Peter and John may have run away, just like all the other disciples did, but they did not run far. They followed the mob and Jesus to the high priest’s courtyard. They went in to see what would become of Jesus (Matthew 26:58; Mark 14:54; Luke 22:54). John’s Gospel reveals Peter was not able to get in without John’s assistance. John said he was known by the high priest and was let in, but he had to vouch for Peter to get him in too (John 18:16). Peter was recognized in the courtyard as one of Jesus’s disciples. First, his speech gave him away as Galilean (Matthew 26:736; Mark 14:70). Then something about his appearance gave him away (Luke 22:56). Finally, he was recognized from the garden earlier in the night (John 18:26). Remember, he would have stood out as the guy who wielded the sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Those in the courtyard were trying to point Peter out as a follower of Jesus.
Whenever Peter was recognized, he denied knowing Jesus. His denials were progressive. He began by simply deflecting the comments: “I don’t know what you are saying” (Matthew 26:70). Basically, Peter’s response was a modern-day saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” The next progression in Peter’s denials was taking an oath: swearing he was not a disciple of Jesus, nor did he know the man (Matthew 26:72). The third and final denial progressed to “cursing and swearing” (Matthew 26:74). This did not mean Peter began to use vulgar language. What it meant was his oath-taking had progressed from a positive to a negative. The first time Peter swore he did not know Jesus, there was a positive note in the affirmation of his lie. However, the second oath was affirmed by calling down a curse. He was affirming his lie this time by calling heaven and earth as his witness; he was calling down a curse upon himself if he were lying.
Peter’s final denial was met with a rooster’s crow, which snapped him back to what Jesus had told him would happen. Peter immediately realized he had failed his commitment to Jesus. At the very same moment, Jesus (who was being struck by the guards) turned his face, maybe red and swollen, probably bloody, and His eyes met with Peter’s (Matthew 26:66, 67). Peter met face to face with the Lord and Savior he proclaimed and yet believed in, and realized the depth of his failure. What was the look Jesus gave Peter? Was Jesus’s look one of disappointment? Most likely, it was not. We know Jesus had already warned Peter this would happen, so it was not a disappointing surprise to Jesus. Rather, Jesus said He had already prayed for Peter and knew he would come back (Luke 22:31, 32). Jesus’s look must have been one of compassion for His friend, Peter, who was now going to struggle through his faith issues and suffer the anguish of failing Him and of the torments of Satan, who would remind him of his failure probably for his lifetime. Jesus sorrowed for His friend.
Fear of man led Peter to his desperate act. Peter knew he was lying, and he knew he was being weak in lying. However, he also had just been completely disillusioned about who Jesus really was. He was lost, not knowing what to do, and just trying to survive the night. Jesus said Satan had asked to sift him. While this was a devastating moment in Peter’s life, the man who would come out of this experience would be a man who could lead the dawn of the church age.
Are you going through an unbelievable struggle right now? Have you ever felt like you failed the Lord in a big way? Isn’t this lesson good news? Peter became one of the greatest church leaders of all time, and he failed the Lord miserably. This should give every believer hope. What we see in this lesson is, we will be sifted, but we can come back, and we can still fulfill God’s desired destiny, if we will bend our knees and bow our hearts before the Lord. When we humble ourselves and yield to His plan, He will always receive us back, and He will always place us back on plan A.
Whatever disillusionment you have suffered, whatever failures you have experienced, the Lord has prayed for you, and He has a plan for your return. So take heart. Let the past fade into history, take up your cross again, and follow Jesus into your kingdom destiny.
Excerpt taken from Peter: A Life Transformed by Jacquie Hoekstra. Pick up your copy today on Amazon.com or at most other online book retailers.