rooster crowed

The End of the Beginning

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69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. – Matthew 26:69-75 ESV

When Jesus had been dragged before the high priest and the Sanhedrin, two of His disciples had followed close behind. Upon their arrival at the home of Caiaphas, Peter had remained outside the door entering into the courtyard of the house. But in John’s gospel account, he indicates that the second disciple was known by the high priest and was granted access into the inner courtyard. He convinced one of the servants of Caiaphas to let Peter enter as well. So, Peter was not alone that night. It is likely that John was the second disciple to whom he mentions, referring to himself in the third person, as he does so often in his gospel.

But as Jesus was undergoing questioning by the high priest, Peter and John were waiting outside in the courtyard, along with the guards who had arrested Jesus. As they waited, a servant girl approached Peter and, recognizing him as one of the disciples of Jesus, pointed him out to all who were there. But Peter vehemently denied it, saying, “I do not know what you mean” (Matthew 26:70 ESV). A few minutes later, another servant girl pointed out Peter as a follower of Jesus, but this time Peter even denied having any knowledge of Jesus. When another bystander heard Peter’s Galilean accent, he also accused Peter of being one of Jesus’ disciples. A charge Peter strongly denied. “Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man’” (Matthew 26:74 ESV).

And a rooster crowed.

The sound of a rooster crowing would have been normal and natural to everyone in the courtyard because the morning was fast approaching. But for Peter, it was a horrific sound that reminded him of the words of Jesus.

“Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” – Matthew 26:34 ESV

Peter immediately recognized that he had broken the solemn and boastful oath he had made to Jesus just hours earlier.

“Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” – Matthew 26:35 ESV

He had denied his friend, teacher, and Messiah. In the face of intense pressure and possible arrest, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus. It was just as Jesus had warned in the garden: Peter’s spirit had been willing, but his flesh had proven to be weak (Matthew 26:41).

Peter had meant what he said. He had been sincere and well-intentioned. But this night was no ordinary night and the circumstances surrounding it had been completely unexpected and had left Peter confused and scared. His world was crumbling around him. All his hopes and dreams for the future were crashing in on him. The mob mentality that pervaded the courtyard that night had gotten to him. He feared for his life and, before he knew it, he had done the unexpected and unthinkable: He had denied Jesus. And the rooster had crowed.

But Peter had not been alone in His denial of Jesus. In fact, the entire scene is marked by a fierce rejection of Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel. Even the servant girl who approached Peter had referred to Jesus as “the Galilean.” To the citizens of Jerusalem, anyone from Galilee was looked down upon as a country bumpkin – a rural, uneducated hick from the sticks. They even had a different accent when they spoke. They were unsophisticated and lacked culture. Even Nathanael, one of the disciples of Jesus, had expressed doubt when he heard that Jesus was from a small town in the region of Galilee.

“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”– John 1:46 NLT

Nazareth, located in Galilee, had a less-than-stellar reputation among the more sophisticated Jews. And that night, in the courtyard of the high priest, you can see the mounting resentment toward Jesus, this upstart revolutionary from Galilee.

The denial of Jesus is the theme of this entire chapter. If John was the second disciple in the courtyard that night, you don’t hear him speaking up for Jesus. He didn’t come to Peter’s defense. The rest of the disciples were long gone, having fled the Garden of Gethsemane in order to seek refuge somewhere in the city, in hopes of avoiding discovery.

Everyone was denying Jesus. Including Caiaphas and his fellow members of the Sanhedrin. They saw Him as a blasphemer, a radical lunatic who was claiming to be the Son of God. But, in their minds, His claims made Him worthy of death, not devotion. His boasts of being divine had earned Him their resentment, not respect. His miracles had left them unimpressed and convinced that He was in league with the devil himself.

As Jesus stood before the religious high council of the Jews, He was alone. Long gone were the shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9 ESV). In just a few hours, He would hear the very same people shouting, “Crucify him!” And all of this was in fulfillment of the words of Isaiah, the prophet.

He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care. – Isaiah 53:3 NLT

John, most likely the second, unnamed disciple in the courtyard that night, would later write:

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. – John 1:10-11 NLT

And just hours later, as Jesus hung dying on the cross, He would shout, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 ESV). His words would be a direct quote from a psalm written by David, His ancestor. And later on, in that same psalm we find these words:

But I am a worm and not a man.
    I am scorned and despised by all!
Everyone who sees me mocks me.
    They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
“Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
    Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
    let the Lord rescue him!” – Psalm 22:6-8 NLT

“Is this the one?”

