Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 26:75

"And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly." — Matthew 26:75 (ASV)

Peter remembered the word of Jesus — Luke records (Luke 22:61) that it was at this moment, probably as He was passing from the council chamber, mocked and buffeted by the officers, that the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. That glance—full, we must believe, of the most tender pity and deepest sadness, as from one who was moved not by anger but by sorrow—recalled him to his better self, and the floodgates of repentance were opened.

From that hour, we lose sight of him until the morning of the Resurrection. We may infer from his appearing in company with John (John 20:3) that in his contrition, he turned to the friend and companion of his early years, who had probably witnessed his denials and was not rejected. The fact that the record of his fall appears in every Gospel indicates that, in later years, he did not shrink from letting people know of his guilt. Instead, he sought for them to find in him (as Paul afterward did in his own experience, 1 Timothy 1:12–16) a proof of the mercy and tender pity of his Lord.