Church Fathers Commentary Luke 22:54-62

"And they seized him, and led him [away], and brought him into the high priest`s house. But Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the court, and had sat down together, Peter sat in the midst of them. And a certain maid seeing him as he sat in the light [of the fire], and looking stedfastly upon him, said, This man also was with him. But he denied, saying, Woman, I know him not. And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou also art [one] of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not. And after the space of about one hour another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this man also was with him; for he is a Galilaean. But Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how that he said unto him, Before the cock crow this day thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly." — Luke 22:54-62 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: The wretched men did not understand the mystery, nor did they have reverence for such a merciful outpouring of compassion that He did not allow even His enemies to be wounded. For it is said, Then they took him... When we read of Jesus being held, let us guard against thinking that He is held captive in His divine nature, as if unwilling because of weakness. Rather, He is held captive and bound according to the reality of His human, bodily nature.

The Venerable Bede: Now, the Chief Priest means Caiaphas, who according to John was High Priest that year.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But first He was led to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, as John says, and then to Caiaphas, as Matthew says; but Mark and Luke do not give the name of the High Priest.

St. John Chrysostom: It is therefore said that He was taken "to the house of the High Priest" so that nothing whatever might be done without the consent of the chief of the priests. For they had all assembled there, waiting for Christ. Now, the great zeal of Peter is shown in that he did not flee when he saw all the others do so. For it follows, But Peter followed afar off.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He rightly followed at a distance, as he was soon to deny Him; for he could never have denied Him if he had clung close to Christ. But in this he must be revered: that he did not forsake our Lord, even though he was afraid. Fear is a product of our human nature, while his concern came from tender affection.

The Venerable Bede: The fact that Peter followed at a distance when our Lord was going to His Passion represents the Church, which would indeed follow by imitating our Lord’s Passion, but in a far different manner. For the Church suffers for herself, whereas our Lord suffered for the Church.

St. Ambrose of Milan: And by this time there was a fire burning in the house of the High Priest, as it follows: And when they had kindled a fire... Peter came to warm himself because, with his Lord taken prisoner, the heart of his soul had grown cold.

Pseudo-Augustine: For to Peter were delivered the keys of the kingdom of heaven; to him was entrusted an innumerable multitude of people, who were wrapped up in sin. But Peter was somewhat too vehement, as the cutting off of the high priest’s servant's ear indicates. If he, who was so stern and severe, had obtained the gift of not sinning, what pardon would he have given to the people committed to him?

Therefore, Divine Providence allowed him first to be held by sin, so that by the awareness of his own fall he might soften his overly harsh judgment toward sinners. When he wished to warm himself at the fire, a servant girl came to him, of whom it is written: But a certain maid beheld him...

St. Ambrose of Milan: What does it mean that a servant girl is the first to expose Peter, when surely men ought to have recognized him more easily? It means this: that her sex [womankind] should be plainly implicated in our Lord’s death, so that it might also be redeemed by His Passion. But Peter, when discovered, denies Him. For it was better that Peter should deny Him than that our Lord’s word should fail. Hence it follows, And he denied him, saying, 'Woman, I know him not.'

St. Augustine of Hippo: What is wrong, Peter? Your voice has suddenly changed. That mouth, once full of faith and love, has turned to hatred and unbelief. The scourge has not yet been applied, nor the instruments of torture. Your interrogator is not a person of authority who might cause a confessor to be alarmed. The mere voice of a woman asks the question—and she is perhaps not about to reveal your confession. And she is not just any woman, but a doorkeeper, a lowly slave.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Peter denied because he had promised rashly. He does not deny on the mount, nor in the temple, nor in his own house, but in the judgment hall of the Jews. There he denies where Jesus was bound, where truth is not. And denying Him, he says, 'I know him not.' It would be presumptuous to say that he knew Him whom the human mind cannot grasp. For no one knows the Son except the Father. Again, a second time he denies Christ, for it follows: And after a little while another saw him and said, 'You also are one of them.'

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is supposed that in the second denial he was addressed by two people: the servant girl whom Matthew and Mark mention, and another person whom Luke speaks of. With respect to what Luke relates here, And after a little while..., Peter had already gone out of the gate, and the cock had crowed the first time, as Mark says. Now he had returned so that, as John says, he might again deny Him while standing by the fire. Of this denial, it follows: And Peter said, 'Man, I am not.'

