Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
Then he denied for the third time, strengthening the lie that he did not know the man with cursing and swearing to convince his accusers, and at once the cock crowed for the third time. He was pressed to it when he was again recognized as a follower by his Galilean speech, and in fear and rage he kept up the false indifferent character he had assumed to hide himself among Christ's revilers. At that moment Jesus turned and looked upon him with pity and sorrow without anger, and the look with the crowing cock brought back Christ's warning and broke his heart. His fall came from self-confidence and trusting himself where he thought himself strong, and from failing to watch and pray, so that fear of reproach and suffering made him a moral coward step by step until unbelief had room. He went out and wept bitterly in genuine repentance, was pardoned and converted and made distrustful of self, and his fall stands as warning to everyone who thinks he stands to take heed lest he fall, for only continual dependence on Christ keeps safe, while hiding faith from fear of ridicule denies the Lord as truly in principle.
Denial Words and Setting
The verse records the third denial, when after two denials the denial was intensified with cursing and swearing that he did not know the man in order to convince and deceive the accusers and to persuade them he was not a disciple. Immediately the cock crew, for the third time, marking the fulfillment of the prediction that he would deny three times before the cock crew. The denial followed from self-confidence and failure to prepare, for by standing with the revilers he had placed himself on the enemy's ground and fell.
It happened in the judgment hall in the palace of Caiaphas the officiating high priest, before Annas, Caiaphas and other temple dignitaries and dignitaries of the temple in their own council room. At that time Jesus was enduring a mockery of an examination with coarse accusation, sneering questioning, insult, mockery and reviling from persecutors and the whole assembly. Jesus himself heard the denial, and it pierced his heart with a keener pang than his enemies had power to inflict, adding betrayal and shame to his suffering in the depth of his humiliation. Heaven witnessed this painful scene amid the arrest and trials, revealing Satan's power over human hearts.
The third denial was provoked when he was recognized again and charged as a follower because he was a Galilean whose speech proved it. A servant of the high priest who was a near kinsman of the man whose ear had been cut off asked if he had been seen with Jesus in the garden. In rage, and to fully deceive the questioners and to justify and sustain the false indifferent character he had assumed, he denied his Master with cursing and swearing while the degrading oaths were still fresh on his lips. He had tried to hide his discipleship by acting indifferent and even joining the mockery, though grieved by the suffering and angry at the abuse, and by placing himself among the persecutors to conceal his true feelings he made himself vulnerable to temptation and denial.
At that same moment Jesus turned his face from his judges and looked full upon him. The look was full of deep pity and sorrow and grief blended with compassion and love but no anger, sorrowful and reproving yet not hopeless. That look melted and broke his heart, bringing him to understand himself and reaching the turning point.
The denial was by a beloved and best-loved disciple in the hour of Christ's greatest need, humiliation and rejection. It stands in stark contrast to Christ openly confessing before the rulers at that very time that he was the long-expected Messiah, when none of the disciples dared to acknowledge him. It stands also in contrast to the earlier Spirit-inspired declaration that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God, for which revelation from the Father in heaven he had been called blessed. The denial remained a painful memory that stirred the disciples to recognize their unbelief in having been with Christ without knowing or appreciating him.
Causes of Failure
Peter fell because he was self-confident, proud, impulsive and boastful, trusting in himself and not knowing himself, and he failed to take Christ's warning as verity and truth. He was weak at the very point where he thought himself strong, and instead of continually depending on Christ he relied on his own strength. Trusting too much in himself, he fell under Satan's temptation and desperately denied his Lord with cursing and swearing. Remaining among those making false and unworthy statements about Christ led him into denial, where keeping away from them would have kept him from denying his Master.
He failed to watch and pray and was overcome with sleep, and so left to his own weak strength he did not receive the light God desired to give of Christ's sufferings and the glory to follow. The disciples were slow of heart to believe and little appreciative of the treasure Heaven sought to enrich them with, losing the blessings that might have been theirs by sharing His self-sacrifice. Had he prayed with Jesus in Gethsemane and remained watching, hope would have lighted the darkness and sustained faith. Then he would not have denied his Lord in trial nor lost faith as he beheld the Son of God dying upon the cross, for amid the gloom of that terrible trying hour some rays of hope would have sustained him. His denial exposed infirmity, unmortified sin, careless spirit, unsanctified temper, failure to watch against temptation, and clinging to his own way instead of facing the cross, showing how weak a witness he was when Christ did not abide in him.
