016 - How to reconcile the accounts of the four gospels about Peter's denial?

How to reconcile the accounts of the four gospels about Peter's denial?

 

I do not know if you have ever wondered about the apparent discrepancy between the four gospels about Peter's denial. This for many years troubled me until now. Finally, I was able to see the harmony between the narrations.

To better understand this, let's look at how each evangelist narrated this episode:

 

 

1^nd time:

 

	TO WHOM PETER DENIED	WHERE PETER DENIED
MATTHEW	damsel	sat without in the palace
MARK	one of the maids of the high priest	beneath in the palace (warming himself)
LUKE	certain maid	in the midst of the hall (sat by the fire)
JOHN	damsel that kept the door	While he pass by door

 

	HOW PETER WAS ACCUSED	AS PETER DEFENDED HIMSELF
MATTHEW	Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee	I know not what thou sayest
MARK	And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.	I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest
LUKE	This man was also with him.	Woman, I know him not
JOHN	Art not thou also [ one ] of this man's disciples?	I am not

 

 

2^nd time:

 

	TO WHOM PETER DENIED	WHERE PETER DENIED
MATTHEW	Another [ maid ]	gone out into the porch
MARK	Same maid	went out into the porch
LUKE	A man	X
JOHN	They	stood and warmed himself

 

	HOW PETER WAS ACCUSED	AS PETER DEFENDED HIMSELF
MATTHEW	This [ fellow ] was also with Jesus of Nazareth.	he denied with an oath, I do not know the man
MARK	This is [ one ] of them.	he denied it again
LUKE	Thou art also of them.	Man, I am not
JOHN	Art not thou also [ one ] of his disciples?	I am not

 

 

3^nd time:

 

	TO WHOM PETER DENIED	WHERE PETER DENIED
MATTHEW	They (after a while)	That stood by
MARK	They (a little after)	That stood by
LUKE	Another man (space of one hour)	X
JOHN	One of the servants of the high priest	X

 

	HOW PETER WAS ACCUSED	AS PETER DEFENDED HIMSELF
MATTHEW	Surely thou also art [ one ] of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.	Then began he to curse and to swear, [saying], I know not the man.
MARK	Surely thou art [ one ] of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth [ thereto ]	he began to curse and to swear, [saying], I know not this man of whom ye speak.
LUKE	Of a truth this [ fellow ] also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.	Man, I know not what thou sayest.
JOHN	Did not I see thee in the garden with him?	Peter then denied again

 

HOW DID JESUS SAY THAT PETER WENT DENY HIM?

 

1^st time Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him

 

JOHN

“He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.” (John 13.30-38)

 

2^nd time Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him

 

LUKE

“And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.” (Luke 22.24-34).

 

3^rd time Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him

 

MATTHEW

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.” (Mateus 26.30-34)

MARK

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.” (Mark 14.26-30

 

Let us gather everything, then, so that we may have a more accurate understanding of what actually happened on that fateful dawn.

When Jesus was arrested, Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved (who many suspect was John) followed Jesus (John 18:15). As this disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the high priest's room (John 18:15). Peter was initially forced to stand outside at the door (John 18:16). Then came the other disciple who was known to the high priest, and spoke to the gate-keeper, leading Peter inward (John 18:16).

As Peter walked through the door, the door-keeper touches him and asks:

- “Art not thou also [ one ] of this man's disciples?”.

Then Peter answered:

- “I am not” (John 18.17).

After entering, Peter sat outside in the courtyard. At this moment, another maid arrives in Peter and says:

- “Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee” (Matthew 26.69).

But he denied before all, saying:

- “I know not what thou sayest” (Matthew 26.70).

Peter then decides to go to the middle of the courtyard (Luke 22:55), whether to warm up because of the cold or to try to hide among several people. In this came a third servant, one of the servants of the high priest (Mark 14:66), and seeing Peter warming himself, looked at him and said:

- “And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.” (Mark 14.67).

Then she looks at everyone who was warming themselves on the fire and says:

- “This man was also with him.” (Luke 22.56).

However, Peter denied saying:

- “Woman, I know him not, neither understand I what thou sayest” (Mark 14.68; Luke 22.57).

 

Peter then goes out to the porch, and the cock then sings for the first time (Mark 14.68).

