Luke 22:55 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.

NIV: And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.

NASB: After they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.

CSB: They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat among them.

NLT: The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there.

KJV: And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

NKJV: Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

Peter is trying extremely hard to prove Jesus wrong. Jesus said Peter would deny Him three times (Luke 22:31–34). Peter first tried to prove his faithfulness by attacking the mob that came to arrest Jesus. Jesus told him to put away his sword. Then He calmly allowed Himself to be taken (Luke 22:47–54; Matthew 26:52).

As the soldiers, priests, and servants led Jesus away, most of the disciples scattered (Mark 14:50). Peter and John follow Jesus. John knows the high priest and gets himself and Peter into the courtyard (John 18:15–16). It's night in the spring, so it's chilly. Though surrounded by the enemies of his Master, Peter joins them near the fire.

The accounts of Peter's denials are consistent in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but John's details are a bit different. He is the only gospel writer to mention that before Jesus is tried before a secret meeting at the high priest Caiaphas's house, He was first taken to Caiaphas's father-in-law Annas (John 18:13–14, 19–23). In addition, only John mentions that Peter can't get into Annas's courtyard until John tells a servant girl to let him in. That girl is the first to question Peter about his relationship with Jesus (John 18:15–18).

The question is, does Luke 22:55–57—and Matthew 26:69–70 and Mark 14:66–68—correspond with John 18:15–18, which occurs in Annas's courtyard, or John 18:25 at Caiaphas's? Or does Peter deny Jesus four times and Jesus only refers to the three times at Caiaphas's (Luke 22:34)? Ultimately, it doesn't matter, but it's worth noting those options to deflect false claims that the differences prove the Bible is inconsistent.

Luke 22:54–62 begins the account of Jesus' trials before the religious leaders. These continue through the end of the chapter (Luke 22:71). Peter tried to physically defend Jesus (Luke 22:49–50). Now, he stands next to a relative of the man he maimed (John 18:26). Matthew 26:58, 69–75, Mark 14:54, 66–72, and John 18:15–18, 25–27 heighten the tension by going back and forth between the religious authorities' attempts to destroy Jesus by getting Him to admit He is the Messiah and Peter's attempts to save himself by denying he follows Jesus.

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.