John 13:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

NIV: Then Jesus answered, 'Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

NASB: Jesus *replied, 'Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

CSB: Jesus replied, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly I tell you, a rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.

NLT: Jesus answered, 'Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter — before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.

KJV: Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

NKJV: Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

Peter has a habit of speaking without understanding. Earlier in the evening, he resisted Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet (John 13:6–10). In the prior verse, he declared he was willing and able to go anywhere with Jesus, even to death (John 13:37). That was in response to Jesus saying that where He was going others would not be able to follow (John 13:36). On top of this, Jesus has predicted that one of the inner circle is a traitor (John 13:21). No one yet realizes this is Judas, who has already left to alert the authorities (John 13:26–30). What Peter says is both a boast, and a declaration that he is certainly not the betrayer.

That makes Jesus' response here both confusing and devastating to Peter, as well as the other disciples. Jesus uses the famous "truly, truly," phrasing here. This repeats the word amēn, which carried through Aramaic into Greek. This phrase means what Jesus is about to say is absolute, personal, incontrovertible truth. The truth is that despite Peter's bravado, he is hours away from entirely denying that he has anything to do with Jesus (John 18:27). That moment will shatter Peter's self-confidence (Matthew 26:71–75), but he will eventually be restored (Mark 16:7).

To the other disciples—and possibly even to Peter—this comment would raise suspicion that Peter is the betrayer spoken of earlier. He is not, and Judas will soon be discovered. But for the moment, it's likely that the other disciples looked at Peter with distrust.

John 13:36–38 describes Peter's arrogant claim to loyalty, as a reaction to Jesus' prediction of a secret betrayer. Peter boldly tells Christ he will follow Him anywhere, even to the point of death. Jesus responds with a devastating prediction: Peter will deny his relationship to Jesus three times that very night. Worse, this comment may have made the other disciples suspicious of Peter—they don't yet know that Judas is the betrayer, so this comment might lead them to think Peter is the traitor. Jesus will continue in the following passages with an extended statement of comfort and grace.

Jesus meets with a smaller group, possibly only the twelve disciples, in a private setting. Before eating a meal, Jesus performs the work of a lowly servant, washing the feet of the disciples. He explains that this is an object lesson. Their Lord is willing to serve in humility, so they are obligated to do the same. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal, subtly telling Judas to leave and complete His conspiracy. The disciples don't realize what's happened, however. Peter foolishly brags about his loyalty. Jesus responds with a cutting prediction: Peter will deny his relationship to Christ three times in the next few hours.

The first twelve chapters of the gospel of John describe the public ministry of Jesus. Starting in chapter 13, most of what John describes are the last private moments Jesus enjoys prior to His crucifixion. This begins with Jesus washing the disciples' feet, establishing both an example and a command for humble service. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal and Peter's cowardly denials. Following chapters contain Jesus' last instructions to the disciples, including a rich collection of truths which are central to the Christian faith.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.