He placed himself with Christ's revilers and persecutors on the enemy's ground to hide his identity and appear indifferent, and by standing there he fell without preparation for the temptation. Though ready to defend Jesus with arms, he lacked courage to acknowledge Him when scorned and mocked, and fear of reproach, scorn, suffering, ridicule, persecution, abuse and fear for his life made him a moral coward. He acted to convince his accusers he was not a disciple, despite the disciples' reputation for pure speech. Associating with people who tempt to compromise and to deny faith leads to saying and doing what would otherwise be rejected, and disguising faith from fear of ridicule or reproach denies the Lord as truly in principle even without the same words.
The fall was not sudden but gradual step after step through self-confidence until the lowest step of denying with oaths and curses, the first denial making another more likely and the second bringing circumstances to the third. His hopes had centered on Christ, but seeing Him in humiliation gave room to unbelief and temptation, and to avoid reproach, scorn, persecution and abuse he relied on his own policy and wickedly denied his Lord. Though favored by being in His presence and hearing His words, with lesson upon lesson, line upon line and precept upon precept, his character had not become transformed. That cursing and swearing denial stands as proof of untransformed character in clear light against the clear and elevated principles by which Christ had shown God's hate for sin.
Foreknowledge and Suffering
The crowing of the cock marked the fulfillment of Jesus' warning and prediction that Peter would deny Him three times before the cock crowed. After denying twice, Peter intensified his third denial with cursing and swearing and oaths, saying he did not know Him and did not know his Lord, which was the lowest step of a fall that was not sudden but gradual step after step. Peter did not understand the warning when it was given but soon remembered it with remorse that broke him to pieces, for the crowing reminded him of Christ's words and his own boast. Jesus knew the whole sequence in advance, while Peter's confident claim that he would never forsake Jesus, that he had greater loyalty than the other disciples, and that he was ready to follow even to prison and death, showed he did not recognize his own weakness and infirmity. His failure exposed overconfidence in personal strength, blindness to the possibility of falling, unmortified sin, a careless spirit, an unsanctified temper, failure to watch against temptation, and clinging to his own way instead of trusting Christ's warning, asking for help, and facing the cross. Remaining among those making false and unworthy statements about Christ led him into denial, whereas keeping away from them would have kept him from denying his Master, proving how weak a witness he was to Christ's character when he failed to let Christ abide in him and showing that confidence in self cannot be trusted and that without divine power a person goes astray, so that safety lies in distrusting self and trusting God's wisdom.
Christ foresaw this rejection beforehand with prophetic eye as He contemplated every step of self-sacrifice, humiliation, and suffering that lay before Him. At the same time He saw Himself as a Galilean delivered by Pilate to be scourged and crucified, He saw the burden of sin He must tread under and saw that one of the twelve with Him would betray Him into the hands of sinners. The cursing and swearing denial by a disciple favored by being in His presence and hearing the words that fell from His lips stands as proof of untransformed character in clear light, though blessed with opportunities and receiving lesson upon lesson, line upon line and precept upon precept, against the clear and elevated principles by which Christ had shown God's hatred for sin.
Hearing the denial caused Him agony and pierced His heart with deep sorrow and a keener pang than His enemies had power to inflict. It came from His beloved disciple while Jesus was in the palace of Caiaphas the officiating high priest, enduring a mockery of an examination amid coarse accusation, sneering questioning, insult, mockery and reviling from His persecutors and the whole assembly, and Jesus Himself heard it. In that depth of humiliation, one of His own followers denying Him added betrayal and shame to His suffering, one scene of rejection among betrayal and injustice. That agony was part of the bitter cup He drank and the load of guilt of every sinner that He bowed His soul to receive, whose magnitude He alone could measure, which He voluntarily bore in behalf of every sinner rather than let the plan of redemption be frustrated.
