Luke 22:61 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times."

NIV: The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."

NASB: And then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, 'Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.'

CSB: Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times."

NLT: At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: 'Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.'

KJV: And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

NKJV: And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Many of us have been in Peter's situation. We are so focused on what is happening that we forget where we are and what is going on around us. We can't doubt his bravery. He is one of only two disciples to follow the mob who arrested Jesus. Thanks to John, Peter entered the estate of the powerful chief priest Annas (John 18:15–16). Then he followed the proceedings to the home of Annas's son-in-law, the high priest Caiaphas.

As Peter enters Annas's door, some part of him realizes he is in great danger. When a servant girl asks if he had been with Jesus, he denies it (John 18:17). When another girl accuses him in front of a group of servants and officials, he denies it again (Luke 22:58; Matthew 26:71–72). Then comes the finishing blow. The cousin of the man Peter attacked during Jesus' arrest confronts him. Peter is in full survival mode. The denial comes easily but with a level of panic (Luke 22:54–60; John 18:26–27).

But as he finishes this time, he hears a rooster crow. Jesus turns to him, and he remembers the larger story. Jesus had told him that all the disciples would soon abandon their teacher but when he returned, Peter was to build the group up again. Peter had refused to believe it: he would go to prison or even die before he abandoned Jesus. He probably meant to prove it by going to Annas's. Jesus had responded, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me" (Luke 22:31–34).

Peter realizes what he has done and runs out in shattered sobs (Luke 22:62).

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.