The Trial of Peter, Phase 2
And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you." Then he began to curse and swear, saying. "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly. Matt. 26:73-75, NKJV.
Peter's hour has come. And he fails, not only once but three times, with each episode becoming more damning.
Then, if possible, it worsens when a relative of Malcus of the healed ear identifies Peter because of his Galilean accent (John 18:26, 10; Mark 14:70). With this third accusation Peter totally unravels and begins "to curse and swear" that he doesn't "know the Man" (Mark 14:71, NKJV).
Peter had gone about as far as he could go in denial. There are at least three possibilities regarding the nature of his cursing and swearing. The first is that he used profanity. That would have been bad enough, but the meaning is probably deeper than that.
A second interpretation is that he swore by God's name that he didn't know Jesus, thereby couching his denial in the form of an oath that called God to witness as to its truthfulness.
The third possibility is even more damning than the first two. R. T. France suggests that Peter may even have uttered a curse upon Jesus to make it clear that he could not be a follower.
Whatever the nature of the swearing and cursing, it was a significant betrayal of Jesus by His chief disciple. At that point, at least three things happened. First, the cock crowed.
Second, as the cock crowed Jesus "turned and looked at Peter" (Luke 22:61, RSV). And what a searching gaze that must have been. Far from an "I told you so" kind of expression. Ellen White tells us that it was one of "deep pity and sorrow, but there was no anger there" (The Desire of Ages, p. 713). At that point Jesus' prophecy of his denial flashed upon Peter's mind.
Christ's look was more than he could bear. "He went out and wept bitterly." At that point Peter's faith took a giant step forward. And Jesus knew the meaning of those repentant tears.
All of us can learn from Peter's experience. His core problem was not fear, but overconfidence. After all, no coward would have followed Jesus to that fateful courtyard. A second lesson is that while none of us are above reproach, none of us are yet beyond God's grace.
And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you." Then he began to curse and swear, saying. "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly. Matt. 26:73-75, NKJV.
Peter's hour has come. And he fails, not only once but three times, with each episode becoming more damning.
Then, if possible, it worsens when a relative of Malcus of the healed ear identifies Peter because of his Galilean accent (John 18:26, 10; Mark 14:70). With this third accusation Peter totally unravels and begins "to curse and swear" that he doesn't "know the Man" (Mark 14:71, NKJV).
Peter had gone about as far as he could go in denial. There are at least three possibilities regarding the nature of his cursing and swearing. The first is that he used profanity. That would have been bad enough, but the meaning is probably deeper than that.
A second interpretation is that he swore by God's name that he didn't know Jesus, thereby couching his denial in the form of an oath that called God to witness as to its truthfulness.
The third possibility is even more damning than the first two. R. T. France suggests that Peter may even have uttered a curse upon Jesus to make it clear that he could not be a follower.
Whatever the nature of the swearing and cursing, it was a significant betrayal of Jesus by His chief disciple. At that point, at least three things happened. First, the cock crowed.
Second, as the cock crowed Jesus "turned and looked at Peter" (Luke 22:61, RSV). And what a searching gaze that must have been. Far from an "I told you so" kind of expression. Ellen White tells us that it was one of "deep pity and sorrow, but there was no anger there" (The Desire of Ages, p. 713). At that point Jesus' prophecy of his denial flashed upon Peter's mind.
Christ's look was more than he could bear. "He went out and wept bitterly." At that point Peter's faith took a giant step forward. And Jesus knew the meaning of those repentant tears.
All of us can learn from Peter's experience. His core problem was not fear, but overconfidence. After all, no coward would have followed Jesus to that fateful courtyard. A second lesson is that while none of us are above reproach, none of us are yet beyond God's grace.
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