Repentance and Restoration
The crowing of the cock together with the look turned upon him brought back the warning that he would deny three times before the cock crew, and his own boast that he would never fall away, which he had not understood when it was given but now remembered with remorse. In that look he understood himself, his heart was broken to pieces, and he reached the turning point. He went out and wept bitterly with genuine sorrow as intense as his denial, without flippancy and without instant self-confident claims of being saved. He repented and was converted, and remembering also his failure to stay awake while Jesus prayed broke his pride and prepared him to strengthen his fellow disciples and to pity the tempted, weak and erring.
That same look of grief blended with compassion and love spoke pardon and brought a ray of hope assuring forgiveness to the sorry and repentant. His repentance was accepted and his sin forgiven, and even though he hated himself Jesus did not forsake His poor disciple nor thrust him away, for His love did not falter in the hour of denial. Tender compassion was shown for the sorrowing disciple, and after the resurrection Jesus called him by name and sent him a loving message. Remembering his own weakness and failure was then to teach him to care tenderly, with patience, sympathy, tenderness and forgiving love, for those entrusted to him, including the tempted and erring.
After conversion he was wholly changed, distrustful of self and no longer a proud boaster, less boastful and self-assured and better prepared to serve as a shepherd to Christ's followers. Though his sin was forgiven and he later served faithfully, he never forgot the painful humiliation nor trusted his own character, and he never returned to his old self-confident assertions. He knew that only Christ's grace could overcome the weakness that had led him to deny, so that afterward even John's mild caution could check his ardor and zeal. He continued to grieve over a great sin sincerely repented of and forgiven, yet never forgave himself.
He was restored to a position of trust and told to feed lambs and shepherd followers, for his experience gave him the meekness and tender sympathy needed to teach and help those who had fallen. His three public denials had dishonored Christ, brought distrust from his fellow disciples who questioned whether he could return to his former place, and brought reproach on the gospel, so that he felt he had forfeited his trust. Repentance alone was not enough to restore his influence as a minister and resume his apostolic work without weakening the disciples' confidence. Open sincere repentance and public evidence before his brethren were needed to regain their confidence and as far as possible remove the reproach, after which remembering his failure fitted him to treat those in his care with patience, sympathy, tenderness and forgiving love.
The denial had been wicked cowardice and apostasy disowning Christ's name in His hour of greatest need before Annas, Caiaphas and the other temple dignitaries in their own council room, leaving a stain upon him from the impulsive, self-confident disciple trusting in self. The same room and the same men later faced him at his own trial, giving him opportunity to redeem his cowardice and remove the stain. By then converted and no longer proud and self-confident, filled with the Holy Spirit he stood firm as a rock, courageous yet modest in magnifying Christ. Remembering his denial, he boldly honored before them the name he had disowned.
He carried a deep sense of guilt over denying his Lord, and his later life was marked by repentance, humility and willingness to suffer for his faith, asking when facing martyrdom to be crucified head downward because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Christ. His fall with cursing and swearing proves the gates of hell prevailed against him, so the church was not built upon him. The church is built upon Christ, the Son of the living God, against whom the gates of hell cannot prevail.
The denial remained a painful memory for the disciples and stirred their hearts as they recognized their unbelief in having been with Christ without knowing or appreciating Him.
Warning Against Self-Trust
Peter's fall after twice denying and then intensifying his denial by cursing and swearing that he did not know Him, with the cock's crow marking fulfillment of the prediction that he would deny three times, shows that confidence in self cannot be trusted and that without divine power and strength from above a person goes astray. The denial was sin against light and knowledge and great and exalted privileges and was very great, caused by self-confidence, and it stands before every person as his own individual case, warning all who think they stand to take heed lest they fall. He was weak at the very point where he thought himself strong, having relied on himself instead of continually depending on Christ, and he failed to learn distrust of himself and Christ's lessons, so temptation overcame him. Safety lies in distrusting self and trusting God's wisdom, with learning his weakness and trusting the Saviour necessary to stand, and only living faith keeping safe.
