Peter’s Fall and Restoration

Peter's Fall and Restoration

(No. 2771)

A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, MARCH 23, 1902.

DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING,
OCTOBER 22, 1882.

"And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the
word of the Lord, how He had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you
will deny Me three times. So Peter went out and wept bitterly." Luke
22:61, 62.

PETER'S fall, as we noticed in our reading, is four times recorded, at
considerable length, but it is not once excused. There is not, in any
one of the records, a single word said by way of palliation of his
great guilt. John pictures Peter's sin in colors of an almost neutral
tint, yet he does not lessen its gravity.

Why, do you think, is this sad record thus given four times? Is it not
in order that we should give it fourfold attention? It deserves this
special mention, first, because it must have greatly increased the
grief of the Lord Jesus Christ to know that while He was enduring
untold indignities on His people's behalf, His most prominent disciple
was denying Him with oaths and curses down at the lower end of the
hall. Surely, this must have cut Him to the quick! I cannot imagine
that any of the tortures that He endured from His enemies could have
caused Him so much pain as this wicked denial by one of His closest
friends. Let your pity and love to Jesus flow in deep and broad streams
while you behold him that ate bread with Him thus lifting up his heel
against Him and even declaring that He knows not the Man! Blessed
Master, there is not one tint of all the colors of grief that is
lacking in the picture of Your passion! It is not possible to depict
sufferings more acute and intense than was Yours when You died, "the
Just for the unjust," to bring us to God.

But, next, I think that Peter's fall and restoration are thus fully
recorded to set forth the greatness of our Redeemer's saving power in
the immediate prospect of His cruel death upon the Cross. Is it not
wonderful to think that before He dies, He restores this great
backslider–I had almost said, "this open apostate," for so he was,
according to his own language, though he was not so in heart? I can, in
imagination, see poor Peter bending before the Cross of Calvary and
looking up, through tears of grief and joy, as he mourns his great
guilt and sees it all forgiven!

Then comes the dying thief, to represent another class of characters
who bring great Glory to our dying Lord. Peter is the backslider
restored–the dying thief is the sinner saved at the 11th hour. He was
on the very brink of Hell, yet the Master stretched out His hand to
rescue him, saying, "Today shall you be with Me in Paradise." I cannot
imagine two incidents revealing greater Divine Grace than these two,
which so richly adorn and embellish the Cross! As captives chained to
the wheels of the returning conqueror's chariot make his triumphal
procession the more illustrious, so is Christ upon the Cross the more
manifestly triumphant in His Infinite Grace as He leads the restored
Peter back to his Apos-tleship and takes the penitent thief, plucked
from Perdition, up with Himself into the Paradise of God!

Moreover, do you not think that there is, in this fourfold record, an
instructive lesson for us concerning the frailty of the best of men?
Holy Scripture does not tell us much about the best of men who lived in
the olden times–its history of the saints is somewhat scanty–but it
is particular in recording their faults, as if its special purpose was
to remind us that the best of men are but men at the best! This Peter,
who seemed to lead the van, was yet so frail and fallible–so far from
being the first "Infallible Bishop of Rome"–that he even denied his
Lord and Master! That is about the only point, so far as I can see, in
which the Pope of Rome is like Peter, for he, too, has great
presumption and he can, with his bulls and his curses, go about as far
as Peter did in denying his Lord! Peter's fall seems to say to each of
us, "You, too, are weak. You, too, will fall if you are left to
yourself. Therefore trust wholly to your Master, but never trust in
yourself. Look

always to Him and rely not upon your own experience, or the firmness of
your own resolutions–for you will assuredly fall, as Peter did, unless
the almighty hand of Christ shall hold you up."

These lessons might profit us even if we learned no others, but I think
we may find some more as I now proceed to speak to you, first,
concerning Peter's fall. Next, concerning the means of his recovery.
Thirdly, concerning the signs of his restoration and, afterwards, if we
have time for them, I hope to make a few general remarks upon the whole
incident of Peter's fall and restoration.