That question sums up this entire section of Matthew 26.  Was Jesus the Messiah? Was He the Son of God and the Savior of the world? Was this itinerant rabbi from Nazareth the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?

You can sense the sarcasm and harsh denial in the words. “Is this the one?” Jesus did not fit their expectations. He was not impressive to look at. He was not regal and royal in bearing. Instead of an army, He was surrounded by a ragtag group of hapless disciples. This man could not be the Messiah.

In this passage, we see everyone denying the very one whom God had sent to provide the way of salvation. They were rejecting their Messiah and Savior. Jesus, the hope of the world, was being denied by the world. Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, was spurned by the people of Israel. Jesus, the disciples’ Master and Lord, had been abandoned by them. He was alone. But He was undeterred. He remained committed to His cause and fully willing to follow through on His Father’s plan to bring redemption to a fallen world.

The rooster had crowed. The morning was coming. The end was near. The day of redemption was drawing close. But rejection had to proceed glorification. Crucifixion had to come before the resurrection. Persecution and execution were required so that men might receive absolution and justification before God.

For Peter, the crowing of the rooster was the end of a horrible night. But for God, it was the beginning of a new day that would bring salvation to a lost and dying world. The sun was going to rise on the hill of Golgotha, where the Son of God would hang on a cruel Roman cross. Jesus, the unblemished sacrifice offered by God as payment for the sins of mankind, would fulfill His destiny and secure the hope of eternity for all who would believe in Him rather than deny Him.

It was not the end, but just the beginning.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

And the Rooster Crowed.

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69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. – Matthew 26:69-75 ESV

peters-denial.jpgWhen Jesus had been dragged before the high priest and the Sanhedrin, two of His disciples had followed close behind. Upon their arrival at the home of Caiaphas, Peter had remained outside the door entering into the courtyard of the house. But in John’s gospel account, he indicates that the second disciple was known by the high priest and was granted access into the inner courtyard. He convinced one of the servants of Caiaphas to let Peter enter as well. So, Peter was not alone that night. It is likely that John was the second disciple to whom he mentions, referring to himself in the third person, as he does so often in his gospel.

But as Jesus was undergoing questioning by the high priest, Peter and John were waiting outside in the courtyard, along with the guards who had arrested Jesus. As they waited, a servant girl approached Peter and, recognizing him as one of the disciples of Jesus, pointed him out to all who were there. But Peter vehemently denied it, saying, “I do not know what you mean” (Matthew 26:70 ESV). A few minutes later, another servant girl pointed out Peter as a follower of Jesus, but this time Peter even denied having any knowledge of Jesus. When another bystander heard Peter’s Galilean accent, he also accused Peter of being one of Jesus’ disciples. A charge Peter strongly denied. “Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man’” (Matthew 26:74 ESV).

And a rooster crowed.

The sound of a rooster crowing would have been normal and natural to everyone in the courtyard because the morning was fast approaching. But for Peter, it was a horrific sound that reminded him of the words of Jesus.

“Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” – Matthew 26:34 ESV

Peter immediately recognized that he had broken the solemn and boastful oath he had made to Jesus just hours earlier.

“Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” – Matthew 26:35 ESV

He had denied his friend, teacher, and Messiah. In the face of intense pressure and possible arrest, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus. It was just as Jesus had warned in the garden: Peter’s spirit had been willing, but his flesh had proven to be weak (Matthew 26:41).

Peter had meant what he said. He had been sincere and well-intentioned. But this night was no ordinary night and the circumstances surrounding it had been completely unexpected and had left Peter confused and scared. His world was crumbling around him. All his hopes and dreams for the future were crashing in on him. The mob mentality that pervaded the courtyard that night had gotten to him. He feared for his life and, before he knew it, he had done the unexpected and unthinkable: He had denied Jesus. And the rooster had crowed.