Many professedly commandment-keeping people just as truly dishonor and bring reproach upon Christ, their best Friend who could save to the uttermost, and put Him to open shame by unscriptural action, yet awakening comes before restoration and the Lord will restore to Himself all such deniers as Peter was restored. Unless the self-confident humble themselves and become as little children they shall not see the kingdom of heaven, for in deep humiliation and awful struggle with satanic agencies he remembered Christ's prayer for him. Those who claim to await Christ's return may fail in trial without strength from above if they boast of faithfulness without a deeper experience, and enduring a time of trial requires a deeper experience than many have.
The failure is laid bare as a warning and lesson for later generations against self-confidence and self-righteousness, while struggle and recovery through God's grace encourage others to resist temptation and keep going. His bitter repentance also shows that the erring should be met with humility, tenderness, and care, and his failure became a lesson in remembering human weakness and treating those who fail with patience, sympathy, and forgiving love. People who profess love for Jesus may assume they would not have denied Him as Peter did, despite the love and loyalty he professed, but God tests professed love and reveals whether it is genuine. Those who condemn Peter's denial may likewise fail when tested and reject a message about Christ's coming while claiming to love Him.
Denying Christ Today
To hide or disguise faith from fear of suffering, ridicule or reproach is to deny the Lord as truly in principle as was done in the judgment hall, even without using the same words. Putting oneself among His enemies to appear indifferent makes one vulnerable to temptation, and under ridicule one may deny the Lord whom otherwise one would stand up for. Associating with those who tempt to compromise and to deny faith leads to saying or doing what otherwise would be rejected.
Denial by speech, saying not to know Him, is repeated whenever professed believers fail in whole-sided confession and instead deny Him by useless, meaningless and evil talk and by a tongue working iniquity. Selfish words and actions that misrepresent His character make the life testify against Him, counteract preaching, and keep sinners from being won. True confession requires that words and dress and spirit and conduct and influence testify that Christ abides in the heart, for mere form of godliness and words of profession are worthless without it. Words and actions are a living testimony for or against Christ, proving whether one stands under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel or under the black banner of the prince of this world.
Character itself says it does not know the Man by refusing to heed rebuke for conduct. A teacher who lacks the Spirit of Christ and willfully rejects spiritual testimony lives that denial, and is therefore an unsafe guide who cannot be accepted as teacher. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, so one who cannot discern his own condition cannot discern God's word. Such a one may present clear and cutting truth to others while failing to bring it into his own life and character, keeping truth outside the inner life in the outer court. He is therefore unable to give to each his portion in due season, showing how weak a witness he is when Christ does not abide in him.
To rely on personal policy in crisis in order to avoid reproach, scorn, persecution and abuse is to deny the Lord, for hopes centered on Christ give way to unbelief and temptation when He is seen in humiliation. Even His own followers, though exposed to temptation, can disappoint Him through attitudes and spiritual blindness.
The great testing time is right upon all when every human being will take sides. Those who have given themselves unreservedly to Christ will not deny Him in words, in dress, in spirit, or by influence, but will serve Him with every jot of influence they possess. Instead of denying, those who have received truth into the heart are filled with joy and gratitude and absorbed in sharing its blessings, forgetting self and selfish interests in disinterested labor for souls. With self dead, without doubt and unbelief, caviling, dissension and disunion, they closely examine hearts, humble themselves before God, cultivate faith, follow His example, and carry forward the work He came to do while He is about to close His work of mediation.
The denial was sin against light and knowledge and great and exalted privileges and was very great, caused by self-confidence, and it stands before every person as his own individual case. Many professedly commandment-keeping people just as truly dishonor and bring reproach upon their best Friend who could save them to the uttermost, and put Him to open shame by unscriptural action. Yet awakening comes before restoration, and the Lord will restore to Himself all such deniers, as was done in deep humiliation and awful struggle remembered in prayer. Unless the self-confident humble themselves and become as little children they shall not see the kingdom of heaven.
Even a disciple can act rashly and disown his Lord when tested under pressure. Christ can use such failures to teach and correct His church. Christ endured being forsaken and denied as part of the suffering and reproach He bore meekly, giving followers an example not to murmur when they face trials for His sake.