I. First, then, concerning PETER'S FALL.

It was a very sad fall because it was the fall of one of the most
favored of Christ's disciples. We know that there is such a thing as
election and that there is such a thing as election out of election
and, in the case of Christ's disciples, the principle was carried still
further, for there were some who were the elect out of the elect of the
elect! Christ had many disciples, yet He said to the Apostles, "I have
chosen you twelve." Out of those twelve, he had evidently chosen
three– Peter, James and John–who were privileged to be with Him on
various occasions when all others were shut out. Peter had been
especially favored, so that probably not even John surpassed him in the
honor which his Master had put upon him. After his declaration
concerning Christ's Messiahship and Deity, Jesus said to him, "Blessed
are you, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto
you, but My Father which is in Heaven." So you see that Peter was a
highly favored man–and for him to deny his Master was a very terrible
sin. The higher our privilege, dear Friends, the greater is our
responsibility! The nobler our vocation is, the more horrible is our
sin when we fall into it.

Secondly, Peter's fall was especially sad because he had been
faithfully warned concerning it. Our Lord had said to the eleven, "All
of you shall be offended because of Me this night." And then, when
Peter declared that he would not be offended, our Lord plainly foretold
his triple denial. When Jesus, after the first part of his agony in the
garden, came back to the three especially favored disciples and found
them all asleep, he said to Peter, "Simon, do you sleep? Could you not
watch one hour? Watch you and pray lest you enter into temptation." So
that Peter knew the danger to which he was exposed. He was not, as some
inexperienced persons are, surprised all of a sudden–carried off their
feet by a fierce tornado of temptation. If he did not watch and pray,
he ought to have done so, for he had been expressly warned, yes, and
told that in that very night, not only would he be in danger, but that
he would actually fall into the snare which Satan, the great fowler,
was setting for him! After that warning, he was not like a bird caught
in a trap which it has not seen, but like one that flies boldly into
the snare. Solomon says in Proverbs, "Surely in vain the net is spread
in the sight of any bird"–yet Peter ran into it in spite of all the
warning that he had received. This made his sin all the greater! And if
any of you sin against the Light of God, your sin will be all the more
gross and aggravated.

Further, the guilt of Peter's sin is enhanced by the fact that it came
so soon after his claim offdelity to his Master. He had said to Jesus,
"Though all men shall be offended because of You, yet will I never be
offended." Now, mark that declaration was made in the evening and the
sun had not risen–the cock had not crowed–before he had thrice denied
his Master! It may have been quite late in the evening when he uttered
his boastful declaration and the night had only darkened down to
midnight, or an hour or two after, before he had, with oaths and
curses, denied that he even knew his Lord. Ah, Brothers and Sisters, if
we eat our words as soon as that–if we go home from this House of
Prayer and fall into sin. Or if tomorrow, while yet the sacred bread of
the Communion Table is scarcely digested, we shall so act as
practically to deny Christ–it will be a very terrible thing! It would
have been bad enough if Peter had sinned thus 20 years after making his
profession of love to Christ–but to deny his Lord an hour or two after
such a vehement declaration– this was wicked, indeed!

Observe, also, that Peter's sin had degrees in it This makes it the
more interesting to us, especially if we have, ourselves, gone any part
of the same evil way, for, the first time he denied his Master, it was
not in the same style as the third time. Being let into the High
Priest's palace, the damsel who opened the door looked him in the face
and, afterwards, when Peter was sitting with the servants and officers
around the fire, this somewhat busy lady came up to him and, gazing
into his face, said, "You, also, were with Jesus of Galilee." Peter
made a kind of evasive answer. There was a sort of subterfuge in it–"I
know not what you are saying." As much as if he had said, "I do not
understand you." This was really a denial of Christ, but he had so
worded it as to quiet his conscience to some extent–he had not
positively, in so many words, denied his Master. He was trying to do a
little dodging, as some people nowadays do, and he thought, perhaps,
that he might be able to draw back from the position into which he had
been led by his curiosity. There was no oath

the first time, no cursing–but a simple evasive answer–really, in
God's sight, a denial of his Lord, yet not so pronounced as it
afterwards became.

The second time, he seems to have got up from where he sat by the fire.
He was evidently not comfortable there and he had gone out to the
porch, a good way off from the rest. And then, still wanting to see the
end of the matter, he had come back. He did not press his way into the
inner circle around the fire, and sit there, but he stood and leaned
forward just to warm his hands. And then it was that this woman,
noticing how restless he had been, came up with a companion of hers
and, looking at him, began to say to the other woman, "I know that he
is one of them, I am sure that he is." And then she and the other both
broke out saying, "You were with Him! We are sure you were with Him."
And the men joined in the cry, perhaps most of them said, "Oh, yes, he
is one of them!" And then Peter "denied with an oath, I do not know the
Man." Oh, how dreadful for him to call Christ, "the Man," when he had
boldly declared that He was the Son of God! What a terrible fall was
this!

