Church Fathers Commentary John 18:25-27

"Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore unto him, Art thou also [one] of his disciples? He denied, and said, I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, being a kinsman of him whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter therefore denied again: and straightway the cock crew." — John 18:25-27 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: After the Evangelist says that they sent Jesus bound from Annas to Caiaphas, he returns to Peter and his three denials, which took place in the house of Annas. He repeats what he had said before: And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, he means that the once fervent disciple was now too lethargic to move even when our Lord was carried away, showing thereby how weak human nature is when God forsakes it. Asked again, he again denies: They said therefore to him, Are you not also one of His disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Here we find Peter not at the gate but at the fire when he denies the second time, so he must have returned after going out of the doors, where Matthew says he was. He did not go out and have another servant girl see him on the outside; rather, another girl saw him as he was rising to leave. She pointed him out and told those who were nearby—that is, those standing with her at the fire inside the hall—This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. He heard this outside, returned, and swore, I do not know the man.

Then John continues: They said therefore to him, Are you not also one of His disciples? We suppose these words were said to him when he had come back and was standing at the fire. This explanation is confirmed by the fact that, besides the other servant girl mentioned by Matthew and Mark in the second denial, there was another person, mentioned by Luke, who also questioned him. This is why John uses the plural, They said therefore to him.

Then follows the third denial: One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, says, Did not I see you in the garden with Him? The fact that Matthew and Mark speak of the group questioning Peter in the plural, whereas Luke and John mention only one—with John adding that this person was the kinsman of the man whose ear Peter cut off—is easily explained. We can suppose that Matthew and Mark used the plural as a common figure of speech for the singular, or that the one who had observed him most closely asked the question first, and others followed up, pressing Peter further.

St. John Chrysostom: But the garden did not bring back to his memory what he had said then, nor the great professions of love he had made. Peter then denied again, and immediately the cock crew.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Behold, the prophecy of the Physician is fulfilled, and the presumption of the sick man is demonstrated. What Peter had said he would do, he did not do: I will lay down my life for Your sake. But what our Lord had foretold came to pass: you will deny Me thrice.

St. John Chrysostom: The Evangelists have all given the same account of Peter's denials, not with any intention of casting blame on him, but to teach us how harmful it is to trust in ourselves and not to ascribe everything to God.

The Venerable Bede: Mystically, the first denial of Peter signifies those who denied that our Lord was God before His Passion, while the second signifies those who did so after His resurrection. Likewise, the first crowing of the rooster signifies His resurrection, and the second signifies the general resurrection at the end of the world. The first servant girl, who compelled Peter to deny, signifies lust; the second signifies carnal delight. The one or more servants signify the devils who persuade people to deny Christ.