Peter’s Second and Third Denials John 18:25-27 // Matt 26:71-75 // Mark 14:69-72 // Luke 22:58-65
25Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”
26But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?”27Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.
Can you possibly imagine how Peter would have been crushed when that rooster crowed? In another Gospel it says Jesus looked at Peter and Peter ran out and wept bitterly. The anguish and humility had to be awful. Why did Jesus put Peter through this?
Pride. Peter was so sure of himself. Remember, he said he would never abandon Jesus. Finally Peter would learn just how weak he was. In this event Peter would learn how useless his own strength and efforts were. He would learn to depend on God and not himself. How often will God have to let us fail before we learn that lesson?
Father, in your wisdom you mold us through our trials. Help me to accept your discipline and learn to humbly follow you and depend on you. Change me Father, change me. *obbs*
