Luke 22:54-62
54 Now they arrested Him and led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.
55 After they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.
56 And a slave woman, seeing him as he sat in the firelight, and staring at him, said, “This man was with Him as well.”
57 But he denied it, saying, “I do not know Him, woman!”
58 And a little later, another person saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59 And after about an hour had passed, some other man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he, too, is a Galilean.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
61 And then 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.”
62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
Peter’s Denial
Peter sitting before the fire
Psalm 1 begins with these words: “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” Here we find the steps that lead a person into sin: (1) walking, (2) standing, and (3) sitting. We can see that Peter took similar steps and ended up committing a great failure. He (1) followed at a distance, (2) stood in the courtyard of the high priest’s house, and (3) sat down among the people who were gathered around the fire for warmth. In that situation, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. On the third occasion, he even invoked a curse on himself and swore as he denied Jesus (ref. Matt. 26:74). It is most likely that Peter, at first, followed out of sincere concern for Jesus. However, he did not understand his own weakness and was defenseless against temptation. Before he realized it, he had committed a failure that even he himself found shocking. Do you think you are safe? Let us recall the steps that lead to sin once more and re-examine ourselves to see whether there is any complacency.
Jesus turned around
When Peter said for the third time that he did not know Jesus, immediately a rooster crowed. At that moment, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord: “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” Peter came to his senses, went outside, and wept bitterly. Have you ever discovered your own weakness or sinfulness and felt miserable about it? The remarkable thing about Peter is that he did not let his failure remain a failure. The eyes with which Jesus looked at Peter were not eyes of judgment, but eyes of forgiveness. Later, Peter met the risen Jesus by the Sea of Galilee and renewed his commitment to follow Him (ref. John 21). What kind of look do you think Jesus is giving you now? The same Jesus who forgave Peter and prayed for him in advance is also praying for you. In Jesus, there is no sin that cannot be forgiven.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I thank You for the honest record of the failure of Peter, who was a leader of the early church. I have now been touched by the infinite love of Jesus. Like Peter, I have renewed my commitment to follow You. Please guide my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.