“Simon Peter and another disciple followed them as they brought Jesus to Annas. Now the other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. But Peter was left standing outside by the door. So the other disciple who was acquainted with the high priest came out and spoke to the slave girl who watched the door, and brought Peter inside. The girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, ‘You’re not one of this man’s disciples too, are you?’ He replied, ‘I am not.’ One of the high priest’s slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, ‘Did I not see you with him in the olive grove?’ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.” —John 18:15–18, 25–27
Peter’s denial of Jesus is actually recorded in all four gospels. The other gospel accounts are as follows:
“Now the ones who had arrested Jesus led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, in whose house the experts in law and the elders had gathered. But Peter following him from a distance, all the way to the high priest’s courtyard.”—Matthew 26:57–58
“Then they led Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests and elders and experts of the law came together. And Peter followed him from a distance, up to the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the guards and warming himself at the fire.” —Mark 14:53–54
“Then they arrested Jesus, led him away, and brought him into the high Priest’s house. But Peter following at a distance. When they had made a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down with them.” —Luke 22:54–55
Peter was anxious to see what would happen to his Master, yet not brave or bold enough to stay by His side. What mixed feelings must have been going on within him! Loving the Lord Jesus, afraid to show his true loyalty, ashamed of his disloyalty. And so he finds himself choosing the very unprofitable middle ground between what he knows to be the right thing to do and what fear and cowardice prevent him from doing.
When we find ourselves seeking to stay the middle course for fear of others or for fear of our own skin, we are poised to fall. After being so self-confident that he would never deny the Lord, Peter does exactly that. Isn’t that the way it goes? We place ourselves in positions we should never be in, and fear, self-confidence, pride, or whatever blows in on us and we come spiraling down, doing things we never thought possible.
Instead of being self-confident, Peter ought to have been humble; instead of sleeping, he should have been praying; instead of flitting around the fire with the enemy, he should have placed himself out of temptation’s reach.
Paul tells us we are to flee temptation and pursue righteousness. In order to do that we need to know ourselves! We need to identify what temptations are most appealing to us and will cause us to fall. We must know where we are most tempted and seek to avoid placing ourselves where we are likely to tumble down. No one is above falling.
Certainly, the sound of the early morning rooster crowing was a harsh and bitter sound to Peter’s ears. A jolt of painful lightning must have pierced his heart. He had done something he had passionately proclaimed he would never do. He had turned his back on his Lord.
Earlier in John, we find Peter showing great confidence:
“Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” —John 13:37
He genuinely underestimated his own determination. Unfortunately, this is a misstep we all seem to wrestle with! We can all see ourselves in Peter.
Become More
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.” —Hebrews 12:1–3
Further Reflections
“The only fear a Christian should entertain is the fear of sin. All other fears are from Satan sent to confuse and weaken us. How often the Lord reiterated to His disciples, ‘Be not afraid!’” —Isobel Kuhn
“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I will call you by name; you are mine.” —Isaiah 43:1