69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:69-75 KJV)
Peter Denies Jesus
We have here the story of Peter’s denying his Master, and it comes in as a part of Christ’s sufferings. Our Lord Jesus was now in the High Priest’s hall, not to be tried, but baited; and it would have been some comfort to him to see his friends near him. But we do not find any friend he had about the court, except Peter—and it would have been better if he had been at a distance. Observe how he fell, and how he got up again by repentance.
The immediate occasion of Peter’s sin:
Peter sat outside in the courtyard, among the servants of the High Priest. Bad company is often an occasion for sin; and those who unnecessarily thrust themselves into it go onto the devil’s ground, venture into his crowds, and may expect either to be tempted and ensnared, as Peter was, or to be ridiculed and abused, as his Master was. They can hardly come out of such company without guilt or grief, or both. He that would keep God’s commandments must say to evil-doers, “Depart from me” (Psalm 119:115). Peter spoke from experience when he later warned his new converts to save themselves from that corrupt generation (Acts 2:40), for he nearly ruined himself by going among them once.
The temptation leading to Peter’s sin:
He was challenged as a follower of Jesus of Galilee. First one maid said, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee”; then another maid said, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth” (Matthew 26:71); and then the rest of the servants said, “Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away”. The disciples’ dialect and pronunciation marked them as Galileans. Happy is the one whose speech betrays them to be a disciple of Christ by the holiness and seriousness of their words! Observe how scornfully they speak of Christ—Jesus of Galilee, of Nazareth—mocking the place he was from; and how disdainfully they speak of Peter—”This fellow,” as if he was a disgrace to their company. Yet they accused him of nothing except being with Jesus, which they thought enough to make him both scandalous and suspicious.
The sin Peter committed:
When charged as one of Christ’s disciples, Peter denied it, ashamed and afraid to own it, trying to convince everyone around him that he had no knowledge of Jesus, nor any affection for him.
The first time Peter was accused of being a disciple of Jesus, he said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” This was a dodging answer; he pretended not to understand the charge or who Jesus of Galilee was. It’s wrong to misrepresent our own thoughts and feelings to serve our interests, pretending ignorance of what we actually know. This is a form of lying we’re especially prone to because it’s hard to disprove. But God knows our hearts, and fear of Him should restrain us (Proverbs 24:12). It is an even greater wrong to be ashamed of Christ and to avoid confessing Him when called to; this, in effect, is to deny Him.
The second time Peter was accused of being Jesus’ disciple, he said plainly, “I don’t know the man,” and backed it with an oath (Matthew 26:72). Can you, Peter, look at that prisoner and say you don’t know Him? Didn’t you leave everything to follow Him? Haven’t you known Him more intimately than anyone else? Didn’t you confess Him as the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? Have you forgotten the love He showed you, and the close fellowship you shared? Can you look Him in the face and say you don’t know Him?
The third time Peter was accused of being Jesus’ disciple, he began to curse and swear, saying, “I don’t know the man” (Matthew 26:74). This was the worst, for the way of sin goes downhill. He cursed and swore, first to reinforce his denial so they would stop questioning him, yet what he swore to was a lie. We should doubt the truth of anything backed by rash oaths and curses—only the devil’s words need the devil’s proof. Second, he wanted to prove he wasn’t one of Christ’s followers, for that language didn’t fit Christ’s disciples. Cursing and swearing are enough to show someone is not a follower of Jesus; such language belongs to His enemies.
This is written to warn us not to sin like Peter—to never, in any way, deny Christ, by rejecting His offers, resisting His Spirit, hiding our knowledge of Him, being ashamed of Him or His words, or fearing to suffer for Him.
The aggravations of this sin help us recognize similar things in our own. (1.) Consider who he was—an apostle, one of the leading three, often the first to speak boldly for Christ. The more we profess, the greater our guilt if we act unworthily. (2.) Consider the warning Jesus gave him—if Peter had taken it seriously, he wouldn’t have fallen. (3.) Consider how solemnly he promised to stay loyal, even to death—yet he broke his word. (4.) Consider how quickly he sinned after the Lord’s Supper—receiving such a pledge of love, then denying his Redeemer before morning. (5.) Consider how weak the temptation was—not the judge or officers, but just a couple of servant girls who likely meant him no harm. This was only running with the footmen (Jeremiah 12:5). (6.) Consider how often he repeated the sin—even after the cock crowed once, he kept denying Jesus.
Yet, though his sin was great, it is softened by the fact that he sinned in haste (Psalm 116:11). He didn’t plan to betray Jesus like Judas did. His heart was against what he did; he spoke terribly, but it was unintentional and sudden. Peter’s repentance for this sin is recorded in Matthew 26:75. The story of his sin is written to warn us not to fall; the story of his repentance is written to guide us back if we do.
Peter’s grief and repentance:
Peter was led to repentance when the cock crowed (Matthew 26:74). The cock’s crow was a small event, but since Jesus had foretold it, it became meaningful. The crowing was like John the Baptist’s call: a voice awakening a soul. Where grace is at work, though overwhelmed by temptation, even a small reminder can bring us back. The crowing of a rooster became the turning point for Peter’s soul. He remembered the words of the Lord. That memory melted him into tears of godly sorrow for he realized how ungrateful he had been. Nothing grieves the repentant more than having sinned against the love and grace of Christ.
Peter showed his repentance when he went out and wept bitterly. He left the High Priest’s hall, ashamed for going there and anxious to escape its snares. He had stepped outside before (Matthew 26:71), and if he’d stayed out then, the other denials might have been avoided. Now he left and didn’t return. Like the doves of the valleys (Ezekiel 7:16; Jeremiah 9:1-2), Peter went somewhere private to weep bitterly for his sorrow was deep.
Sorrow for sin should not be shallow but profound, like mourning an only son. Such deep sorrow doesn’t satisfy justice—no sea of tears could do that—but it proves real change of heart, which is true repentance. Peter, who once denied Christ, never denied Him again; instead, he boldly confessed Him, even in danger. He who once said, “I don’t know the man,” later declared to all Israel that Jesus is Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). True repentance is shown by practicing the opposite virtue. Some early writers say that for the rest of Peter’s life, every time he heard a rooster crow, he wept. Those who have truly sorrowed for sin will feel sorrow whenever they remember it—yet not in a way that destroys their joy, but one that increases their gratitude for God’s grace.