After this, Peter gets up and goes away from the fire altogether. It is
a large place, so he still keeps within the enclosure, but he gets up
into a corner where the light does not fall upon him. And there he
remains for about an hour, not very easy, you may be sure. At last, he
begins to talk to those around him. He thought that they would not find
him out, now, because the firelight did not reach so far, but he did
not remember that his tongue would tell tales, for those near him said,
"Listen! That fellow has the accent of Galilee! He is a Galilean and
all the people who were with Jesus were Galileans. Depend upon it, he
is one of them! We are sure that he is, for his speech betrays him."
The accent of his countrified speech showed Peter up as being one of
the fishers from the Lake of Galilee–so now they come all around him
and they said to him, "We know that you are a disciple of Jesus." Then
there was the High Priest's servant, whose kinsman's ear Peter had cut
off–he said, "Did not I see you in the Garden with Him? I carried a
lantern and I know that you are the man that chopped my relation's ear
off. I am sure that you are!" Then Peter, worst of all, not only denied
his Master, but, as if he knew that a true Christian would not swear
and, therefore, the way to prove that he was no Christian was to curse
and swear, therefore he did it! He cursed and swore to convince them
that he was not a disciple of Jesus Christ. Oh, but this was dreadful!
This was terrible! No excuse is given for Peter in God's Word, nor will
we try to think of any, but we will, each one of us, pray, "Hold You me
up and I shall be safe."

There is another aggravation of Peter's sin which I must mention, that
is that all this was done very close to where his Lord and Master was
suffering at that time. I think that this Tabernacle might very well
picture the kind of place that palace was. Take away those galleries
and leave this upper portion–here is Christ, with the High Priests and
all the rest of them, in this upper part. Perhaps it was not so much
raised above the rest of the hall as this platform is, but, still, it
was a raised place. And there were the servants sitting down below
where they could see everything, and also be seen, in the open square
with a big fire blazing up in the midst–sending its volumes of smoke
up to the midnight sky. And there is the Christ, His back turned
towards Peter, but He is within hearing. Oh, I think that fact alone
ought to have checked Peter's tongue and inspired him with such love,
pity and sympathy that he would have found it impossible to deny his
Master. And for you and me to sin in the very Presence of the Majesty
of Heaven, (and all sin does that), is an enormous crime.

What was the reason why Peter thus sinned I answer, first, that it was
because of his fear of man. Bold Peter became a raving coward! And, ah,
how many have denied their Master because they have been afraid of a
jest or a jeer! It was but a silly maid and another gossip with her,
and a few idle women and men around the outdoor fire, but Peter was
afraid of them and, therefore, he was not afraid to deny his Master.

Perhaps the chief reason for Peter's denial of his Lord was his
confidence in himself. If Peter had felt himself to be weaker, he would
really have been stronger. But, because he felt so strong in himself,
he therefore proved to be weak as water and so denied his Master.

We know, also, that it was caused by a lack of watchfulness and prayer
on the part of Peter. He was off his guard when he was sitting or
standing comfortably by the fire and, therefore, he fell so sadly. His
fall was caused, I expect, by a general lack of steadfastness in his
character. He was impetuous, impulsive, quick, ready, brave,
courageous, but, at the same time, he lacked backbone. He did, even
after this, lack that essential element of a strong character, for Paul
had to "withstand him to the face, because he was to be blamed." But,
in this time of testing, he manifested a sad lack of solidity of
character. He was carried away by surrounding circumstances and even
when they happened to be against his Lord and

Master, he was still carried away with them! Those of you who have
abundance of life in you, and plenty of force of character, must make
sure that you also have the force of Grace, lest your vivacity–the
very thing which makes you to be leaders among us–should become your
ruin in the time of trial! He is well kept whom God keeps and he it is
also who, with prayer and watchfulness, guards himself against all the
dangers that surround him. Thus I have tried to describe to you Peter's
fall.

' II. Now, secondly, notice THE MEANS OF PETER'S RECOVERY. They are
worth notice.

