Luke 22 Jesus had been captured in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter quietly followed the band of soldiers that had taken Him away. The soldiers arrived at the home of the high priest. Peter stayed outside and sat with a group surrounding a fire. There was a young maid at the fire who looked up when Peter sat. She stared at him for a few moments with a look of confusion. Suddenly, recognition dawned on her face. “You were with the man that the soldiers just brought,” she said confidently. “Lady, I do not know him,” said Peter quickly. The maid looked confused again but stayed silent. After a while, someone else passed by the fire. “You are one of Jesus’ disciples,” he said, pointing at Peter. “Sir, no I am not,” said Peter with more defiance. An hour later a third person recognized Peter. “Truly, this man was with Jesus,” he said. “He is also a Galilean.” This time, Peter got up angrily from the fire. “Sir, I do not know what you are talking about!” he cried as he walked away. As Peter walked away angrily, two things happened simultaneously. Jesus was led out of the high priest’s home, catching Peter’s eye with sadness. That same moment, a rooster crowed. Suddenly Peter remembered the night before when the Savior had predicted Peter’s denial. Peter had forcefully told the Lord of his unwavering commitment, but less than twelve hours later he had refuted any association. Feeling the full weight of his betrayal and cowardice, Peter ran to a private place and cried bitterly.