But Peter had not been alone in His denial of Jesus. In fact, the entire scene is marked by a fierce rejection of Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel. Even the servant girl who approached Peter had referred to Jesus as “the Galilean.” To the citizens of Jerusalem, anyone from Galilee was looked down upon as a country bumpkin – a rural, uneducated hick from the sticks. They even had a different accent when they spoke. They were unsophisticated and lacked culture. Even Nathanael, one of the disciples of Jesus, had expressed doubt when he heard that Jesus was from a small town in the region of Galilee.

“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”– John 1:46 NLT

Nazareth, located in Galilee, had a less-than-stellar reputation among the more sophisticated Jews. And that night, in the courtyard of the high priest, you can see the mounting resentment toward Jesus, this upstart revolutionary from Galilee.

The denial of Jesus is the theme of this entire chapter. If John was the second disciple in the courtyard that night, you don’t hear him speaking up for Jesus. He didn’t come to Peter’s defense. The rest of the disciples were long gone, having fled the Garden of Gethsemane in order to seek refuge somewhere in the city, in hopes of avoiding discovery.

Everyone was denying Jesus. Including Caiaphas and his fellow members of the Sanhedrin. They saw Him as a blasphemer, a radical lunatic who was claiming to be the Son of God. But, in their minds, His claims made Him worthy of death, not devotion. His boasts of being divine had earned Him their resentment, not respect. His miracles had left them unimpressed and convinced that He was in league with the devil himself.

As Jesus stood before the religious high council of the Jews, He was alone. Long gone were the shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9 ESV). In just a few hours, He would hear the very same people shouting, “Crucify him!” And all of this was in fulfillment of the words of Isaiah, the prophet. 

He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care. – Isaiah 53:3 NLT

John, most likely the second, unnamed disciple in the courtyard that night, would later write:

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. – John 1:10-11 NLT

And just hours later, as Jesus hung dying on the cross, He would shout, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 ESV). His words would be a direct quote from a psalm written by David, His ancestor. And later on, in that same psalm we find these words:

But I am a worm and not a man.
    I am scorned and despised by all!
Everyone who sees me mocks me.
    They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
“Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
    Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
    let the Lord rescue him!” – Psalm 22:6-8 NLT

“Is this the one?”

That question sums up this entire section of Matthew 26.  Was Jesus the Messiah? Was He the Son of God and the Savior of the world? Was this itinerant rabbi from Nazareth the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?

You can sense the sarcasm and harsh denial in the words. “Is this the one?” Jesus did not fit their expectations. He was not impressive to look at. He was not regal and royal in bearing. Instead of an army, He was surrounded by a ragtag group of hapless disciples. This man could not be the Messiah.

In this passage, we see everyone denying the very one whom God had sent to provide the way of salvation. They were rejecting their Messiah and Savior. Jesus, the hope of the world, was being denied by the world. Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, was spurned by the people of Israel. Jesus, the disciples’ Master and Lord, had been abandoned by them. He was alone. But He was undeterred. He remained committed to His cause and fully willing to follow through on His Father’s plan to bring redemption to a fallen world.

The rooster had crowed. The morning was coming. The end was near. The day of redemption was drawing close. But rejection had to proceed glorification. Crucifixion had to come before the resurrection. Persecution and execution were required so that men might receive absolution and justification before God.

For Peter, the crowing of the rooster was the end of a horrible night. But for God, it was the beginning of a new day that would bring salvation to a lost and dying world. The sun was going to rise on the hill of Golgotha, where the Son of God would hang on a cruel Roman cross. Jesus, the unblemished sacrifice offered by God as payment for the sins of mankind, would fulfill His destiny and secure the hope of eternity for all who would believe in Him rather than deny Him.

It was not the end, but just the beginning.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Day 130 – Matthew 26:58, 69-75; Mark 14:54, 66-72; Luke 22:54-62

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A Look From the Lord.

Matthew 26:58, 69-75; Mark 14:54, 66-72; Luke 22:54-62

At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flushed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” – Luke 22:61 NLT

