Peter’s Denial
TRANSLATION
(66) And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, (67) and seeing Peter warming himself, looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” (68) But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out into the entryway, and the rooster crowed.
(69) And the servant girl saw him and again said to those standing around, “This man is one of them.” (70) And again he denied it. And after a while those standing around said to Pater, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” (71) But he began to curse and swore, “I do not know this man of whom ye speak.” (72) And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
OBSERVATIONS
In this segment which focused on Peter’s threefold denial of his relationship with Jesus, we find several repetitions of key terms: “servant girl(s)” (vss. 66 & 69), “denied it” (vss. 68 & 70) and “deny” (vs. 72), “rooster crowed(s)” (three times in vss. 68 & 72), and “again” (vss. 69 & 70). What made these three renunciations even more grievous was that, just hours before, Jesus had specifically warned Peter that he would do this despite his protests to the contrary (vss. 29-31).
OUTLINE
I. After Peter first denied knowing Jesus, the rooster crowed once. (66-68)
II. After two more denials, the rooster crowed the second time just as Peter had been warned. (69-72)
IDEA STATEMENT
Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus despite having been warned left this most outspoken disciple in despair.
APPLICATION
While we might respond to Peter’s denials with a statement like, “I would never have done anything like that,” its inclusion in Mark’s Gospel was the author’s way of warning us, “Never say never!” In 1630 a German Lutheran poet, Johann Heermann, penned Herzliebster Jesu, a hymn translated into English by Robert Seymour Bridges in 1897 and given the title, O Dearest Jesus. It is well worth our consideration, especially the second stanza which personalized Peter’s sin.
Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
That we to judge thee have in hate pretended,
By foes derided, by thine own rejected, O most afflicted?
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee.
‘Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee. I crucified thee.
This sentiment, couched in rather archaic phrases, should help us realize just how vulnerable we are, like Peter, to denying our relationship with Jesus when we, like him, come under similar pressures.