66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. 68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. 69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. 71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. 72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. (Mark 14:66-72 KJV)
Peter Denies Jesus
We have here the story of Peter’s denying Christ. It began with his keeping at a distance from him. Peter had followed at a distance (Mark 14:54), and now was beneath in the palace, at the lower end of the hall. Those who are hesitant about Christ are likely to deny him—those who are reluctant to attend worship, avoid the company of believers, and are ashamed to be associated with godliness.
It was occasioned by his associating with the high priest’s servants and sitting among them. Those who fear being in the company of Christ’s disciples because of possible suffering will find it more dangerous to keep company with his enemies, as they may be drawn into sin against him.
The temptation came when he was identified as a disciple of Christ: “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth” (Mark 14:67). “This is one of them” (Mark 14:69), “for you are a Galilean; your accent gives you away” (Mark 14:70). It doesn’t appear he was accused formally or threatened with prosecution—only mocked and in danger of being ridiculed. While the chief priests were abusing the Master, the servants were mocking the disciples. Sometimes the cause of Christ seems to be so low that everyone takes a shot at it. When Job was on the ash heap, he was mocked by the lowest of men (Job 30:8). Yet the temptation was not very severe; it was only a servant girl who casually noticed him and said, “You are one of them,” to which he could have simply responded, “And if I am, I hope that is no crime.”
The sin was very serious; he denied Christ before others at a time when he should have confessed and stood up for him. Christ had often warned his disciples of his coming suffering, but Peter reacted as though it were a complete shock. Though Jesus had told them they must suffer for him and take up their cross, Peter, at the first hint of danger, lies and swears to avoid it. When Christ was popular, Peter readily claimed him; but now that Jesus is abandoned and scorned, Peter is ashamed and refuses to be associated with him.
His repentance was very quick. He repeated his denial three times, the third being the worst—he cursed and swore to support his denial. At that point, the rooster crowed a second time, reminding him of his Master’s words and the warning about the rooster crowing twice (Mark 14:72). Remembering this, he recognized his sin and its seriousness; and when he thought about it, he wept. Some note that this Gospel, written as some believe under Peter’s direction, describes Peter’s sin fully but speaks more briefly about his sorrow, possibly out of Peter’s humility, not wanting his repentance to be overly praised, feeling he could never grieve enough for such a failure.
His repentance is expressed in the Greek word epibalōn eklaie, which implies intensity—he wept more and more, broke down in tears, or threw himself down in grief. Some suggest he covered his face or looked at Jesus, who turned and looked at him—Dr. Hammond suggests this, and it’s plausible. Or, simply, focusing on what he had done, he wept. A fleeting thought of guilt is not enough—we must deeply reflect on our sin. The word may even imply that he heaped blame on himself, like the tax collector who beat his chest in sorrow (Luke 18:13); and this amounts to what another Gospel describes as “weeping bitterly” (Mt 26:75).