66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 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. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Comment: A question – would he have been a ‘real man’ if Peter hadn’t cried? Personally, I think not. He had blustered out a sincere promise, which he had sincerely meant; he had, probably foolishly, but bravely wielded a sword, which, if he stopped to think, was against what Jesus would have ordered him to do; he had, no doubt, loving Jesus and wanting to know what was going to happen, slunk into the background of Jesus’ trial, hiding amongst the non-entities. Peter was given three chances to stand up for the One whom he had promised to ‘die for’, and he blew it three times! After his first failure to honour Jesus the cock crowed but it wasn’t until after the third that Jesus’ words meant anything! Jesus has said, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” It wasn’t until the second time that the rooster crowed that Peter had understood. If he hadn’t cried he wouldn’t have been a real man!
Proverbs 28: 13 – Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Prayer: Please teach me well the difference between sorrow and repentance.
As I read it! 