Peter’s Rooster

There are Passage in the Bible which, when you think of it, are just the tip of the iceberg, alluding to things far and wide and deep beneath the Passages themselves. How else to explain a passage in which its reference or meaning is not obvious?

Consider the exchange between Jesus and Peter in John 13:36–38. Peter asks Jesus where he is going, and Jesus’ response in Verse 36, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” In the next Verse, Peter says “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Commentators say that Peter is a compulsive disciple who tends to speak before he thinks. It may not be far-fetched to believe that Peter didn’t collect his thoughts before he starts expressing them. Jesus knows that Peter has no idea where he’s going; if he did, he probably would have added ‘if it is acceptable to you’ or something similar to that. Offhand, it doesn’t appear that Jesus actually says to anyone, including his disciples that they must die for him to show his love for him. He does say in Matthew 16:24-25 to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Jesus doesn’t command his disciples to die for him, he gives them a choice. On to the rooster...

In John 13:38, Jesus says to Peter “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.” When do roosters crow? They crow in the morning, about when the sun rises. How to interpret Verse 38? It’s not that the rooster will wait until Peter denies Jesus three times before he starts crowing; it’s that before morning comes around when the rooster crows, Peter will, in one day previous to the morning the rooster crows next, deny Jesus three times. We see in John Chapter 18, Jesus’ prediction of Peter denying Jesus comes true.

The first time is in John 18:15–17 when Jesus, having been arrested, is brought before a high priest along with one of his disciples. The high priest says in Verse 14 that “one man should die for the people.” Peter must have gotten wind that he, or the disciple with Jesus, may be asked to die for the people, since when in Verse 17 a servant girl asks Peter, who was standing outside, whether he was one of Jesus’ disciples, he answers “I am not.” That was Peter’s first denial.

Then, in John 18:25–27, others, in Verse 25, ask Peter if he is not one of Jesus’ disciples, and again he says, “I am not.” That was his second denial. Then one of the servants asks him in Verse 26 if he was not in the garden with Jesus, and Peter denies it in Verse 27. That was his third denial. And low and behold, also in Verse 27, a rooster crows!

Think of it. in Verse 13, Peter says to Jesus he was willing to die for him, yet in his three denials he couldn’t so much as admit that he was Jesus’ disciple. Surely that calls Peter’s commitment to Jesus that he expresses in Chapter 13 into question to say the least, at that point in time anyway.

So long as the Bible is in existence, you know THAT rooster, he ain’t gonna die, figuratively speaking.

peter2 said:

Hello, Newton
Do you mean so long as men don't admit to be Jesus' disciples, this rooster won't die ?

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That's one way of looking at it. Actually, so long as the Bible exist, the story of Peter and the Rooster will not die. Also, one lesson to take away from this, particularly in a subject and belief as sensitive as our belief in God through Jesus, is to think before we speak.

peter2 said:

Thank you for your answer, Newton.
What's your fear about speaking with too less forethinking ?
Didn't Peter often speak likewise, and Jesus kindly corrected him ?

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What you're implying is akin to a parent correcting a child's behavior by merely saying 'That's not nice,' instead of saying to the child that if the behavior continues there will be consequences. Lessons are often learned in terms of what can happen to us if we don't heed those lessons. We have seen those outcomes time and time again in the history of the world. In terms of earthly reasoning, what's the point in learning lessons if there are no consequences to not learning them? In the case of Jesus, it's a different story. Jesus being who he is, then, a true believer in God through him would heed the lessons he teaches as a matter of faith, without expecting consequences if we don't learn those lessons. He didn't have to say to his disciples, 'Do this or else.' They got the message, including Peter eventually.