Luke 22:34Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Now He said not, ‘I have granted,’ but I have prayed. For He speaks humbly as approaching unto His Passion, and that He may manifest His human nature. For He who had spoken not in supplication, but by authority, Upon this rock I will build my Church, and I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, (Matt. 16:18.) how should He have need of prayer that He might stay one agitated soul? He does not say, “I have prayed that thou deny not,” but that thou do not abandon thy faith.

Now this was said to Peter, because he was bolder than the rest, and might feel proud because of the things which Christ had promised.

Or to shew that men being as nought, (as regards human nature, and the proneness of our minds to fall,) it is not meet that they should wish to be above their brethren. Therefore passing by all the others, He comes to Peter, who was the chief of them, saying, But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.

Now what is here said concerning the foregoing denial of Peter is contained in all the Evangelists, but they do not all happen to relate it upon the same occasion in the discourse. Matthew and Mark subjoin it after our Lord had departed from the house where He had eaten the Passover, but Luke and John before He went out from thence.

We must know then, that God sometimes allows the rash to receive a fall, as a remedy to previous self-confidence. But although the rash man seems to have committed the same offence with other men, there is no slight difference. For the one has sinned by reason of certain secret assaults and almost against his will, but the others, having no care either for themselves or God, knowing no distinction between sin and virtuous actions. For the rash needing some assistance, in regard to this very thing in which he has sinned ought to suffer reproof. But the others, having destroyed all the good of their soul, must be afflicted, warned, rebuked, or made subject to punishment, until they acknowledge that God is a just Judge, and tremble.

Now Peter although earnest in spirit, yet still weak in bodily inclination, is declared about to deny his Lord; for he could not equal the constancy of the Divine will. Our Lord’s Passion has rivals, but no equal.

He mentioned "tonight" as it referred to the approaching night of that day. In the sixty-fourth chapter of Matthew, it is recorded, "Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, This night, before the cock crows, thou shalt deny me three times." You may also refer to the explanation provided there.

And in defiance, what is the strength of this creature? The Savior revealed to Peter, foretelling that before the rooster crowed thrice, he would deny Him. Sin is transgressed before the messenger of the approaching light shines upon humanity and brings sin to an end. Thus, the one who denied wept, for the evil had escaped him, even though his heart remained pure and his spirit held onto faith. Subsequently, he spoke no such words with a wavering tongue, and upon hearing the crowing of the rooster, the righteous turned away from sin. Therefore, we are united in believing that in this still moment, when the rooster joyfully crows, Christ has triumphed over death.

Because the Lord said He had prayed for Peter’s faith, Peter conscious of present affection and fervent faith, but unconscious of his coming fall, does not believe he could in any way fall from Christ. As it follows, And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee to prison and to death.

After Simon had such high hopes for himself, the gentle and compassionate Lord does not respond with anger or indignation. Instead, He kindly reveals to Simon the intimate details of his impending fall, which He perceives as if they were right before Him. That very night, the fall occurs, and it is a tragic fall indeed! Three times Peter denies his Master, three times he claims he does not know Him, and then he weeps bitterly. My friends, we observe that the Apostle Peter had a deep love for his Lord, a fervent love, and out of this devotion, he made grand promises for himself. But why did he struggle to believe the Lord? Was it because he promised too much and acted too little? It stemmed from his reliance on himself, on his own perseverance. Are we any different from Peter?

The aspect that left the most significant impact on the disciples was Christ's words concerning His impending departure from them. In his bewilderment, Peter asked, "Where are You going, Lord?" Jesus replied, clarifying His statement: "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but later you will." This indicated that Peter would eventually possess the strength to endure suffering as Christ did, a capacity he had not yet attained. Although Peter was eager and prepared for self-sacrifice, he was unsettled by the thought of this future promise. Unaware of his own limitations, he insisted that he could follow immediately, declaring, "I will lay down my life for You, Lord." Jesus then prophesied that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed, which would occur before midnight.

Once more, Jesus cautions him against becoming too self-assured, "I tell you, Peter, today before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you know Me."

Peter was not satisfied with the situation and desired to follow the path of his Lord. When the determined disciple confidently asserted that nothing could hinder him from accompanying his Master, claiming he would ‘lay down his life for Him,’ the Savior corrected his overconfidence by foretelling that before the rooster crowed, he would deny Him three times. As He further disclosed the impending trials He would face, the Savior informed them that all would forsake Him that very night and scatter, yet He assured them He would reunite with them in Galilee after His resurrection.

The Passover meal typically concluded with the singing of praise psalms. In these hymns (Psalms 110-118), the glorious acts of God towards ancient Israel were celebrated, particularly focusing on their liberation from bondage in Egypt. However, for the apostles of the new covenant, these songs transformed into a new hymn (Psalm 95:1), offering praise to God the Redeemer for liberating all humanity from the deeper enslavement of sin and the devil, a fate far worse than that of the Egyptians. After this singing, the Lord, alongside His disciples, departed to the Mount of Olives, where He sought to forewarn them of the impending trials they would face.