 

It was fulfilled, then, what Jesus prophesied to Peter through Matthew and John: Peter denied it three times before the cock crowing, being that at one time he denied that he knew Jesus.

There on the porch, he could not rest. And not for less: what was a Galilean, at dawn, in that cold, was doing there? Wherever he went on the porch, he drew attention. Peter then goes back to the fire.

Recalling what one of the high priest's servants said, some of those who stood there looked at Peter more calmly, and then asked:

- “Art not thou also [ one ] of his disciples?” (John 18.25).

Peter denied:

- “I am not” (John 18.25).

But one of the men who were near the campfire, whether to irritate, provoke or mock, insists:

- “Thou art also of them.” (Luke 22.58).

Pedro, then, nervous, protests saying:

- “Man, I am not” (Luke 22.58; John 18.25).

Pedro, then, irritated, returns to the porch. Again the high priest's maid finds him and begins to tell those who were there:

- “This [ fellow ] was also with Jesus of Nazareth. This is [ one ] of them.” (Matthew 26.71; Mark 14.69).

Peter, then, denied again with oath:

- “I do not know the man” (Matthew 26.72; Mark 14.70).

Considering the use of the particle "And" in "And one of the servants of the high priest, the kinsman of the one to whom Peter cut off his ear" (John 18:26), implies that Peter went back to the middle of the courtyard to warm himself near the campfire.

There, this servant tells Peter:

- “Did not I see thee in the garden with him?” (John 18.26).

Peter then denied again (John 18.27).

When there was almost an hour that Peter had denied that he knew Jesus (take as reference Luke 22.58) another man told him there near the campfire:

- “Of a truth this [ fellow ] also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.” (Luke 22.59).

Peter insisted:

- “Man, I know not what thou sayest.” (Luke 12.60).

Peter then goes back to the porch and those who were there say:

- “Surely thou art [ one ] of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth [ thereto ]” (Mark 14.70) (o mesmo que o homem acabara de dizer).

And those who were there, reasoning with one another, complete:

- “Surely thou also art [ one ] of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.” (Matthew 26.73).

Pedro, then, bursting with so much anger, begins to curse and swear:

- “I know not this man of whom ye speak.” (Matthew 26.74; Mark 14.71).

 

And while he was yet speaking, the cock crowed. And when the Lord turned, he looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as he had said to him. (Luke 22.60,61).

 

It was fulfilled, then, what Jesus foretold to Peter according to Mark and Luke. Joining what the two disciples said, is so: "I tell thee, Peter, verily I say unto thee, that this day, [ even ] in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me" (Mark 14:30, Luke 22:34).

The question comes: why can we gather what Mark and Luke have said? Matthew and John were eyewitnesses to everything that happened. However, for some reason (perhaps because of the discussion that arose among the apostles about who was the greater, as well as the shame of being rebuked by Jesus - Luke 22: 24-30), Matthew and John did not pay attention to what Jesus said to follow (Luke 22: 31-34) and, therefore, recorded only this piece of the narrative where Jesus says: ""I tell thee, Peter, verily I say unto thee, that this day, [ even ] in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me".

For Matthew, what most attracted attention was the third time that Jesus said Peter would deny Him. Already for John, what struck the attention was the first time that Jesus said that Peter would deny Him.

However, Mark and Luke wrote on the basis of the account of others.

Mark, also called "John Mark" (Acts 12.12), was the son of Mary and nephew of Barnabas (Colossians 4.10), one whom Peter considered as a son (1 Peter 5.13) and who greatly collaborated with Paul (2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24). Because of the great intimacy between him and Peter, it is very probable that it was from his own mouth that he came to the knowledge of the facts and, probably for Peter, what was most marked was the cock crow (so much so that, as soon as the cock sang, Peter remembered what Jesus said). Hence Mark emphasized only the cock crowing the second time that Jesus said that Peter would deny him. However, as Mark only narrated the third time Jesus predicted Peter's denial, he emphasized the cock's singing in it.

Luke, on the other hand, must have received the information from sources which they considered most important the second time that Jesus predicted Peter's denial, particularly in the fact that he would deny "knowing Him." It is quite probable that the number of times the cock crowed was not so important to this people, but rather a disciple as close as Peter, who participated in all the moments of Jesus' life, to deny that he did not even know his Master.

Of course, there must be something deeper behind it. When the Eternal reveal me, I share with you.

May Jesus bless you today and always.