Matthew 26:69-75
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 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.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
St Peter truly the pride of the Disciples. St Peter has been a leader for all of the Disciples to follow. He is the one who everyone would have bet would be the last one to deny the Lord (well maybe until Jesus predicted it). St Peter is the one who stands up on the Day of Pentecost and preaches so boldly. But all it took was a little servant girl to come up to St Peter and he denies His Lord.
Many people have written about the fall of St Peter from Grace. St Peter would later be restored as his Lord asks him three times "do you love me?" But all we have is this simple text before us, and what does it say about Jesus? Many people may proclaim even today that Jesus Christ was a very good teacher. Some may even talk about how well Jesus knew his disciples, because he was able to make this prediction. Some may even go so far as to talk about how well Jesus reads people because he is able to know what they are thinking. But there is a much simpler answer: Jesus is God.
And this simple truth is not only what St Peter has previously confessed, but once again he is confronted with this truth. When St Peter hears that rooster crow, he is faced with the Word of God. The Word of God convicts him. The words which Jesus spoke not very long ago, now cut him to the heart. The Word of God brings St Peter to his knees (so to speak) as he weeps because he knows that he has betrayed innocent blood.
St Peter has denied his Lord. St Peter has told or recount to others false teachings. St Peter his convicted by the truth. St Peter repents of his Sins. St Peter is restored. St Peter proclaims the truth of the Gospel to all the world. St Peter when the rooster crows is called back to the truth faith in Jesus Christ by the Word of God. Likewise, we still recount all these things today and confess the Word of God in its truth.
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