Matthew 26:71Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

An astonishing occurrence indeed! When Peter witnessed his Lord being arrested, he was filled with such fervor that he drew a sword and severed the ear of one of the captors. Yet, at the moment when he should have displayed greater outrage at the affronts being hurled, he instead denies knowing Christ. Who among us would not have felt anger at such an injustice? However, this disciple, overwhelmed by fear, showed no signs of indignation; instead, he disowns any connection to the Lord, despite the feeble challenge posed by a mere servant girl. And this denial was not a single instance but occurred a second and a third time. It happened quickly, not even in front of any judges, as he was merely in the courtyard when the girl confronted him as he exited through the gate.

And he once again denied, asserting with an oath that he did not recognize the man. I have encountered individuals who, out of reverence for the apostle Peter, interpret this passage in a manner that suggests Peter was denying a mere human, rather than God. In this view, his declaration meant, ‘I do not know this man, for I know God.’ However, a discerning reader can see how insubstantial such reasoning is, for those who defend Peter in this light inadvertently accuse the Lord of falsehood.

When Peter was questioned again, “And you are one of those who were with Jesus the Galilean?” (Matt. 26:69), he hesitated to repeat the eternal verb in his response, acknowledging that those who had received the gift of life were not constantly with the Son of God. It was as if Peter were declaring, “Only He who existed from the beginning was always present” (see Jn. 1:1). He replied, “No” (in the Latin text of both the Gospel and St. Ambrose's writing, it reads, “Non sum ego,” or literally, “I am not”) (Lk. 22:58). The expression “I am” can be attributed solely to the eternal Being, of whom Moses stated, “The Being sent me” (Ex. 3:14).

How afraid he was! He not only rejected it but also swore a vow. Instead of leaving the gate, he approached it, that is, he went to the courtyard, as noted by Mark (Mark 14:68).

What unfolds next? The accounts provided by the Evangelists indicate that the subsequent happenings involving Peter occurred close to where he initially denied Christ; St. John notes merely that the Lord was taken from Annas to Caiaphas. Thus, Ananus and Caiaphas resided within the same high priestly courtyard, where all the painful events involving Peter transpired. While the Savior faced questioning by Caiaphas, Peter, still devoted to his Master and anxious about His fate, found himself at the entrance of the courtyard. In that moment, a servant girl noticed him and declared to those nearby, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Peter, among the group of servants gathered around a fire to keep warm, remained silent in response to her remark. Yet, following her lead, one of the servants inquired, “Aren’t you one of His disciples?” (Luke 22:58). Soon after, others echoed the same question: “You are one of His disciples?”

Her suspicion was validated once more by the gatekeeper: "This one is one of them" (Mk. 14:69), she remarked, which prompted a logical inquiry from the servants of the religious leaders present: "Are you not also one of His disciples?" (John 18:25). Meanwhile, another individual, observing him intently, declared assertively: "Yes, and you are one of them" (Luke 22:58).

In this passage, Peter disavows his association with Jesus, as recounted by John, who was present during these events. Initially, he responds to the inquiry of the gatekeeper (John 18:16), then he denies knowing Jesus to a servant (Luke 22:58; Matthew 26:71; Mark 14:69), and finally to a relative of Malchus (John 18:26). At that moment, the rooster crowed for the second time (Mark 14:30, 42). Jesus turned to gaze at where Peter stood, prompting the disciple to weep profusely. How did Peter yield to temptation so quickly? If he had faced a clear threat, he might have shown greater bravery. However, it is likely that such boldness would have led to his capture. The Lord permitted Peter's fall to ensure his future service in the faith.

Peter had already denied the Lord once, and it seemed that the first crow of the midnight rooster served as a reminder of Jesus' forewarning and a caution against further betrayals. However, Peter did not heed this signal. As he was leaving the gate, another servant girl approached him and, drawing the attention of those present, declared, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."

This led him to depart from the flames and move toward the door; yet, another servant girl encountered him and started to proclaim to those nearby that ‘this man was also associated with Jesus of Nazareth.’ Increasingly bewildered by this, Peter began to affirm vehemently that he ‘did not know this man.’

“Departed from the gate”: perplexed by the exchange, Peter retreated from the inner courtyard to the outer area, possibly seeking to remain unnoticed; however, the fulfillment of the Lord’s word was destined to take place.

Peter entered the courtyard, joining the group of attendants gathered around a fire, trying to keep warm while the detainee was being questioned. He hoped that by blending in, he could glean all necessary information from the guards' conversations. However, once suspicion arose, it began to circulate among the servants, much like intriguing news.