You can click HERE to read the passage.
I’m struck in this passage, not by the 3 denials, but by how much Peter loved Jesus. There are two indications of this that stand out to me…
1) Peter and the un-named disciple are the only ones that that have the courage to follow Jesus when He is taken to the high priest. Peter would never have been in a position to deny Jesus if he had not followed Jesus. Where did this courage come from. It was fueled by the love that he had for the Lord. I’m sure the other disciples loved Jesus too – but not to the extent that Peter did.
2) After Peter denies knowing Jesus for the third time, and after the rooster began to crow, the Scriptures tell us that Peter “wept bitterly”. This passage does not give us this information but it is recorded in all three parallel passages in the other gospels. Why John chose not to record it I do not know. I’m sure that with each denial there was this growing tension inside of Peter as he realized what he had just said and done. Then with the crowing of the rooster and the memory of what Jesus had said to him, Peter just could not keep his emotions in check any longer. He loved Jesus so much and knew that he had disappointed Him and the weeping of bitter tears was the only outlet he had.
I wonder why there are so few tears in my life. As often as I disappoint my Savior why do I not weep? What does this say about my love for Jesus?
Next Week’s Passage: John 18:28-40