The first means was, the crowing of the cock. It seemed strange that it
should crow, the first time, before the period that was known among the
Jews as "the cock-crowing." That happened after Peter had denied his
Master once, but he does not appear to have taken any notice of it, for
he afterwards denied his Master again and yet again. And just as he was
speaking the third time, while the words were in his mouth, shrill and
clear over that palace wall came the clarion of the cock. Oh, that crow
must have gone home to Peter's heart! We cannot preach half such
impressive sermons as that bird then delivered, for its message forced
its way into Peter's conscience! God has many ways of reaching man's
conscience. I have known Him touch the conscience by very singular
means–very frequently by the observation of a little child–by the
sudden death of a neighbor or a friend–even by some sentence in a
newspaper. There are many birds that God can cause to crow when He bids
them, and they startle the sinner as much as that one in Jerusalem
startled Peter! But that was not enough, nor was it half enough to
bring him to repentance.

The next thing that touched Peter, and the main thing, was the look of
Christ. It is not possible for any of us to give such a look as that.
It was such a look as Jehovah gave to the primeval darkness when He
said, "Let there be light," and the darkness was dissipated by one
glance of Jehovah's eyes. So the darkness, which the devil had cast
over Peter's soul, was made to fly by one flash from the eyes of Jesus!
There were volumes of meaning in that look. "Is that Peter, who
declared that he would never deny Me? Remember, Peter, what I said, and
what you answered–and see which of us turns out to be right." That
look also said to Peter, "All these griefs and all this shame that I am
enduring do not pierce Me so keenly to the heart as your denial does."
Yet was it not also a look of inexpressible tenderness, as if the
Master said by it, "I still love you, Peter, so come back to Me and I
will yet restore you!" I think it was a heart-piercing look and a
heart-healing look all in one–a look which revealed to Peter the
blackness of his sin and also the tenderness of his Master's heart
towards him. That look did the work–that was the great means of
Peter's recovery. First, the crowing of the cock, or something in
Providence, and then the look of Christ, or something of Grace.

Then, what came in next was Peter's remembrance of Christ's words, for
that look awakened his memory and his memory reminded him of all that
his Master had said to him–and of all the happy fellowship he had had
with the dear Master and what wonders he had seen Him do. I daresay
that Peter remembered how he had once walked upon the water and how he
began to sink until Jesus stretched out His hand to save him. At any
rate, memory did its work, for, "Peter called to mind the words that
Jesus said unto him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me
three times. And when he thought about it, he wept." So those three
things co-operated in producing Peter's recovery.

But there was one thing, at the back of all these, which we must never
forget–that is, the prayer of Christ for Peter. He said to him, "I
have prayed for you," and the effect of that prayer was made apparent
in the Apostle's restoration. That look was effectual upon Peter
because the Lord Jesus had, in private, made prevalent intercession for
him. So his faith was not to fail him and he was to come out of the
devil's sieve with not one particle of the genuine wheat that was in
him, fallen to the ground, but only the chaff taken away! That was the
great means which Christ used for Peter's recovery and I beg you, dear
Friends, to emulate your Savior's example in this respect. Pray for the
fallen, look lovingly and pitifully upon the fallen, for your very look
may do them good. Speak to the fallen, seek to guide the fallen back to
Christ and who knows how many of them you may be helped to restore?

III. Now, in the third place, I am to speak very briefly upon THE SIGNS
OF PETER'S RESTORATION. What are those signs?

First, he went out. There was something suggestive in that action of
his. It might be very cold outside, but Peter left the warmth of the
fire. His heart was hot within him, so he could stand the cold and,
therefore, he went out. It is always a sign of repentance in Christians
who have fallen when they leave the company where they were led astray.
If any of you were once professors of the faith and you have turned
aside through the evil associations that you have formed, cut
yourselves loose from those associations at once! "Oh," someone says,
"but I might be a loser if I were to do so." You cannot

lose as much as you will if you lose your soul! "Oh, but I do not see
how I can escape." You must find a way of escape somehow–you must do
as Lot did. Though he had all his wealth in Sodom, he had to flee from
it–and the message to you professors who are among the ungodly is,
"Come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing." Thus Peter went out and it was a wise
thing for him to do.

He not only went out, but he wept. As he kept on turning over his sin,
it appeared to him in all its blackest hue. We are told that he wept
bitterly. Convulsive weeping came upon him–he could not stand
himself–his very heart seemed as if it would flow away in rivers of
repentant tears.