Then he denied for the third time, strengthening the lie that he did not know the man with cursing and swearing to convince his accusers, and at once the cock crowed for the third time. He was pressed to it when he was again recognized as a follower by his Galilean speech, and in fear and rage he kept up the false indifferent character he had assumed to hide himself among Christ's revilers. At that moment Jesus turned and looked upon him with pity and sorrow without anger, and the look with the crowing cock brought back Christ's warning and broke his heart. His fall came from self-confidence and trusting himself where he thought himself strong, and from failing to watch and pray, so that fear of reproach and suffering made him a moral coward step by step until unbelief had room. He went out and wept bitterly in genuine repentance, was pardoned and converted and made distrustful of self, and his fall stands as warning to everyone who thinks he stands to take heed lest he fall, for only continual dependence on Christ keeps safe, while hiding faith from fear of ridicule denies the Lord as truly in principle.
Denial Words and Setting
The verse records the third denial, when after two denials the denial was intensified with cursing and swearing that he did not know the man in order to convince and deceive the accusers and to persuade them he was not a disciple. Immediately the cock crew, for the third time, marking the fulfillment of the prediction that he would deny three times before the cock crew. The denial followed from self-confidence and failure to prepare, for by standing with the revilers he had placed himself on the enemy's ground and fell.
It happened in the judgment hall in the palace of Caiaphas the officiating high priest, before Annas, Caiaphas and other temple dignitaries and dignitaries of the temple in their own council room. At that time Jesus was enduring a mockery of an examination with coarse accusation, sneering questioning, insult, mockery and reviling from persecutors and the whole assembly. Jesus himself heard the denial, and it pierced his heart with a keener pang than his enemies had power to inflict, adding betrayal and shame to his suffering in the depth of his humiliation. Heaven witnessed this painful scene amid the arrest and trials, revealing Satan's power over human hearts.
The third denial was provoked when he was recognized again and charged as a follower because he was a Galilean whose speech proved it. A servant of the high priest who was a near kinsman of the man whose ear had been cut off asked if he had been seen with Jesus in the garden. In rage, and to fully deceive the questioners and to justify and sustain the false indifferent character he had assumed, he denied his Master with cursing and swearing while the degrading oaths were still fresh on his lips. He had tried to hide his discipleship by acting indifferent and even joining the mockery, though grieved by the suffering and angry at the abuse, and by placing himself among the persecutors to conceal his true feelings he made himself vulnerable to temptation and denial.
At that same moment Jesus turned his face from his judges and looked full upon him. The look was full of deep pity and sorrow and grief blended with compassion and love but no anger, sorrowful and reproving yet not hopeless. That look melted and broke his heart, bringing him to understand himself and reaching the turning point.
The denial was by a beloved and best-loved disciple in the hour of Christ's greatest need, humiliation and rejection. It stands in stark contrast to Christ openly confessing before the rulers at that very time that he was the long-expected Messiah, when none of the disciples dared to acknowledge him. It stands also in contrast to the earlier Spirit-inspired declaration that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God, for which revelation from the Father in heaven he had been called blessed. The denial remained a painful memory that stirred the disciples to recognize their unbelief in having been with Christ without knowing or appreciating him.
Causes of Failure
Peter fell because he was self-confident, proud, impulsive and boastful, trusting in himself and not knowing himself, and he failed to take Christ's warning as verity and truth. He was weak at the very point where he thought himself strong, and instead of continually depending on Christ he relied on his own strength. Trusting too much in himself, he fell under Satan's temptation and desperately denied his Lord with cursing and swearing. Remaining among those making false and unworthy statements about Christ led him into denial, where keeping away from them would have kept him from denying his Master.
He failed to watch and pray and was overcome with sleep, and so left to his own weak strength he did not receive the light God desired to give of Christ's sufferings and the glory to follow. The disciples were slow of heart to believe and little appreciative of the treasure Heaven sought to enrich them with, losing the blessings that might have been theirs by sharing His self-sacrifice. Had he prayed with Jesus in Gethsemane and remained watching, hope would have lighted the darkness and sustained faith. Then he would not have denied his Lord in trial nor lost faith as he beheld the Son of God dying upon the cross, for amid the gloom of that terrible trying hour some rays of hope would have sustained him. His denial exposed infirmity, unmortified sin, careless spirit, unsanctified temper, failure to watch against temptation, and clinging to his own way instead of facing the cross, showing how weak a witness he was when Christ did not abide in him.
