Jesus said unto him,
Verily I say unto you, That this night, before the cock crows, you shall deny me three times.
Read Chapter 26
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. In Greek α̉παÏνήση, abjure Me. Thou wilt do much worse than the others. Thy presumption deserves it. They only fled, thou shalt abjure Me.—The cock crows more loudly in the morning than at midnight. This time, then, is properly the cock-crowing. It was before this cock-crowing that Peter thrice denied Christ. As S. Mark says, "Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny Me thrice." Thou who art now so eager to confess Me, wilt be more frequent and eager in thy denials this very night than the cock in his crowing. And yet the cock awakes the sleepers to praise God, whilst thou, by thy denial, wilt excite others to revile Me.
Peter, says S. Jerome, made professions from the warmth of his faith, and the Saviour foretold, as God, what would be. And He gives the cock-crowing as a sign to Peter, in order that whenever he hears it he may remember Christ"s prophecy, may peni...
Before the cock crow. St. Mark is more particular; before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. The sense seems to be, before the time that the cocks crow the second time, towards the morning. (Witham) Christ's prayer and agony in the garden. He is seized, and carried before Annas and Caiphas.
For in proof that for this intent He permitted it, that He might amend this in him, hear what He says, I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not. For this He said sharply reproving him, and showing that his fall was more grievous than the rest, and needed more help. For the matters of blame were two; both that he gainsaid; and, that he set himself before the other; or rather a third too, namely, that he attributed all to himself.
To cure these things then, He suffered the fall to take place, and for this cause also leaves the others, and addresses Himself earnestly to him. For, Simon, says He, Simon, behold Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; that is, that he may trouble, confound, tempt you; but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not.
And why, if Satan desired all, did He not say concerning all, I have prayed for you? Is it not quite plain that it is this, which I have mentioned before, that it is as reproving him, and showing that his fal...
. With great audacity Peter alone promises not to stumble. Therefore Christ permitted him to fall in order to convince him not to be confident in himself but in God, and also to value Christ’s words as more trustworthy than his own knowledge of himself. Because Peter’s words "though all men shall stumble and fall" were full of arrogance, Christ shows him to be a braggart who did not know his own weakness. The Lord then foretells to him both the hour, that it will be "this night" and "before the cock crows," and also the number of the denials, that he will deny Him three times.