It is a blessed sign of the work of Grace in the soul when the man who
has sinned quits his evil companions and mourns over his sin as one who
is in bitterness for his first-born. If any of you have sinned like
Peter, go and weep like Peter. If you have fallen like Peter, then let
your soul bitterly bewail your transgression. Many talk about the
greatness of David's sin, but if they knew the depths of David's
repentance and the heartbreak that came with it, they would not so
glibly speak of it. There is a tradition that Peter never heard a cock
crow, or thought of this incident, as long as he lived, without
weeping. And although that is only a tradition, I can well believe it
was the case, for that is just what would be likely to happen to a true
penitent.

IV. Now I close with A FEW GENERAL REMARKS UPON THE INCIDENT.

My first remark is–Christian, it is bad for you to be in evil company.
It was bad for Peter to be among those who were standing or sitting
round that fire. On a cold night everyone likes a nice comfortable
fire. Yes, but you had better suffer discomfort and inconvenience
rather than associate with wicked men. Peter was sitting in the seat of
the scorner, so we do not wonder that, at last, he used the scorner's
language! Keep out of evil company if you possibly can. If you are
obliged to go where bad language is used, do just as you do when you
have to go out in a shower of rain–carry an umbrella to shield you
from the rain and go through it as quickly as you can. When, in your
daily calling, you have to mix with ungodly men, carry the spirit of
watchfulness and prayer with you–and slip away from their society as
quickly as you can.

My next remark is that it is idle for a true disciple to try to disown
his discipleship. Peter says, "I am not one of Christ's disciples,"
but, even by the firelight, he looks like one of them. He swears that
he is not and gets away up in the corner where there is no light. But,
as soon as he begins talking, they say, "You are one of them!" His very
speech causes him to be discovered–and if you are a genuine Christian,
you can no more hide yourself than can the violet in the grass, whose
perfume tells the passerby that it is there! There is something about
you which will cause people to find you out. I should recommend those
of you who have believed in Christ, but have not joined the Church, or
made a confession of your faith, to do so speedily because, whether you
do so or not, the ungodly will be down upon you! When once Christ sets
the mark of His Cross upon your forehead, all sorts of people will see
it and they will say, "You are one of Christ's followers! Your very
speech betrays you. There is something about you that is different from
the rest of us, and which tells us that you have been with Jesus." Do
not try to hide this distinguishing mark if you have it–and even if
you do, you will not be able to do so.

The next general remark is–when you have to depict your own character,
always use the black pencil. Never try to extenuate anything. We shall
never have any biographies, written by uninspired men, after the
fashion of these Bible biographies. I am sure that if Peter had been
the minister of a neighboring Baptist Church and had died, and I had
been asked to write his biography, I should not have mentioned his
denial of his Lord. Or if I had done so, I would have had his wife down
on me if she was alive! And, if not, all the members of the
congregation would have said, "What a shame it was to say anything
about that matter after the man was dead! Mr. Spurgeon has written a
brother-minister's biography and he has put in all the details of that
sad incident which ought to have been suppressed." Very likely it ought
to be, but it never is suppressed in the Biblenarratives–we get all
that happens recorded there. When Mark wrote, as we believe, under the
guidance of Peter, he did not keep back anything, but put all down as
black as it really was!

But, next, when you are writing of a Brother's character, try to
describe it as fairly as possible, for that is what John does in his
description of Peter's fall. It is very mildly drawn compared with
Peter's own account of it. We must never say what is false, but when
there has been something that is wrong, let us always put the kindest
construction we possibly can upon it. There are always two ways of
telling a tale and they may both be true. The one is to lay heavy
stress upon all the faults. The other is to do as John does–to mention
them, but to say no more about them than he feels really obliged to

say. Let us be truthful, but let it never seem as if we had any grudge
against the wrongdoer. The sacred writers often teach us this lesson
and here, Peter gives the worst account of himself, and John gives a
more favorable report concerning his erring Brother.

