66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
While Jesus was being accused, Peter was warming himself in the courtyard outside (v. 54). He was approached by a servant girl who pointed out that he had been with Jesus. He emphatically denied her accusation and moved to the gateway (so it might have been easier to get away). The rooster crowed for the first time but Peter didn’t pay any attention because it was a normal morning sound. The servant girl saw Peter again and this time let others around know that she was convinced he was one of Jesus’ disciples. Again he denied it. A little later the others were convinced he was a disciple because his accent gave him away as a Galilean. He swore (an oath before God that he was telling the truth) that he was not a disciple and didn’t know Jesus. Immediately the rooster crowed for the second time and its significance hit him. He remembered that Jesus had predicted that before the rooster crowed twice, he would deny Him three times. Peter broke down and wept.
While Peter had fallen for the temptation to lie and deny Jesus, his remorse at his sin opened the way for repentance and restoration. We will not always be able to avoid sin, but when we do sin, it is our quick confession (agreeing with God that it is sin) and repentance (the inner desire to do differently) and faith in Jesus for forgiveness that will quickly restore our relationship with God and prevent us from continuing down sin’s path to destruction (1 John 1:8-10). Is there any unconfessed sin you need to deal with today?