The Bible Book

256

I DON’T KNOW

THIS MAN YOU’RE

TALKING ABOUT

MARK 14:71, PETER’S DENIAL

P

redicted by the prophets

of the Old Testament, the

disciples’ abandonment

of Jesus in the period leading up

to the crucifixion has long been a

conflicting issue for many readers

of the New Testament. During

the Last Supper, Jesus quotes

Zechariah 13:7, which foretold how:

“This very night you will all fall

away on account of me, for it is

written: ‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be

scattered’” (Matthew 26:31).

Hearing this prophecy, the

disciples protest. Jesus tells them

that once He—the figurative

shepherd—is captured, His

disciples, the sheep, will flee. Peter

is especially upset by this claim

and argues that this will never

happen: “even if all fall away on

account of you, I never will” (26:33).

At this, Jesus sets him right; He

tells Peter that before the rooster

crows, he will deny Him three

times. Peter, however, remains

adamant—he says he would

rather die alongside Jesus than

disown Him.

The denials

Jesus’s words come to fruition

immediately after Judas betrays

Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Guards take Jesus to the high

priest’s house to stand trial. Peter

follows, waits in the courtyard,

and is approached by three people

(John mentions two) who ask if he

knows Jesus. Just as Jesus has

predicted, when questioned, Peter

denies knowing Jesus, even after

he is identified as a Galilean by his

speech—and is recognized as a

disciple by a relative of the high

priest’s servant (Luke 22:59).

Peter denies Christ in a miniature

by 15th-century Italian artist Cristoforo

de Predis. All four Gospels agree that

Peter’s first denial is to a servant girl

who accuses him of being with Jesus.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Matthew 26:31–35, 69–75;

Mark 14:27–31, 66–72;

Luke 22:31–34, 54–65;

John 13:38, 18:25–27

THEME

Peter denies Christ

SETTING

c. 29 ce Jerusalem, the

courtyard of the High

Priest right before the

crucifixion of Jesus.

KEY FIGURES

Jesus The Messiah and Son

of God, in His final days before

His crucifixion.

Peter Also called Simon Peter,

one of Jesus’s inner circle and

seemingly the leader of the

disciples. Despite this, he still

fears the officials.

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THE GOSPELS 257

The third time Peter denies

knowing Jesus, the rooster crows.

Luke’s Gospel also says that at

that Jesus turns to look at Peter

through an open window, as if

acknowledging His words coming

to pass; all accounts, however,

describe how Peter weeps once

he realizes what he has done.

Symbolic dawn

The crowing of the dawn rooster

signifies not only the breaking of

dawn, but also that Jesus’s fate

has been decided upon. Dawn

signifies the new life that Jesus

will bring about through His

death, as does the rooster itself,

a symbol of fertility. However, the

coming of dawn is significant for

another reason: at the time, trials

were required to take place after

daybreak if the Sanhedrin were to

sentence the defendant to death.

Disciples forgiven

The Gospels give no reasons for

the betrayal. Peter and the disciples

are human, and may be afraid that

they, too, will be arrested. The

Gospels frequently describe the

disciples as vulnerable and even

dimwitted: they constantly

question Jesus and have difficulty

understanding His parables. Some

appear to be in denial that Jesus

will die. Their fallibility, however,

shows that one does not have to

be perfect to be a servant of Christ.

Peter denies Jesus, yet he is the

one who will eventually hold the

keys to heaven. ■

See also: The Last Supper 248–53 ■ Betrayal in the Garden 254–55 ■

The Crucifixion 258–65 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–71

Peter’s three denials,

according to Mark’s Gospel

“I don’t know or

understand what you’re

talking about.”

“Again he denied it.”

“I don’t know this man

you’re talking about.”

“You also were with that

Nazarene, Jesus.”

“This fellow is one

of them.”

“Surely you are

one of them, for you

are a Galilean.”

Accuser Peter

The Sanhedrin

Described in all four Gospels,

the Sanhedrin was a body of

elders and priests that met to

discuss religious and political

matters. According to Acts, it

convened several times a year.

The term Sanhedrin comes

from a Greek word meaning

“assembly.” There were lesser

Sanhedrins that could form in

any town or province, but the

Great Sanhedrin was a large

body of more than 70 elders

that met in Jerusalem. It

gathered to discuss the Law

and acted as a judiciary body.

When Jesus met with

the high priest elders, it is

generally assumed that He

is meeting with the Great

Sanhedrin, whose members

will determine whether He

has committed blasphemy.

However, they are portrayed

in the Gospels as corrupt:

Matthew writes that “the

whole Sanhedrin were looking

for false evidence against

Jesus so that they could put

Him to death” (26:59), an

accusation that is repeated

in Mark’s Gospel (14:55).

Christ Before the High Priest

(c.1617), a painting by Gerrit van

Honthorst, illuminates a book

containing the Mosaic Law, which

Jesus is accused of breaking.

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