St. Ambrose of Milan: For he preferred to deny himself rather than Christ; or, because he seemed to deny being in Christ's company, he truly denied his own self.

The Venerable Bede: In this denial of Peter, we affirm that Christ is denied not only by one who says that He is not the Christ, but also by one who, being a Christian, says he is not.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He is also asked a third time, for it follows: And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, 'Of a truth this fellow also was with him.'

St. Augustine of Hippo: What Matthew and Mark call "after a little while," Luke explains by saying, 'about the space of one hour after'; but with regard to the length of time, John says nothing. Likewise, when Matthew and Mark record those who spoke with Peter in the plural, while Luke and John speak of one person, we may easily suppose one of two things: either Matthew and Mark used the plural for the singular as a common figure of speech, or one person in particular addressed Peter (as the one who had seen him), and others, trusting his word, joined in questioning him.

But now, as for the words that Matthew asserts were said to Peter himself—'Truly you are one of them, for your speech betrays you'—and those that John declared were said to Peter—'Did not I see you in the garden?'—we must consider that Mark and Luke state that the bystanders spoke to one another about Peter. We can resolve this in two ways. We can believe the opinion of those who say the words were really addressed to Peter (for what was said about him in his presence amounts to the same as if it had been said to him). Or, we can believe that the words were spoken in both ways—some to him, some about him—and that the Evangelists simply recorded these events differently.

The Venerable Bede: But he adds, 'For he is a Galilean'; this is not because the Galileans spoke a different language from the inhabitants of Jerusalem (who were Hebrews), but because each province and country has its own peculiarities and could not avoid a regional accent. It follows: And Peter said, 'Man, I know not what you say.'

St. Ambrose of Milan: That is, "I do not know your blasphemies." But we make this excuse for him; he did not excuse himself. For a convoluted answer is not sufficient for confessing Jesus; an open confession is required. And therefore, Peter is not portrayed as having answered this deliberately, for he afterward came to his senses and wept.

The Venerable Bede: Holy Scripture is often accustomed to mark the character of certain events by the time in which they take place. Hence Peter, who sinned at midnight, repented at the rooster's crow. For it follows: And immediately, while he yet spoke, the cock crew. The error he committed in the darkness of forgetfulness, he corrected by the remembrance of the true light.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We understand the cock-crow to have occurred after Peter's third denial, as Mark has expressed it.

The Venerable Bede: This rooster, I think, must be understood mystically as a great Teacher who rouses the listless and sleepy, saying, 'Awake to righteousness, and sin not.'

St. John Chrysostom: Marvel now at the care of the Master, who, though He was a prisoner, exercised great forethought for His disciple. By a single look, He brought Peter back to Himself and moved him to tears. For it follows: And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter.

St. Augustine of Hippo: How we should understand this requires careful consideration. For Matthew says Peter was sitting "without in the hall," which he would not have said unless the proceedings concerning our Lord were taking place inside. Likewise, when Mark says, 'And as Peter was beneath in the hall,' he shows that the events he had been speaking of took place not only inside but in an upper part of the house. How then did our Lord look upon Peter? It was not with His physical eyes, since Peter was outside in the hall among those warming themselves, while these things were happening in the inner part of the house. Therefore, it seems to me that this look upon Peter was done in a divine manner. And just as it was said, 'Look upon me and hear me,' and 'Turn, O Lord, and deliver my soul,' so I think the expression is used here: The Lord turned and looked upon Peter.

The Venerable Bede: For to look upon him is to have compassion, seeing that God's mercy is necessary not only while penance is being performed, but even for it to be performed at all.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Lastly, those whom Jesus looks upon weep for their sins. Hence it follows: And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, 'Before the cock crow, you shall deny me thrice.' And he went out, and wept bitterly. Why did he weep? Because he sinned as a man. I read of his tears; I do not read of his confession. Tears wash away an offense that one is ashamed to confess in words. The first and second time he denied, he did not weep, for our Lord had not yet looked upon him. He denied the third time, Jesus looked upon him, and he wept bitterly. So then, if you wish to obtain pardon, wash away your guilt with tears.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now, Peter did not dare to weep openly, for fear that he would be discovered by his tears; instead, he went out and wept. He wept not because of punishment, but because he had denied his beloved Lord—a sorrow more bitter than any punishment.