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

 

Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  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."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  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."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  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.

 

- Matthew 26:69-75

 

Yesterday we read that those who had laid hold of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  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.  Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the councils sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.  But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.'"  And the high priest arose and said to Him, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"  But Jesus kept silent.  And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God:  Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you said.  Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."  Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, "He has spoken blasphemy!  What further need do we have of witnesses?  Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!  What do you think?"  They answered and said, "He is deserving of death."  Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, "Prophesy to us, Christ!  Who is the one who struck You?"

 

 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  My study Bible comments on the report that it is a girl who is the first to test Peter.  It notes that this is considered an icon of the temptation of Adam by Eve (Genesis 3:6).  It says that our fallen state is overcome in Christ when women are the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  

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."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  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."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  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.  Peter is so overcome with fear, my study Bible notes, that through these three people questioning him as to his relation to Christ, he did not recall Christ's prediction nor come to repentance.  But the crow of the rooster causes him to remember.  As St. Luke reports this story, it is the gaze of Christ from within the home of the high priest which causes him to weep bitterly (Luke 22:61-62).  

Let us note that Peter's denial of Christ is not a simple matter of simply staying silent and moving away, but the second time he's questioned, he actually denied knowing Christ with an oath.   The third time he's questioned, moreover, he began to curse and swear to make an even more vehement denial.   To our modern ears, these may seem like vehement embellishments of speech, emotionally digging himself in to make his denial seem more significant.  But in the Bible oaths and swearing are taken quite seriously, for these are seen as commitments one makes with one's word before the Lord.  Jesus has taught, in the Sermon on the Mount, "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:33-37).  So, in a certain sense, Peter is not just simply denying knowing Christ, but he is even disobeying His commands to His disciples.  The other example we have in the Gospels of someone so carried away by his passions that he swears a rash oath, with disastrous consequences, is King Herod Antipas (see this reading).  So the denial of Christ by Peter is an occasion upon which we have to reflect what it means that Jesus teaches us not to swear at all, because our simple words must suffice for the power of truth.  So important is this understanding of our word and the importance of its truth, the Lord teaches us that swearing and oaths are vain -- and more than "Yes" or "No" is from the evil one.  Clearly Peter's emotions have put him in a place where he's without the balance to even recall Christ's words to him earlier in the evening, and so this becomes a cautionary tale to us.  If even the great St. Peter, leader among the apostles, can be so easily thrown off his guard and fail to remember his devotion to Christ, then what about the rest of us?  Let's recall Peter's words to Jesus earlier in this evening:  "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble," and, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" (see Matthew 26:31-35).  There's another essential, important lesson we can learn from Peter's denial, and that is in his tremendous capacity for humility.  We recall the powerful rebuke given to him by Jesus, when Peter protested that Jesus should not die:  "Get behind Me, Satan!" (see Matthew 16:22-24).  Can we imagine such a word from Christ, in front of the rest of the disciples?  And yet, Peter did not turn away, but accepted.  From this humiliating and bitter failure, Peter will also return to the disciples, and for his true repentance be also specifically forgiven and received by Christ.  So, in the telling of this story, we also have St. Peter's saving humility, inseparable from his capacity for repentance, and from his genuine love of Christ.  But we're taught, also, not to trust in ourselves to the point that we're unaware of our own vulnerabilities and weakness under strain.  Let us once again consider how Christ teaches us the true power of our word, to be aware of the things we swear, the heat of the moment, and the challenges to our honor or standing in front of others.  Let us, indeed, endeavor to remember to keep it simple.  The capacity for humility is perhaps the greatest tool we have for saving grace, for finding our way through the difficult struggles and pressures we encounter in life, and in the carrying of our cross of faith.