:33, NIV)
Jesus replied that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed.
Later that night, a mob came and arrested Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant. Jesus told Peter to put his sword away. Then Jesus was taken away to the house of Joseph Caiaphas, the high priest.
Following from a distance, Peter sneaked into the courtyard of Caiaphas. A servant girl saw Peter warming himself by a fire and accused him of being with Jesus. Peter quickly denied it.
Later, Peter was again accused of being with Jesus. He immediately denied it. Finally, a third person said Peter's Galilean accent gave him away as a follower of the Nazarene. Calling curses down upon himself, Peter vehemently denied that he knew Jesus.
At that moment, a rooster crowed. When he heard it, Peter went out and wept bitterly.
After Jesus' resurrection from the dead, Peter and six other disciples were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus appeared to them on the shore, next to a charcoal fire. Peter dove into the water, swimming to shore to meet him:
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger, you dressed and went where you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" (John 21:15-19, NIV)
This gentle exchange between Jesus and Peter showed that the apostle was forgiven and restored to his place of leadership. Three times Peter had denied the Lord. Now, three times he affirms his love for Jesus. Likewise, three times the Lord commissions Peter to care for the flock.
Lessons from the Story
The story emphasizes that despite our human weaknesses, failures, and sins, Jesus Christ is eager to forgive us and restore our relationship with him. The Lord's command to Peter to take care of his sheep meant that Peter had been fully forgiven and restored. No matter what mistakes we make in the past or how far we fall, Jesus wants to restore us to a place of trust.
Points of Interest
• All four Gospels include this episode, but only John mentions Peter's restoration by Jesus.
• The accusers vary in the four accounts; however, Peter's frightened reaction to them is consistent. He was terrified that he might suffer the same fate as Jesus.
• Peter denied Jesus three times and reaffirmed his love for Jesus three times. Jesus used the word "agape" in his first two questions and "phileo" in the third one as if asking, "Are you, my friend?"
• In both his denials and restoration, Peter sat by a fire. Fire can symbolize destruction in the Bible, cleansing, and the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus predicted how Peter would die. Tradition holds that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome after boldly proclaiming his faith in Jesus and refusing to recant.
• The story of Peter's threefold denial of Christ is found in all four Gospel accounts: Matthew 26:69–74, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15–18, 25–27. But why would the chief of the disciples deny even knowing Him? There were two main reasons why Peter denied Jesus: weakness and fear.
• Peter's denial was based partially on weakness, the weakness born of human frailty. After the Last Supper, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to await His arrest. He told them to stay awake and pray while He went off to pray alone. When He returned to them, He found them sleeping. He warned Peter to stay awake and pray because, although his Spirit might be willing, his flesh was weak. However, he fell asleep again, and by the time the soldiers had come to arrest Jesus, it was too late to pray for the strength to endure the ordeal. Peter's weakness had caused him to be "devoured" momentarily as he denied his Lord because he had not been prepared through prayer and underestimated his weakness. No doubt his failure to appropriate the only means to shore up his weakness—prayer—occurred to him as he wept bitterly after his denials. However, Peter learned his lesson about being watchful, and he exhorts us in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be on the alert, because your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
• A second reason for Peter's failure was fear. To his credit, although all the others had fled (Mark 14:50), Peter still followed Jesus after His arrest, but he kept his distance so as not to be identified with Him (Mark 14:54). There is no question that fear gripped him. From the courtyard, he watched Jesus being falsely accused, beaten, and insulted (Mark 14:57–66). Peter was afraid Jesus would die, and he was also fearful for his own life. The world hated Jesus, and Peter found that he was unprepared to face the ridicule and persecution that Jesus was suffering. Earlier, Jesus had warned His disciples, as well as us today, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first" (John 15:18; cf. Matthew 24:9). Peter quickly found he was not nearly as bold and courageous as he had proclaimed, and in fear, he denied the one who had loved him.
• We might wonder why Jesus miserably allowed Peter to fail and deny his Lord three times that night. Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had asked for permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). Jesus could have easily protected Peter and not allowed Satan to sift him, but Jesus had a higher goal. He was equipping Peter to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). Not only did Peter strengthen the other disciples, but he became the pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, exhorting and training others to follow the Lord Jesus (Acts 2). Moreover, he continues to strengthen us through his epistles, 1 and 2 Peter. As with all our failures, God used Peter's many failures, including his three denials of Christ, to turn him from Simon, an ordinary person with a common name, into Peter, the Rock.
PETER DENIES JESUS
Upon Jesus' being arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, the apostles abandon him, fleeing in fear. However, two of them stop their flight. They are Peter "as well as another disciple," evidently the apostle John. (John 18:15; 19:35; 21:24)They catch up with Jesus as he is taken to the home of Annas. When Annas sends Jesus to High Priest Caiaphas, Peter and John follow at a distance. They are likely torn between fear for their own lives and concern for what will happen to their Master.
John is known to the high priest and can thus gain entrance into the courtyard at Caiaphas' house. Peter remains outside at the door until John returns and speaks to a servant girl acting as doorkeeper. Then Peter is allowed to enter.
It is cold this night, so those in the courtyard have a charcoal fire burning. Peter sits with them to keep warm as he waits "to see the outcome" of Jesus' trial. (Matthew 26:58) Now, in the light of the fire, the doorkeeper who let Peter in gets a better look at him. "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" she demands. (John 18:17) And she is not alone in recognizing Peter and accusing him of being with Jesus.—Matthew 26:69, 71-73; Mark 14:70.
This dramatically upsets Peter. He is trying to be inconspicuous, even withdrawing to the entryway. So Peter denies that he was with Jesus, at one point saying: "Neither do I know him nor do I understand what you are talking about." (Mark 14:67, 68) He also starts to "curse and swear," meaning that he is willing to take an oath that his words are valid and to face calamity if they are not.—Matthew 26:74.
Meanwhile, Jesus' trial is in progress, apparently in a part of Caiaphas' house above the courtyard. Peter and the others waiting below may see the comings and goings of various witnesses who are brought in to testify.
Peter's Galilean accent is an indication that his denial is false. Moreover, one in the group is related to Malchus, whose ear Peter cut off. So the charge is leveled against Peter: "I saw you in the garden with him, did I not?" When Peter denies this for the third time, a rooster crows, as was foretold.—John 13:38; 18:26, 27.
At that point, Jesus is on a balcony overlooking the courtyard. The Lord turns and looks straight at Peter, which must pierce Peter to the core. He recalls what Jesus said only a few hours earlier in the upper room. Imagine how Peter feels as the realization of what he has done crashes down on him! Peter goes outside and weeps bitterly.—Luke 22:61, 62.
How could this happen? How could Peter— certain of his spiritual strength and loyalty—deny his Master? Truth is distorted, and Jesus is depicted as a vile criminal. When Peter could have stood up for an innocent man, he turned his back on the very one who has "sayings of everlasting life."—John 6:68.
Peter's tragic experience shows that even a person of faith and devotion can be thrown off balance if he is not adequately prepared for unexpected trials or temptations. May what Peter went through serve as a warning to all of God's servants!
