John 18:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

NIV: Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

NASB: Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

CSB: Peter denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.

NLT: Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.

KJV: Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.

NKJV: Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

Twice, Peter has been asked about his relationship to Jesus, in relatively gentle ways (John 18:17, 25). The servants of the high priest who asked those questions assumed Peter was not a disciple of Jesus. Or, at least, they couldn't believe that any of Jesus' disciples would be stupid enough to be in the high priests' courtyard at that moment. In both cases, Peter has denied that he knows Jesus.

The third question is more direct. The servant who is asking the question was there when Jesus was arrested, so he would have seen Peter slashing with a sword (John 18:10–11). Worse, for Peter, the man challenging him now is related to the maimed servant. So, he's quite sure that Peter is the man he's thinking of (John 18:26).

John's depiction of Peter's third denial is bland; other Gospel writers explain that Peter (Mark 14:71; Matthew 26:74) became desperate and insisted, through a curse on himself, that he was not a follower of Jesus. At that moment, Jesus' earlier prophecy is completed, as the rooster crows (John 13:38).

Luke includes an especially heartbreaking detail. This marks what is almost certainly the lowest moment of Peter's life. At the instant Peter makes his third denial of Christ, Jesus is being brought back outside for the next phase of His sham trial (John 18:24, 28). Just as Peter is angrily insisting he does not know Christ, the two lock eyes (Luke 22:61). Memory of Jesus' recent prediction floods into Peter's mind (Luke 22:34, 62) and he immediately breaks down, running away and sobbing (Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:72).

John 18:25–27 returns to Peter, who has attempted to secretly follow Jesus during His arrest and trial (John 18:15). Two men recognize him, one from the recent incident where Peter maimed a servant (Luke 22:50–51). After lying about his relationship to Christ earlier (John 18:15–18), Peter repeats the denial two more times. This is consistent with Jesus' prediction (John 13:36–38), including the sound of a rooster crowing.

Jesus is secretly, quietly arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and taken to a series of sham trials before Jewish leadership. This leads to His encounter with the local Roman governor. Jesus accepts being described as "King" but denies that His current purpose is earthly rule. A mob assembled by Jesus' enemies reject Pilate's attempt to free Jesus. In the meantime, Peter fulfills Christ's prophecy about a three-fold denial.

John's Gospel was written well after the other three, so he frequently chooses to present different details. Chapter 17 detailed Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, just before He entered the garden of Gethsemane. This chapter describes Jesus' arrest, sham trials before Jewish leadership, and the beginning of His trial before the Roman governor. In the following chapter, Jesus will be unfairly condemned, executed, and buried.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.