What is the meaning of Luke 22:57? But Peter denied it • Only hours after vowing, “Lord, I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33), Peter flatly rejects any link to Jesus, fulfilling the Lord’s warning in Luke 22:34 (see also Matthew 26:34; Mark 14:30; John 13:38). • The scene happens around the high priest’s courtyard fire (Luke 22:55), a setting Jesus had just described as the place where Satan would sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31-32). • His denial exposes the weakness of flesh when prayer is neglected; a short time earlier Jesus had urged the disciples to “pray that you will not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:46). Woman, • The challenge comes from a servant girl (Luke 22:56; Mark 14:66; John 18:17). A seemingly insignificant voice becomes the test of Peter’s allegiance. • “Woman” is a common form of address—courteous yet impersonal. By keeping her at arm’s length, Peter tries to distance himself from the threat her question represents. • God often uses ordinary people to reveal what is hidden in the heart (1 Corinthians 1:27). I do not know Him • “Know” speaks of personal relationship; Peter denies the very bond he had confessed in Matthew 16:16. • Jesus had warned, “Whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33) and Paul echoes, “If we deny Him, He will also deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12). • Fear of man overrides fear of God (Proverbs 29:25). Peter chooses self-preservation over truth, illustrating Titus 1:16—people can "claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him." • Yet his lapse is momentary; Christ’s earlier words, “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:32), assure restoration. he said • Luke records the spoken denial, reminding readers that “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). • Words carry weight: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). • Peter’s statement is public, audible, and therefore carries covenantal significance—yet Jesus will later publicly reverse the denial by inviting Peter to affirm love three times (John 21:15-17). • The verse underscores personal accountability while hinting at future grace (Luke 22:61-62). summary Luke 22:57 captures the first crack in Peter’s confidence: a deliberate, verbal rejection of Jesus under pressure. It warns believers against trusting personal resolve, highlights the danger of fearing people more than God, and showcases Scripture’s accuracy in recording both prophecy and fulfillment. At the same time, the passage anticipates the Savior’s mercy—Peter’s fall is real, but so is his restoration—assuring us that failure met with repentance can become a testimony to God’s unfailing grace. |
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