Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has asked excessively that you be given up to him, that he might sift you like grain; but I have prayed especially for you, that your faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren. And Peter said to Him, Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death. But YAHSHUA said, I tell you, Peter, before a cock shall crow this day, you will three times deny that you know Me (Luke 22:31-34).
The hour was approaching, when our Lord was going to face trials and death. He spent his last days and hours with His disciples instructing them on what was about to happen to Him. Those hours were solemn hours for the disciples solely depended on YAHSHUA. The news of His coming death caused fear and uncertainties in their heart with confusion of their understanding. At that time, YAHSHUA had a warning for Peter that caused a change of heart. He said, Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has asked excessively that you be given up to him, that he might sift you like grain… (vs.31). But YAHSHUA would not allow Satan to do that to weak Peter. Instead, He prayed that Peter’s faith may not fail; and when he had turned again, to strengthen and establish his brethren (vc.31-32). But Peter insisted saying, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death (vs.33). A spiritual warfare was going on for the life of Peter in those hours without him knowing. YAHSHUA was defending and protecting him thorough prayer. But Peter ignorant of what was happening, refuted the Lord implying that he was strong and ready to die with YAHSHUA. A sign then was given to Peter by the Lord to prove to Peter His prophetic utterances to be right. He said to Peter: before a cock shall crow this day, you will three times deny that you know Me (vs.34). A cock is a male bird – rooster. Roosters break the dawn with a wakeup call for the world to get up and go. The rooster is the most reliable alarming clock there is. YAHSHUA used this to tell Peter that nature’s clock will prove him the veracity of YAHSHUA’S words. Wanting to get warm, Peter mingled himself with some others around, not knowing that they were going to test him. Peter’s weak personality couldn’t resist the first simple affirmation from a servant girl, his first encounter: “This man too was with Him.” He was confronted by two more, the third one emphatically insisted saying, It is truth that this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean! On the third time that he was challenged, Peter began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not even know the man! And at that moment a rooster crowed (Matt.26:74).
While Peter was still speaking, the cock crowed affirming YAHSHUA’S words to Peter and at the same time, The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And he recalled the Lord’s words, Before the cock crows today, You will deny Me thrice. Peter went out and wept bitterly (Luke 22:61-62). YAHSHUA’S eyes looked deeply into Peter’s soul and Peter, ashamed of the past few hours, was faced with his own failure, for the reality check caught him in a crucial time, when he rejected YAHSHUA’S warning. When his eyes met the eyes of the Savior, he had nothing to say, but weep for his actions. In life, there is always a rooster who will warn us of our actions. It is called the conscious. Often times, we shut it off, not wanting to admit our wrong doings, for the pleasure of it.
YAHSHUA warned Judas before his betrayal to save him from the terrible consequences, but his heart was fixed in doing it, no matter the cost. However, remorse took hold of his life; he lost it under the control of Satan, ending up in hell. At times we get angry at warnings, when pride controls the situation. We continue dancing around the fire that is about to devour us, until too late. Ignoring warnings brings consequences we do not want to face. There are no excuses and justification when we know what is right and remain doing wrong, ignoring the voice of reason. The Word of God says that any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it! Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, Hear and obey the sound of the trumpet! But they said, We will not listen or obey… Therefore, hear, I am bringing evil upon this people, the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not listened and obeyed My words, and as for My law, they have rejected it (Jer.6:16-17,19). In Peter’s case, he heard the prophetic words from our Lord, but as Israel rejected the warnings, in the desert, so, did Peter. However, the Lord gave him another chance and re-instated him to his position of apostle. His love for the Lord was tried three times, commending him to “Feed My lambs.” This time, Peter’s heart was repented and contrite before the Lord. He followed Him the rest of his life and died as a martyr for the Lord.
Light from the Word 