Skip to content

Commentaries
English
Luke
  
PETER'S DENIAL AND DEEP SORROW
(Luke 22:54-62)
54Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed at a distance. 55Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."57But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."58And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" 59Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."60But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.61And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."62So Peter went out and wept bitterly.


Peter proved his courage and bravery in the garden, when he drew his sword and stroke the servant soldier. And when his Lord prevented him from striving with the sword, he immediately obeyed him, thinking that the Lord was willing to prove that he was the Christ, by bringing hosts of angels to help and free him, and to guide the leaders to worship to him that the kingdom of God might dwell in the center of the high council.
Under such victorious situation, Peter was not willing to be far, but near, in order to secure the office and power of prime ministry. So the most courageous one of the disciples stole behind the noisy crowd from the Kidron valley into door of the guarded city, climbed behind them the high stairs, and arrived at last disguised at the high priest’s house.
As the religious leaders interrogated Jesus about his disciples and his teaching, bringing false witnesses to prove his transgression of the law, Peter sat outside in the courtyard with his heart troubled and filled with queries. However he pretended tranquility, and listened to the conversations of the guards and their laughing at the meek King. He also heard their curses against the foolish disciple who cut the ear of their friend whom this strange prisoner healed.
Suddenly, a certain maid suspected Peter in the light of the fire. She earnestly looked upon him, and said with certainty in a loud voice to those who were present: "Beware of him who is sitting in the midst of you! He is a spy. This man is one of Jesus’ company." This statement pricked Peter’s heart that he thought of jumping up and running away. But he controlled himself, and answered superficially and indifferently, as if he were not concerned at all: "No! I do not know him at all. What are you saying? You are wrong." Everyone turned to him and heard the accusation and his denying answer. Yet he pretended self-possession and harmless innocence, while he was all set, on the alert, as a tiger perceiving the smell of imminent danger.
In spite of his denial, the guards began to watch him carefully. One of them had also seen Peter in the Temple with the Lord, and he repeated the maid’s accusation. So Peter flared up once again, and replied angrily and briefly, denying his relation with Jesus and swearing falsely (Mark 14:55-72).
Jesus’ interrogation continued in the high priest’s house. They asked him particularly about his partners, and he answered them not one word. Now that his first disciple had shouted in the courtyard that he did not know the Nazarene, nor was he of his company, the temptation of which Jesus had already foretold him happened. The disciples were asleep. They were not ready to suffer, to believe in God’s guidance at every moment, and to testify to the facts with truthfulness and prudence. So Peter lied, rejected his Lord, and blasphemed telling an untruth with an oath.
Thus Peter fell, and great was his fall. He had tried over one complete hour to go out from the door without being noticed by anyone. At the same time, another one saw him, looked intently at him, and affirmed that Peter was a spy of the Nazarene, for he spoke like the Galileans. Then Peter cursed himself if he had ever known Jesus or related to him in all the matter.
Immediately a rooster crowed. It was the rooster of which Jesus had foretold him in his compassion, for he had known Peter’s heart which would soon boil over, knowing that our trust in God alone, and not our self-confidence, saves us at the time of temptation. The rooster’s crow pierced through Peter’s ear as the sounding trumpet of the Last Judgment, penetrating into his confusion and hypocrisy. Peter looked at Jesus who was led by the soldiers from a house to another during those critical moments, and Jesus turned as he passed by on the way to Pilate’s house and looked into Peter’s eyes. This look of the Son of God at Peter had broken the latter, condemned him, and revealed his uttermost corruption and malice.
Simon became broken and ashamed, for he realized that he was unable to do any good thing, and that he did not believe, in fact, in Jesus’ prophecy. He also realized his evil denial, his inescapable destruction, and that he was no better than the others. That look of Christ melted Peter into tears of godly sorrow for sin. His self-confidence ended, and bitter sorrow filled his distressed heart. He ran out through the open door, and wept bitterly. Peter’s brokenness was Jesus’ great triumph at that night, for he had freed the greatest one of his disciples from self-conceit, and self-trust, and showed him the deep-rooted evil within himself. Consequently the tears of repentance led Peter into a new life built on grace alone.
Dear brother, did you ever look into Jesus’ eyes? Did he ever pierce your heart that you did not believe any further in your own power, but fell down penitently at your Savior’s feet?

Prayer
O Lord, I am but a proud, self-reliant, fainthearted hypocrite. Please do not reject me, but free me from the bonds of my sins. Teach me how to become a faithful witness to you with all humility and prudence that I may not do what I will, but what you will and that I may be strengthened with all might according to your glorious power, for your strength is made perfect in my weakness.
Question
What did Peter’s tears mean?