When I first ran across the verse above, it hit me like a brick to the forehead. While it was hard enough to imagine what Peter must have felt like after having denied Jesus three times in a row, I could not fathom what went through his mind after having just done so and them making eye contact with Jesus Himself. This all took place in the courtyard of the high priest’s home. It was late in the evening, and the Temple guards had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard. It seems that Peter was the only disciple who risked following Jesus after He was arrested. Matthew and Mark tell us that he followed at a distance, and then sat in the courtyard among the guards warming himself by the fire. That’s when the trouble began. It may have been dark, but there was enough light from the fire to illuminate Peter’s face and, as a result, he was recognized. A servant girl noticed him and shouted out, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers” (Luke 22:56 NLT). What Peter didn’t seem to realize was that he and the disciples had become celebrities. With Jesus’ growing reputation, they also gained a certain degree of notoriety. And this young servant girl had seen Peter with Jesus. But Peter denied it, exclaiming, “Woman, I don’t even know him” (Luke 22:57 NLT). Which had to beg the question, then was he there? What was he doing in the high priest’ courtyard in the middle of the night? But Peter would go on to deny Jesus two more times. And each time he was confronted, his denials became more intense and strident. He was feeling the heat of the moment. He was scared and all his bluster of a few hours earlier had faded away. While he had at one time swore that he was willing to die for Jesus, on this night he couldn’t even bring himself to acknowledge that he knew Him. Then the rooster crowed. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus glanced over and caught the eye of Jesus Himself. What a moment. What a scene.

We know from Matthew and Mark’s account, that Jesus was interrogated inside the house. After Jesus acknowledged that He was indeed the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One, Caiaphas ripped his own robe and accused Jesus of blasphemy. The other priests and religious leaders agreed and they condemned Him to death. Then Jesus was blindfolded, spit on, and slapped and punched repeatedly in the face, while they mocked and teased Him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?” (Matthew 26:68 NLT). And then He was led away. It was at this point that Jesus, beaten, bruised and bloody, would have had His encounter with Peter. While Peter had been warming himself by the fire and denying the truth about himself, Jesus had been suffering abuse for willingly admitting the truth of who He was. That moment when Peter glanced over and saw Jesus’ eyes had to have been riveting and heart-sinking for him. They magnitude of what he had just done hit him like a freight train. We aren’t told what kind of look Jesus gave Peter. We don’t know if He was sad, angry, disappointed, hurt, or shocked. But that split second of eye contact with Jesus had to have been one of the most difficult moments in Peter’s life. The reality of all that was happening began to sink in. The truth of all that Jesus had been trying to tell the disciples regarding His coming trials and death became all too clear. “And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly” (Luke 22:65 NLT).

When I think about what Peter may have seen when he locked eyes with Jesus, I tend to believe that Jesus showed love and compassion. His was not a look of disappointment or disgust. He did not try to make Peter feel ashamed or humiliate him with a knowing shake of His head. I truly believe that Jesus, bruised and bloody as He may have been, looked on Peter with love. He was the Good Shepherd. He knew Peter’s weaknesses and He had even predicted Peter’s denial of Himself. He was not shocked, surprised, or put out. I believe Jesus looked at Peter and smiled in a loving, gracious, forgiving way. He understood. And He knew that God was not done with Peter yet. Too often, when we fail Jesus or even deny Him in some way, we tend to think that He looks on us with anger, resentment, disappointment, and frustration, shaking His head in disgust at our inability to do even the most simple things well. But that view reflects a poor understanding of the character of Jesus. It reveals a misunderstanding of His love, mercy and grace. Jesus had come to die for just such a person as Peter. He had come to deliver Peter from the control of his own sinful flesh. That’s why Peter could later write, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold and silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT). The look Peter received from Jesus was the same look He shows us when we stumble and fall. It is a look of compassion, understanding, empathy, and love. Jesus came to save sinners. He came to help those who have come to understand that they can’t help themselves. Jesus isn’t disappointed when we fail to measure up, as much as He is when we fail to look up to Him for help. A look to the Lord can be life changing. It will be difficult. It may even be humbling and humiliating, but it will always be a look of love. He loved you enough to die for you. He loves you enough to forgive and transform you. Look to Jesus. Even when you’ve denied Him.

Lord, I am so grateful that when You look at me, it is always with love, not disgust. I know I let You down in so many ways, but I also know that Your eyes are always filled with compassion and love for me. You died for me. You love me more than I will ever understand – at least in this lifetime. You suffered on my behalf. You bore my sins. You took my penalty and died the death I deserved. All because You love me. When I stumble and fall, You still love me. You never fall out of love for me. That’s hard for me to understand, but help me grasp the truth of it in my daily life. You never stopped loving Peter, even after what he had done. You love him to the end. And You will love me to the end as well. Thank You. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org