He placed himself with Christ's revilers and persecutors on the enemy's ground to hide his identity and appear indifferent, and by standing there he fell without preparation for the temptation. Though ready to defend Jesus with arms, he lacked courage to acknowledge Him when scorned and mocked, and fear of reproach, scorn, suffering, ridicule, persecution, abuse and fear for his life made him a moral coward. He acted to convince his accusers he was not a disciple, despite the disciples' reputation for pure speech. Associating with people who tempt to compromise and to deny faith leads to saying and doing what would otherwise be rejected, and disguising faith from fear of ridicule or reproach denies the Lord as truly in principle even without the same words.
The fall was not sudden but gradual step after step through self-confidence until the lowest step of denying with oaths and curses, the first denial making another more likely and the second bringing circumstances to the third. His hopes had centered on Christ, but seeing Him in humiliation gave room to unbelief and temptation, and to avoid reproach, scorn, persecution and abuse he relied on his own policy and wickedly denied his Lord. Though favored by being in His presence and hearing His words, with lesson upon lesson, line upon line and precept upon precept, his character had not become transformed. That cursing and swearing denial stands as proof of untransformed character in clear light against the clear and elevated principles by which Christ had shown God's hate for sin.
Foreknowledge and Suffering
The crowing of the cock marked the fulfillment of Jesus' warning and prediction that Peter would deny Him three times before the cock crowed. After denying twice, Peter intensified his third denial with cursing and swearing and oaths, saying he did not know Him and did not know his Lord, which was the lowest step of a fall that was not sudden but gradual step after step. Peter did not understand the warning when it was given but soon remembered it with remorse that broke him to pieces, for the crowing reminded him of Christ's words and his own boast. Jesus knew the whole sequence in advance, while Peter's confident claim that he would never forsake Jesus, that he had greater loyalty than the other disciples, and that he was ready to follow even to prison and death, showed he did not recognize his own weakness and infirmity. His failure exposed overconfidence in personal strength, blindness to the possibility of falling, unmortified sin, a careless spirit, an unsanctified temper, failure to watch against temptation, and clinging to his own way instead of trusting Christ's warning, asking for help, and facing the cross. Remaining among those making false and unworthy statements about Christ led him into denial, whereas keeping away from them would have kept him from denying his Master, proving how weak a witness he was to Christ's character when he failed to let Christ abide in him and showing that confidence in self cannot be trusted and that without divine power a person goes astray, so that safety lies in distrusting self and trusting God's wisdom.
Christ foresaw this rejection beforehand with prophetic eye as He contemplated every step of self-sacrifice, humiliation, and suffering that lay before Him. At the same time He saw Himself as a Galilean delivered by Pilate to be scourged and crucified, He saw the burden of sin He must tread under and saw that one of the twelve with Him would betray Him into the hands of sinners. The cursing and swearing denial by a disciple favored by being in His presence and hearing the words that fell from His lips stands as proof of untransformed character in clear light, though blessed with opportunities and receiving lesson upon lesson, line upon line and precept upon precept, against the clear and elevated principles by which Christ had shown God's hatred for sin.
Hearing the denial caused Him agony and pierced His heart with deep sorrow and a keener pang than His enemies had power to inflict. It came from His beloved disciple while Jesus was in the palace of Caiaphas the officiating high priest, enduring a mockery of an examination amid coarse accusation, sneering questioning, insult, mockery and reviling from His persecutors and the whole assembly, and Jesus Himself heard it. In that depth of humiliation, one of His own followers denying Him added betrayal and shame to His suffering, one scene of rejection among betrayal and injustice. That agony was part of the bitter cup He drank and the load of guilt of every sinner that He bowed His soul to receive, whose magnitude He alone could measure, which He voluntarily bore in behalf of every sinner rather than let the plan of redemption be frustrated.
