The Denial

Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming. Luke 22:54-65


The house of the high priest. First of several illegal trials Jesus would face that night. Peter was following, terrified, at a distance. He was panic-stricken; he didn't intend to lose sight of his Master, but had no idea what to do. So he mingled with the crowd in the courtyard. Some in the crowd recognized him as one of Jesus' men and called attention to him. And Peter denied knowing Jesus. Three times. Then Jesus looked at him. And then the rooster crowed.

We saw Jesus warn Peter about this in Luke 22:31-34. "Satan wants to sift you." The other most memorable incident of Satan being allowed to tempt and harass a believer was his attack on Job in the Patriarchal times. A comparison of the two men is appropriate here, I think. From the Biblical accounts, it seems Job was a mature believer and perhaps elderly. He already had several grown children and was highly respected in the community. He had great wealth and served as his family's priest. He was firm in his faith at the time of the satanic attack, having lived a long time in fellowship with God, and knowing a good deal about the way God works among His people. He also knew something about God's faithfulness to keep His promises (Job 19:25). Such a man is not likely to fold easily, and Job did not. The entire book of Job depicts his steadfast faith in the face of unspeakable torment from Satan, because he KNEW God.

By contrast, Peter may have been in his physical prime, but was a relatively young man. He was emotional, impulsive, and just learning about the New Covenant. He completely believed in Jesus as the Messiah, but the Kingdom He was being initiated into was full of mystery for this Jewish fisherman. Now the Messiah had announced His own impending death and instructed His disciples in what kind of hostility to expect from the world. And here Peter sat, in the dark, among this hyped-up mob, wondering what next. And denying everything. And the rooster crowed. And the Lord gazed. And Peter wept.

What a nightmare. I'm weeping with Peter. Are you?

Peter's story was far from over. I expect, though, that at that point he thought he was through. And Jesus' torment had only just begun.