Another remark I have to make is–observe the power that is in people's
eyes. You must often have noticed this. What a power there was in that
maid's eyes when she gazed earnestly upon Peter! It was that earnest
gaze of the girl that made Peter deny his Master. But, then, see the
power for good that there was in Christ's eyes. "The Lord turned and
looked at Peter." Eyes can say far more than lips can! Often there is
more heart-affecting eloquence in the eyes than there is in the tongue.
Sometimes you Christian people, members of the Church, may be by the
side of a man who utters a wrong word–but you need not tell him of
it–just look at him, that will be enough. If an ungodly man shall even
swear in your presence, do not give him a supercilious look, as much as
to say, "O you wicked sinner, to do such a thing in the presence of
such a holy man as I am!" But there is another kind of look, as if you
felt so grieved and were amazed that he could so take in vain the name
of the ever-blessed God–that is the sort of look to give him. If the
Lord will manage your eyes for you, you will find that they will be
potent messengers of love for Him. God give you to have those
sanctified eyes which can work wonders for Him!

My last remark is this– what a mercy it was that Christ did not treat
Peter as Peter treated Him Peter said, "I know not the Man." Ah, me,
but if the blessed, meek and lowly One had said, "I know not the man,"
it would have been all over with Peter! May God grant that Christ may
not say of anyone of us, at the Last Great Day, "I know not the man"!
He willsay it of all who know Him not, and whom He does not know–they
are not acquainted with one another–and if they continue as they are,
He will say, "Verily, I say unto you, I know you not." Though He has
eaten and drunk in your presence and taught in your streets, yet will
He say, "I know you not. Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity." The
mercy is that He never said that to Peter. And He will never say that
to you, or to me if we come and cast ourselves in penitence at His
feet, bemoaning our sin, and putting our trust in Him alone! May God
grant this blessing to each one of you, dear Friends for Jesus' sake!
Amen.

EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: MATTHEW26:31-35, 57, 58,
69-75;MARK14:53,54, 66-72;LUKE22:54-62; JOHN18:15-18,25-27.

The story of Peter's denial of his Master is recorded in all four of
the Gospels. There are some differences of expression in each version,
so it will not be tautology if we read all four of them. And if we read
them attentively, we shall get a clear view of the whole incident.

Matthew 26:31-33. Then Jesus said unto them, Allyou shall be offended
because ofMe this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am
risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said
unto Him, Though all men shall be offended because of You, yet will I
never be offended. This was a very presumptuous speech, not only
because of the self-confidence which it displayed, but also because it
was a flat contradiction of what the Master had just said. "All you
shall be offended because of Me this night." Peter thought he knew
better than Christ did, so he said, "Though all men shall be offended
because of You, yet will I never be offended."

34. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, That this night, before
the cock crow–The cock-crowing was a recognized mark of time; it was
just before the rising of the sun. "This night, before the rooster
crows"–

34, 35. You shall deny Me thrice. Peter said unto Him, Though I should
die with You, yet will I not deny You. Here, again, he contradicts his
Master straight to His face!

35. Likewise also said all the disciples.

57, 58. And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas
the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But
Peter followed Him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in,
and sat with the servants, to see the end.

69-75. Now Peter sat outside in the palace: and a damsel came unto him,
saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them
all, saying, I know not what you say. 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. And again he denied with

an oath, I do not know the Man. And after a while came unto him they
that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them; for
your speech betrays you. Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, I
know not the Man. And immediately the cock crew. Then Peter remembered
the words of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the rooster crows, you
will deny Me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly. Now let us
read Mark's account, which will especially interest you if you remember
that, probably, Mark wrote under the direction of Peter and, no doubt,
received many of his facts from Peter. You will notice how severe is
this description of the whole scene–it is just such an one as the
chief actor in it would be sure to give as he recalled his fall and
restoration.

Mark 14:53, 54. And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with
him were assembled all the chiefpriests and the elders and the scribes.
Then Peter followed Him afar off, even into the palace of the high
priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
Thus we learn what a cold night it was–that night in which the
Savior's "sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to
the ground." Often, at Jerusalem, the days are extremely hot, yet the
nights are as cold as if it were winter through the abundant dews that
fall and cause a dampness everywhere.

66, 67. And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there came one of the
maids of the high priest: and when she saw Peter warming himself, she
looked upon him. I think I see her, with her eyes fixed upon him, as he
was warming himself at the fire: "She looked upon him."

67, 68. Andsaid, And you also were with Jesus ofNazareth. But he
denied, saying, Iknnow not, neither understandI what you say. And he
went out into the porch; and the cock crew. This first time was not the
regular time of cock-crowing, but those birds crow when they please.
Before the fixed period called the cock-crow, Peter was to deny his
Master three times–this was the first time.

