Luke 22:34

And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Most interesting and touching is the fact, that whereas in the first, third, and fourth Gospels only one crowing of the cock is mentioned as sounding the note of Peter's fall, in the second Gospel-which all ancient tradition proclaims, and internal evidence suggests, to have been drawn up under the immediate eye of Peter-it is said that two crowings of the cock would sound his fall. And as it is Mark alone who records the fact that the cock did crow twice-the first time after one denial of his Lord, and the second immediately after the last-we have thus an affecting announcement, almost from his own pen, that warning after warning passed unheeded, until the second knell rung in his ears and bitterly revealed how much wiser his Lord was than he.

The fourth Gospel gives all this in a somewhat different and beautiful connection - John 13:36. Our Lord had been saying (), "Whither I go, ye cannot come. Simon Peter," not prepared for that, "said unto Him, Lord, where goest Thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now, but thou shalt follow Me afterward" - meaning to glory through the gate of martyrdom (John 21:18). "Peter" - getting a glimpse of His meaning but only rising to a higher feeling of readiness for anything, "said unto Him, Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now? I will lay down my life for Thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake?" What deep though tender irony is in this repetition of his words, which Peter as he retraced the painful particulars, would feel for many a day after his recovery! "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow, until thou hast denied Me thrice."