Peter Denies Jesus
Three times, and a rooster crows
This story takes place on the night Jesus was arrested, the night before he was killed.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Peter: One of Jesus's closest followers. He was a fisherman from Galilee, in the north.
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. Tonight he has been arrested.
- A servant girl and two men: People sitting by the fire. Luke does not give their names.
Setting
- The courtyard of the high priest's house in Jerusalem. A fire burns in the middle.
When
- Late at night, the night Jesus was arrested, about 2,000 years ago. The next day, Jesus would be crucified.
Before the Story
Peter made a big promise at supper. He told Jesus, "I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death" (22:33).
Jesus warned him. Jesus said that before the rooster crowed, Peter would say three times that he did not know Jesus (22:34).
Then Jesus was arrested. After supper, Jesus prayed on the Mount of Olives (22:39-46). A crowd came with Judas, one of the twelve disciples, and took Jesus away (22:47-54).
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: At supper, Jesus also told Peter, "I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail" (22:32). Jesus prayed for Peter before Peter failed.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Following at a distance | 22:54 | Jesus is taken away. Peter follows far behind |
| 2. The servant girl | 22:55-57 | Peter sits by the fire. He says he does not know Jesus |
| 3. Two more people | 22:58-59 | Two more people say Peter was with Jesus |
| 4. The rooster crows | 22:60 | Peter denies Jesus a third time |
| 5. The Lord turned and looked | 22:61 | Jesus looks at Peter. Peter remembers |
| 6. Outside in the dark | 22:62 | Peter goes out and cries hard |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 6Following at a Distance
Men with swords and clubs led Jesus away. They took him to the house of the high priest. The high priest was the leader of the priests at the Temple.
Peter followed. But he stayed far behind.
Earlier that night, Peter had said he would go to prison with Jesus. Now he walked at a distance. One likely reason: Peter was afraid they would arrest him too.
Scene 2 of 6The Servant Girl
In the middle of the courtyard, some people lit a fire. A courtyard is an open space inside the walls of a big house. The people sat down around the fire. Peter sat down with them.
A servant girl saw Peter sitting in the firelight. She looked hard at him.
She said, "This man also was with Him" (22:56).
Peter said it was not true. "Woman, I do not know Him" (22:57). That was the first time.
Scene 3 of 6Two More People
A short time later, someone else saw Peter. It was a man. He said, "You also are one of them" (22:58).
Peter answered, "Man, I am not" (22:58). That was the second time.
About an hour went by. Then another man insisted that Peter had been with Jesus.
He said, "Certainly this man was with Him, for he too is a Galilean" (22:59). Jesus and Peter both came from Galilee. In Matthew's Gospel, the people tell Peter, "your accent gives you away" (Matthew 26:73). They mean that the way Peter talked showed he was from Galilee.
Scene 4 of 6The Rooster Crows
Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about" (22:60).
That was the third time.
Peter was still talking when a rooster crowed.
Scene 5 of 6The Lord Turned and Looked
Jesus was a prisoner in that same place. "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter" (22:61).
Only Luke tells us about this look. Luke does not say what Jesus's face showed. Luke only says that Jesus looked at Peter.
Then Peter remembered what Jesus had told him at supper: "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times" (22:61). To deny someone is to say you do not know them.
Peter had done exactly that, all three times.
Scene 6 of 6Outside in the Dark
Peter went outside. He wept bitterly. That means he cried hard, with deep sorrow.
Peter was full of sorrow and guilt. He had broken his promise to Jesus on the very night he made it.
But earlier that night, Jesus had said more. He had prayed that Peter's faith would not fail. He had also said, "And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (22:32). Jesus expected Peter to come back.
Here's what Peter did not know yet. His story was not over. Jesus would rise from the dead. After that, Jesus would talk with Peter beside another fire (John 21:9). And about seven weeks later, Peter would tell a huge crowd in Jerusalem who Jesus is (Acts 2:14).
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Peter followed at a distance" (22:54) | Peter did not run away. But he did not stay close either. One likely reason: he loved Jesus, but he was afraid. |
| "Woman, I do not know Him" (22:57) | Calling someone "Woman" or "Man" was not rude back then. Jesus spoke to his own mother this way (John 2:4). |
| "You also are one of them" (22:58) | "Them" means Jesus's followers. Being known as one of them could be dangerous that night. |
| "He too is a Galilean" (22:59) | Galilee was the northern part of the land. Peter's accent showed where he was from (Matthew 26:73). |
| "The Lord turned and looked at Peter" (22:61) | Luke calls Jesus "the Lord" here, even while he is a prisoner. Luke does not say what the look meant. But Jesus turned toward Peter, not away from him. |
| "Wept bitterly" (22:62) | Peter cried with deep sorrow. He was sorry for what he had done. |
Back Then
The high priest led the priests at the Temple in Jerusalem. Matthew names this high priest: Caiaphas (Matthew 26:57). (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Large houses were often built around an open courtyard. The rooms faced the courtyard, and a gate led in from the street. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Roosters usually crow soon after midnight and again at dawn. People used "when the rooster crows" as a name for a time of night (Mark 13:35). (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
People from Galilee spoke with an accent. In Matthew, the people in the courtyard noticed Peter's (Matthew 26:73). (Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah)
Literal Reader Alert
Why does Mark say the rooster crowed twice? All four Gospels tell this story (Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:15-27). Mark says the rooster crowed twice (Mark 14:72). The others mention one crow. The Gospel writers told it in their own words. The main events are the same in all four.