69, 70. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood
by, This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after,
they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely you are one of them: for
you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it. "You have the peculiar
brogue of that part of the country. 'You are a Galilean, and your
speech shows it.'"

71, 72. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, Iknnow not this Man
of whom you speak. And the second time the cock crew. Then Peter called
to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crows twice,
you will deny Me three times. And when he thought about it, he wept. He
does not say that he went out and wept bitterly, as Luke says in his
version of the incident.

This is Peter's own account of it, so he says as little as he can to
his own credit, while he tells all that is to his discredit. You notice
that there seem to be some slight differences between these two
accounts and it is quite natural that it should be so. If any two
honest men here were to describe any scene that they had witnessed, the
two would be sure to differ in some particulars, yet both accounts
might be true. Matthew tells us that Jesus said to Peter, "Before the
rooster crows, you will deny Me three times," but Mark tells us that He
said, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."
Yes, but there is no real contradiction, and the incident introduced by
Mark shows how, to the very letter, both of those utterances of our
Savior were fulfilled, So is it with regard to those who spoke to
Peter. When we come to another account, you will see that they differ
very considerably, yet they are all true, for all that.

Luke 22:54-56. Then took they Him, and led Him, and brought Him into
the high priest's house. Then Peter followed afar off And when they had
kindled a fire in the midst of the hall and were set down together,
Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by
the fire. The flickering light helped to reveal his features to this
maid "as he sat by the fire,"

56-58. And earnestly looked upon him andsaid, This man was also with
Him. Andhe deniedHim, saying, Woman, I know Him not. And after a little
while another saw him andsaid, You are also of them. Then Peter said,
Man, I am not. Both Matthew and Mark say that it was a maid, and
another maid who spoke to Peter. And now Luke mentions a man– but
there is no reason why all three of them could not have united in
bringing this charge. One maid began the accusation, and the others
joined with her, so the whole story is correct.

59-61. And about the space of one hour later another confidently
affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with Him: for he is a
Galilean. Then Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are saying. And
immediately, while he yet spoke, the cock crew. And the Lord turned and
looked at Peter. The Savior had been standing in the upper part of the
room which was, probably, roofed over, while Peter and the rest were
down below in the courtyard, which was open to

the sky and, therefore, they needed a fire to warm them. Jesus had been
standing before His judge, but all of a sudden, as the cock crew, He
"turned and looked at Peter."

61. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He hadsaid to him,
Before the cock crow, you will deny Me three times. That cock-crowing
had come at the very moment Christ had foretold, for Peter had already
denied his Master thrice.

62. So Peter went out and wept bitterly. Now hear what John has to say
about this matter. He wrote after the other three Evangelists and he
generally supplies their deficiencies. He it is who tells us how Simon
Peter got into the hall.

John 18:16. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another
disciple. You know who that was, for John always hides his own name as
much as possible.

15, 16. That disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with
Jesus into the palace of the high priest But Peterstoodat the door
outside. Then went out that other disciple, who was known unto the high
priest, andspoke unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. No
doubt she had a lamp in her hand, that she might watch the features of
those who were admitted. So, when Peter came in, she had a good view of
his face and, afterwards, when he was at the fire, this is the woman
who went and showed him up.

17. Then the damsel that kept the door said unto Peter, Are not you
also one of this Man's disciples? She evidently knew that John was one
of them, so she put this question to Peter, "Are not you also one of
this Man's disciples?"

17, 18. He said, I am not And the servants and officers stood there,
who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed
themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself Matthew tells
us that, at first, he sat with them, but now he is standing, as though
he was uneasy, or going out and coming in again. And now he is
questioned again.

25-27. AndSimon Peter stoodand warmed himself They said therefore unto
him, Are not you also one ofHis disciples? He denied it and said, I am
not One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear
Peter cut off, said, Did not I see you in the Garden with Him? Peter
then denied again: and immediately the cock crew. John does not say
anything about Peter's oath, or about his cursing because that had been
told by the others, and John had no desire to write anything that would
reflect upon Peter. Indeed, he tells us that it was he who went and
spoke to the maid that let Peter in–he seems as if he wished us to
know that he had been the means of introducing Peter to the place of
temptation! And it is interesting to remember that he was the man who
was with Peter on the morning of the Resurrection, so that no doubt he
had been the first to find him after his fall.