Repentance and Restoration
The crowing of the cock together with the look turned upon him brought back the warning that he would deny three times before the cock crew, and his own boast that he would never fall away, which he had not understood when it was given but now remembered with remorse. In that look he understood himself, his heart was broken to pieces, and he reached the turning point. He went out and wept bitterly with genuine sorrow as intense as his denial, without flippancy and without instant self-confident claims of being saved. He repented and was converted, and remembering also his failure to stay awake while Jesus prayed broke his pride and prepared him to strengthen his fellow disciples and to pity the tempted, weak and erring.
That same look of grief blended with compassion and love spoke pardon and brought a ray of hope assuring forgiveness to the sorry and repentant. His repentance was accepted and his sin forgiven, and even though he hated himself Jesus did not forsake His poor disciple nor thrust him away, for His love did not falter in the hour of denial. Tender compassion was shown for the sorrowing disciple, and after the resurrection Jesus called him by name and sent him a loving message. Remembering his own weakness and failure was then to teach him to care tenderly, with patience, sympathy, tenderness and forgiving love, for those entrusted to him, including the tempted and erring.
After conversion he was wholly changed, distrustful of self and no longer a proud boaster, less boastful and self-assured and better prepared to serve as a shepherd to Christ's followers. Though his sin was forgiven and he later served faithfully, he never forgot the painful humiliation nor trusted his own character, and he never returned to his old self-confident assertions. He knew that only Christ's grace could overcome the weakness that had led him to deny, so that afterward even John's mild caution could check his ardor and zeal. He continued to grieve over a great sin sincerely repented of and forgiven, yet never forgave himself.
He was restored to a position of trust and told to feed lambs and shepherd followers, for his experience gave him the meekness and tender sympathy needed to teach and help those who had fallen. His three public denials had dishonored Christ, brought distrust from his fellow disciples who questioned whether he could return to his former place, and brought reproach on the gospel, so that he felt he had forfeited his trust. Repentance alone was not enough to restore his influence as a minister and resume his apostolic work without weakening the disciples' confidence. Open sincere repentance and public evidence before his brethren were needed to regain their confidence and as far as possible remove the reproach, after which remembering his failure fitted him to treat those in his care with patience, sympathy, tenderness and forgiving love.
The denial had been wicked cowardice and apostasy disowning Christ's name in His hour of greatest need before Annas, Caiaphas and the other temple dignitaries in their own council room, leaving a stain upon him from the impulsive, self-confident disciple trusting in self. The same room and the same men later faced him at his own trial, giving him opportunity to redeem his cowardice and remove the stain. By then converted and no longer proud and self-confident, filled with the Holy Spirit he stood firm as a rock, courageous yet modest in magnifying Christ. Remembering his denial, he boldly honored before them the name he had disowned.
He carried a deep sense of guilt over denying his Lord, and his later life was marked by repentance, humility and willingness to suffer for his faith, asking when facing martyrdom to be crucified head downward because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Christ. His fall with cursing and swearing proves the gates of hell prevailed against him, so the church was not built upon him. The church is built upon Christ, the Son of the living God, against whom the gates of hell cannot prevail.
The denial remained a painful memory for the disciples and stirred their hearts as they recognized their unbelief in having been with Christ without knowing or appreciating Him.
Warning Against Self-Trust
Peter's fall after twice denying and then intensifying his denial by cursing and swearing that he did not know Him, with the cock's crow marking fulfillment of the prediction that he would deny three times, shows that confidence in self cannot be trusted and that without divine power and strength from above a person goes astray. The denial was sin against light and knowledge and great and exalted privileges and was very great, caused by self-confidence, and it stands before every person as his own individual case, warning all who think they stand to take heed lest they fall. He was weak at the very point where he thought himself strong, having relied on himself instead of continually depending on Christ, and he failed to learn distrust of himself and Christ's lessons, so temptation overcame him. Safety lies in distrusting self and trusting God's wisdom, with learning his weakness and trusting the Saviour necessary to stand, and only living faith keeping safe.