How could Jesus see Peter? Luke says Jesus was taken into the high priest's house (22:54), and men were holding him there (22:63). Luke does not say exactly where Jesus was standing. He says only that Jesus turned and looked.
Did Peter's faith fail? Peter's courage failed that night. But Peter turned back, as Jesus said he would (22:32). Many Christians see this as Jesus's prayer being answered.
What if I can't stop feeling guilty? Guilt is the feeling that comes when you know you did something wrong. It can lead you back to God, like it led Peter. But if guilt or shame stays with you and will not go away, talk with a parent, pastor, or trusted adult. A counselor can help too. Getting help is not a lack of faith. If you are in danger right now, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the United States, you can also call or text 988 any time, day or night. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Peter | Afraid | Jesus had been arrested, and Peter was near the people who took him (22:54-55) |
| Peter | Cornered | Three different people said he was with Jesus (22:56-59) |
| The man who spoke last | Sure | He said Peter was a Galilean, like Jesus (22:59) |
| Peter | Guilty and heartbroken | He had denied Jesus three times, as Jesus said he would (22:61-62) |
| Jesus | The Bible doesn't say | Luke tells what Jesus did. He turned and looked at Peter (22:61) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where are you in this story right now? Tap one.
I've let God down
So did Peter, three times in one night. Jesus knew it would happen, and he prayed for Peter anyway. He planned for Peter to come back.
God can't forgive this
Peter thought he could never let Jesus down. Then he did. After Jesus rose, the young man at the tomb said to tell the disciples and Peter (Mark 16:7). Peter was named. Jesus does not give up on you either.
Someone denied knowing me
One of Jesus's closest friends said he didn't know Jesus. Jesus went through that too. You can bring that hurt to Jesus.
I'm not sure
That's okay. You can keep reading. Peter's story keeps going, and so does yours.
It's really bad right now
Peter went outside and cried. You do not have to face your pain by yourself. Please tell a trusted adult today. In the U.S., call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"Peter was a coward. If you really love Jesus, you will never let him down."
What's true: Denying Jesus was wrong, and Peter knew it. He wept over it. Following Jesus takes courage.
What the story is mainly about: Peter was sure he would never fail (22:33). He was wrong. Our own strength does not keep our faith alive. Jesus does. He prayed for Peter before Peter failed (22:32). Later, the Holy Spirit gave Peter the courage he did not have that night (Acts 2:4, 2:14). Courage is God's gift, not something we make ourselves.
Where Jesus is: Praying for Peter at supper. Turning to look at him in the courtyard. Rising from the dead and coming back for him.
Good News
Peter's failure was real. Jesus did not pretend it wasn't. But Jesus did not let it be the end of Peter's story.
When Jesus rose from the dead, a young man in a white robe at the tomb told the women, "But go, tell His disciples and Peter" (Mark 16:7). Peter was named. He was not left out.
After he rose, Jesus made breakfast for his disciples by a charcoal fire (John 21:9). Peter had denied him beside a fire. Now, beside another fire, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Peter was "deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time" (John 21:17). Peter had denied Jesus three times. Now Jesus asked him three questions. Then Jesus gave Peter work to do: "Feed My sheep" (John 21:17). And he said, "Follow Me" (John 21:19).
About seven weeks after that night, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. The same Peter who said "I do not know him" stood up and told a huge crowd about Jesus (Acts 2:14, 2:36).
Maybe you are afraid you have failed God too badly. Guilt is the feeling "I did something wrong." Shame is the feeling "I am something wrong." God answers both. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Condemnation means being judged guilty and sent away. In Jesus, that does not happen to you.
Your worst failure is not the end of your story. Jesus prayed for Peter before Peter failed, and Jesus comes looking for you too.
Big Idea
Jesus prayed for Peter before Peter failed and then brought him back, and Jesus does the same for us.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In the Small Catechism (1529), Martin Luther taught that confession has two parts. First, we confess our sins. Second, we receive forgiveness from the confessor, usually a pastor, as from God himself. We do not doubt it. We firmly believe our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.
Peter heard his forgiveness from Jesus himself, by the fire. Christians today hear it in church, and receive it in Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Luther also taught about the Third Article of the Creed in the Small Catechism. There he says that in the church, God "daily and richly" forgives all sins.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It is a shared list of Bible readings for Sundays and holy days. The lectionary reads this story on the Sunday of the Passion in Year C. That Sunday is also called Palm Sunday. The story is part of the long reading Luke 22:14-23:56. A shorter option, Luke 23:1-49, leaves it out.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail.
How did that feel?