John 18:25

The second denial took place as Peter stood and warmed himself. It is clear that more than one person came at him at once, because the statement is, "So they said to him." Matthew leads us to judge that after the first denial Simon had moved away from the fire and gone to the porch, where another person saw him. It seems that many different enemies attacked the apostle and followed him about the court. The answers he gave to these attacks are much the same each time, though the wording varies.

You well know the sad details that led up to his open denial of his Lord. He slept in the garden. He followed far behind. He sat down in the judgment hall to warm himself at a fire lit by Christ's enemies. Let us beware of fires, of warmth and comfort and pleasure, created by the enemies of the Lord Jesus. How many young Christians have forgotten this, and paid dearly for it. Peter identified himself with the world. He is now ashamed to identify himself with a rejected Master.

The high priest presses on with his questions; Peter repeats his sin. He had slept when he should have watched and prayed. He had walked into the place of temptation instead of listening to the Lord's warning. ... Bad company corrupts good habits. Confessing Jesus in front of friends is very different from confessing Him in front of bloodthirsty enemies. Peter would not have failed like this before others if he had not already failed with his Master.

The scene changes again. In sharp contrast to the Master, we see how the poor servant does when he is tested. The Lord stands bound before His enemies. Peter stands free among the Lord's enemies, warming himself. ... Like Peter, we have the flesh in us and the devil against us. We have to learn that nothing will keep us from denying the Lord under the stress of fear: no love for Him however real, no knowledge of Scripture however great, no good intentions however honest, no experiences however deep, no gift however great, not even the divine life we have. Only being kept near to the Lord, and strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, will hold us up.

It is worth noting that this is one of the few episodes recorded by all four Gospel writers. God does not take pleasure in recording the sins of His saints. So we may be sure that this record carries warning and instruction that all saints in all ages badly need. Self-confidence is one of the most common and deep-seated tendencies of the flesh. If we do not judge it and refuse it, it always leads to disaster.

May we remember, for our great comfort, that even before we slip, He has been pleading for us, as He pleaded for Peter. "I have prayed for you," said the loving One, "that your faith may not fail." He did not pray that Peter would not fall. He prayed that, after the fall, Peter's confidence would not give way and his faith would not fail. He pleads for us in the same way. That is how He holds us up, and how He restores us when we fall.

His fall happened while he was warming himself at the world's fire, among the servants of the high priest, who was completely hostile to his Master. Now he finds himself beside a fire his Lord had lit. There the Lord not only warms him but feeds him, and he sits among fellow servants as devoted to his Master as he is.