Luke 22:60 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

NIV: Peter replied, 'Man, I don't know what you're talking about!' Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed.

NASB: But Peter said, 'Man, I do not know what you are talking about!' And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

CSB: But Peter said, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about! " Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

NLT: But Peter said, 'Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.' And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

KJV: And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

NKJV: But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

This is Peter's third, or possibly fourth, denial that he knows Jesus.

In the first, he denies the accusation of the servant girl who let him into Annas's house (John 18:17–18). This may be the same event as recorded in Luke 22:56–57 or it may have occurred earlier. In the second denial Luke records, another servant girl tells the men surrounding the fire that Peter was with Jesus; Peter responds to one of the men who heard her (Luke 22:58; Mark 14:69–70).

This last scenario is the most dangerous for Peter. He is standing around a fire with the guards and servants who arrested Jesus. His challenger isn't a servant girl. It's the cousin of the man whom Peter had attacked in the garden very recently (Luke 22:49–51; John 18:10–11, 26–27).

Peter vowed he would never deny Jesus—that he would rather go to prison or even die (Luke 22:33). Jesus told him to pray that he would keep his word, knowing he wouldn't (Luke 22:34, 45–46). When the mob came to take Jesus, perhaps Peter thought this was his moment. He would show his faithfulness to Jesus. But Jesus didn't fight. In fact, He healed the wounded man's ear and told Peter to stand down.

Malchus's cousin asks Peter directly: "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" (John 18:26). He probably knows exactly who Peter is and what he did. Peter is alone. It's no wonder he denies Jesus one more time.

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.