Many professedly commandment-keeping people just as truly dishonor and bring reproach upon Christ, their best Friend who could save to the uttermost, and put Him to open shame by unscriptural action, yet awakening comes before restoration and the Lord will restore to Himself all such deniers as Peter was restored. Unless the self-confident humble themselves and become as little children they shall not see the kingdom of heaven, for in deep humiliation and awful struggle with satanic agencies he remembered Christ's prayer for him. Those who claim to await Christ's return may fail in trial without strength from above if they boast of faithfulness without a deeper experience, and enduring a time of trial requires a deeper experience than many have.
The failure is laid bare as a warning and lesson for later generations against self-confidence and self-righteousness, while struggle and recovery through God's grace encourage others to resist temptation and keep going. His bitter repentance also shows that the erring should be met with humility, tenderness, and care, and his failure became a lesson in remembering human weakness and treating those who fail with patience, sympathy, and forgiving love. People who profess love for Jesus may assume they would not have denied Him as Peter did, despite the love and loyalty he professed, but God tests professed love and reveals whether it is genuine. Those who condemn Peter's denial may likewise fail when tested and reject a message about Christ's coming while claiming to love Him.
Denying Christ Today
To hide or disguise faith from fear of suffering, ridicule or reproach is to deny the Lord as truly in principle as was done in the judgment hall, even without using the same words. Putting oneself among His enemies to appear indifferent makes one vulnerable to temptation, and under ridicule one may deny the Lord whom otherwise one would stand up for. Associating with those who tempt to compromise and to deny faith leads to saying or doing what otherwise would be rejected.
Denial by speech, saying not to know Him, is repeated whenever professed believers fail in whole-sided confession and instead deny Him by useless, meaningless and evil talk and by a tongue working iniquity. Selfish words and actions that misrepresent His character make the life testify against Him, counteract preaching, and keep sinners from being won. True confession requires that words and dress and spirit and conduct and influence testify that Christ abides in the heart, for mere form of godliness and words of profession are worthless without it. Words and actions are a living testimony for or against Christ, proving whether one stands under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel or under the black banner of the prince of this world.
Character itself says it does not know the Man by refusing to heed rebuke for conduct. A teacher who lacks the Spirit of Christ and willfully rejects spiritual testimony lives that denial, and is therefore an unsafe guide who cannot be accepted as teacher. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, so one who cannot discern his own condition cannot discern God's word. Such a one may present clear and cutting truth to others while failing to bring it into his own life and character, keeping truth outside the inner life in the outer court. He is therefore unable to give to each his portion in due season, showing how weak a witness he is when Christ does not abide in him.
To rely on personal policy in crisis in order to avoid reproach, scorn, persecution and abuse is to deny the Lord, for hopes centered on Christ give way to unbelief and temptation when He is seen in humiliation. Even His own followers, though exposed to temptation, can disappoint Him through attitudes and spiritual blindness.
The great testing time is right upon all when every human being will take sides. Those who have given themselves unreservedly to Christ will not deny Him in words, in dress, in spirit, or by influence, but will serve Him with every jot of influence they possess. Instead of denying, those who have received truth into the heart are filled with joy and gratitude and absorbed in sharing its blessings, forgetting self and selfish interests in disinterested labor for souls. With self dead, without doubt and unbelief, caviling, dissension and disunion, they closely examine hearts, humble themselves before God, cultivate faith, follow His example, and carry forward the work He came to do while He is about to close His work of mediation.
The denial was sin against light and knowledge and great and exalted privileges and was very great, caused by self-confidence, and it stands before every person as his own individual case. Many professedly commandment-keeping people just as truly dishonor and bring reproach upon their best Friend who could save them to the uttermost, and put Him to open shame by unscriptural action. Yet awakening comes before restoration, and the Lord will restore to Himself all such deniers, as was done in deep humiliation and awful struggle remembered in prayer. Unless the self-confident humble themselves and become as little children they shall not see the kingdom of heaven.
Even a disciple can act rashly and disown his Lord when tested under pressure. Christ can use such failures to teach and correct His church. Christ endured being forsaken and denied as part of the suffering and reproach He bore meekly, giving followers an example not to murmur when they face trials for His sake.