Peter Denies Jesus Bible Stories Jesus Forgives Peter

Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem for a very special time, the Passover celebration. This Passover, though, was the most special Passover, because God was about to rescue his people again. This time he would free people from the power of sin. And he had sent his own son to do the job. You might have already heard the story of the Last Supper. The Last Supper is the final meal that Jesus had with his disciples when he told them that soon he would be leaving to return to his Father in heaven. At the Last Supper, he broke bread and shared it with the disciples, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And he poured wine for them to drink, telling them, This is my blood, which confirms the special relationship between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice. The meal was a happy occasion because they were all together. But a sad one, too. They knew that the elders of different faiths were looking for Jesus, because they wanted to throw him in prison, or worse. Jesus told the disciples that the elders and their soldiers were getting closer to finding him. As well as showing them how to eat the Lord's Supper with the bread as his body and the wine as his blood, Jesus foretold that the faith of his disciples would soon be tested. All of you will desert me. For the scriptures say, God will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there. The disciples did not believe Jesus. They had seen Jesus perform miracles. They believed in him and loved him as the Son of God. They would never betray him. One of the disciples, Peter, who had said to Jesus, Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will. But Jesus knew that Peter would face a special test. And so he told Peter, I tell you the truth, Peter. This very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me. Peter was horrified. He would never deny that he knew Jesus. He was proud to be a disciple. So Peter said with passion and sureness in his voice, No, even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you. Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. All of the other disciples nodded in agreement with Peter. They believed they would never deny that Jesus was their Lord, the Son of God. And they were followers of his teachings. After their supper, Jesus led three of his disciples to a beautiful olive grove called the Garden of Gethsemane. The stars twinkled above them, and the moon lit their pathway. The three disciples he had chosen to come with him were Peter, John, and James. They walked into the olive grove, where the twisted gray tree trunks surrounded them, and the cool green leaves rustled gently in the warm breeze. The disciples and Jesus had come to Gethsemane many times before to pray, so they knew the garden well. As they walked, Jesus began to look troubled and sad. He said to Peter, John, and James, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. Stay here and keep watch with me. The three disciples felt tired and weary after their meal and their walk to the garden. But they were happy to be with Jesus and were keen to obey his wishes. They assured Jesus that they would stay awake and pray, watching out for anyone walking into the garden. Jesus walked a little way away from the three disciples and knelt to pray to God, his Father. Father, if you are willing, remove this suffering from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. He prayed for a bit longer, thanking God for his love. He walked back to where his three disciples had been keeping watch as he asked them to and found them all asleep. He was disappointed. He woke them and said, Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation. It was then that Jesus saw another of his disciples, Judas, coming into the garden of Gethsemane. An army of men followed Judas. The army has been sent by the local leaders and governors who didn't believe that Jesus was the Son of God and wanted to punish him for his preaching. When Jesus saw them coming, he said to Peter, John, and James, Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go. Here comes my betrayer. Peter, John, and James were astonished to see Judas leading the governor's army right to Jesus. Judas had betrayed Jesus. The one I kiss is the man you seek. Arrest him. Jesus did not run or hide from the men who had come to arrest him. He simply said to Judas, Do what you came for, friend. And as Judas stepped forward and kissed Jesus on the cheek, Peter drew a sword from his belt and attacked one of the soldiers, cutting his ear off. Jesus held up his hand and said, Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Peter understood that this was all part of Jesus' plan. Although he was sad and scared for Jesus, he put his sword back into his belt. Jesus stepped forward and healed the soldier's ear. But even this wasn't enough to soften the hearts and open the faith of the soldiers. They seized Jesus and dragged him from the garden of Gethsemane, while Peter, John, and James fled. Jesus had been arrested by local governors and leaders, and he was taken to the house of a Jewish high priest. Inside the house, Jesus was questioned about his preaching, his parables, and why he said he was the Son of God. Outside, Peter had not fled after all. Instead, he had carefully followed the soldiers and Jesus at a safe distance, trying to see where they were taking him. Peter was scared that if the soldiers saw he had followed Jesus, he would be arrested and questioned too. A crowd of soldiers and servants from the Jewish high priest's house had gathered outside around a fire. Peter carefully and quietly slipped into the crowd, sitting by the fire to warm himself in the cold night air. In the light of the fire, a servant girl looked at him suspiciously. This man was also with Jesus. The servant girl pointed at Peter, and the crowd turned to look. But Peter, scared of the soldiers, shook his head and said, No, I do not know him. A second servant girl peered at Peter across the fire. This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth. I don't know what you're talking about. The crowd murmured and looked at each other with narrowed eyes. They were still suspicious. A man shouted out to Peter, You must be one of them, because you're a Galilean. And Peter swore for a third time that he did not know Jesus. A curse on me if I'm lying. I don't know this man you're talking about. As the last word left Peter's lips, he heard a rooster crow twice. He remembered what Jesus had said to him the night before, that Peter would betray Jesus this very night before the rooster crows twice. As the sun came up, Peter wept and wept. Peter had done just as Jesus had predicted. Peter had let Jesus and God down.