Denied Three Times. Mark 14:66-72.
And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came And seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene Jesus. “But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them. “But again he denied it. And after a little while, the bystanders again said to Peter, Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean. “But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak. “And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Dear Strangers and Aliens in this World,
Peter had managed to get into the compound of the high priest’s house and was observing the goings-on. Sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire (v. 54) seemed safe, since no one really knew him.
Recognition (v. 66-67). Unfortunately for Peter, one of the servant girls had at some point in the past seen him with Jesus and she said as much. Some people have made much of the fact that it was a servant girl that scared Peter out of his wits, but if the girl was taken seriously, Peter would most likely have been in big trouble.
Rejection (v. 68-71). Peter denied knowing Jesus or having anything to do with him. As he walked to the gateway the rooster crowed but Peter paid no heed. He had to deal with the threat to his life. The girl was persistent and began to tell the people around her that Peter was one of Jesus’ companions. But Peter would hear none of it. The problem came when one of the bystanders offered proof that Peter was indeed a follower of Jesus. He was from Galilee. At this point, Peter swore and cursed – not the obscenity and irreverence of curses we see today, but an invocation of harm upon himself, if what he was denying was true.
Regret (v. 72). The second cockcrow woke Peter up. He remembered what Jesus had told him earlier and realized that he had failed Jesus in his hour of need and wept. In his account, Matthew tells us that Peter “wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75). Peter had been confident that he would die for Jesus, or with him, but when his life was under threat, he yielded to fear. Often, self-preservation gets the better of the best of us and we abandon our convictions and the Lord we have pledged loyalty to. Without the enabling of the Spirit, we will fail the Saviour. Have you prayed that you will be faithful? Remember that when Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to pray with him, they slept (v. 32-41) and this now was the outcome.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.