Luke 22:58 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And a little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not."

NIV: A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied.

NASB: And a little later, another person saw him and said, 'You are one of them too!' But Peter said, 'Man, I am not!'

CSB: After a little while, someone else saw him and said, "You’re one of them too." "Man, I am not!" Peter said.

NLT: After a while someone else looked at him and said, 'You must be one of them!' 'No, man, I’m not!' Peter retorted.

KJV: And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.

NKJV: And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

Peter is in the courtyard of the high priest Caiaphas. Earlier, a servant girl accused him of being one of Jesus' disciples. Sitting near the fire, surrounded by some of the guards and servants who had arrested Jesus, Peter lied and claimed he was not (Luke 22:54–57).

Since His arrest, Jesus has been the defendant in an illegal trial with very prejudiced judges. Priests, Pharisees, scribes, and elders have been trying to get Jesus to admit that He teaches heresy. When He challenges them to produce witnesses, they strike Him (John 18:19–22). Witnesses are called but even when they lie, their testimony doesn't agree (Mark 14:55–59). All this is going on as Peter denies that he follows Jesus.

The accounts of Peter's denials get confusing. This is the second that Matthew, Mark, and Luke record.

Matthew's account says,

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." And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man." (Matthew 26:71–72)

Mark's says,

And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them." But again he denied it. (Mark 14:69–70)

In Luke, Peter's response is "Man, I am not!" Peter isn't speaking to the servant girl; he's speaking to one of the guards or servants who heard the girl and has indicated interest in her accusation.

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.