Why do you think Peter denied Jesus 3 times before Jesus was crucified? I know Jesus said he would, but?

Question

how awful Peter must have felt denying our Lord!

In China: Nope never have denied Jesus and never will.

I agree, it was fear, and Jesus knew we are human.

Answer 1

Remember Peter was human too and a sinner he was scared - but the love Christ Jesus had for him ...wow!
Peter loved Jesus but when faced with a difficult task the flesh took over (the denying 3 times).
Is encouraging because we are like Peter too,we will 'disown' Christ at times in our lives but we are still His (I am referring to Christians only)
Repentance is an amazing God given ability!

Answer 2

As already stated, fear is a pretty strong motivator, but just to toss in something different (and this is totally speculation), let's look at what we already know of Peter's personality.

1. He believed that Christ was the promised Messiah. He might possibly have believed at this time that nothing too awful was going to happen and it didn't really matter if he just brushed away this person that was irritating him with questions

2. He was a pretty outspoken person himself. He generally tended to open his mouth and say stuff before he thought it through.

3. He was a man of action. Look at his chopping off the official's ear. He was ready to fight then to protect Jesus.

And that brings me to the last possibility, Maybe - just maybe- he let his ego get in the way and said no, I don't know him, because he didn't want to admit that he allowed him to be taken from him.
Not any of these 'reasons' excuses his denial, but it does present us with the realization that we all are susceptible to more influences than just fear of our lives when it comes to what we may or may not do under various situations.
I'm sure Peter wouldn't have thought he would ever have denied Christ either - so let's don't get too high and mighty about what we would do in his situation. Let's just be thankful that God is forgiving if we are repentant.

Answer 3

It was fear, fear of death. There is no doubt that Peter loved The Lord and would fight for the Lord, but at this juncture he was not prepared to give his live. He must have reasoned, giving his life would not save the Christ. Still , you are so right, he was totally down by what he had done. He also knew Jesus would never had denied him.

Answer 4

I think that happened to demonstrate to 21st century skeptics a fundamental truth about our 'will power'. That truth is: our will power - alone, is worthless when up against wicked forces.

As someone said, in actuality: no one can 'guarantee' the next words out of her mouth. This is the so called Freudian slip (of the lip) wherein..we meant to say one thing and something else came out (which almost always is the truth).

I am sure Peter knew fear...but, I am equally sure he meant it when he told Jesus that he would fight and die for Him that night.

One more point, even Jesus in the 40 days of temptation did not use His own words..He quoted rejoinders from the Old Testament. The forces of wickedness in the heavenly spheres are quite powerful and Christians have not been taught how to properly fight them.

May I add: your nice spirit and compassion 'literally leapt' off the page to me.....Yes, it must have been a horrible feeling to have to bear and integrate. Did you know that Jesus asked: "Will I even find faith when I return"? That is a scary question. We Christians are going to be in the same position as Peter was one of these days...and I can guarantee you this...we do not KNOW how we will answer. Therefore, we need to pray for strength and courage to endure and answer rightly; when the time comes.

Just like Peter, we 'think' we know how we'll answer; but, we don't.

Maranantha

Answer 5

I believe it was part of God's plan, just was Judas was to betray Jesus. Why 3 times? Numbers are often used symbolically through-out the Bible. Perhaps it's to corrispond to Jesus being in the tomb 3 days?
Interestingly though, I have heard it said that in Mark 16:7, where the man tells the women to go and tell the disciples AND PETER that Jesus was going before them into Galilee, was a way of re-affirming Peter that Jesus still loved Peter.
I have also heard it said that Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him 3 times (John 21:15-17) as a way of repaying Peter's denial of Jesus.

Answer 6

Peter was about as low as he could get then. This was before the day of Pentecost, and he had not yet been infused with the Holy Spirit. It was not Jesus' will for His disciples to be crucified or tortured that day beside Him. That day was about Him, and His sacrifice. They had a mission still to continue, and He wanted them to survive that awful day to fulfill it. So I believe that He put it into Peter's heart to deny Him that day. Even so, I know it must have cost Peter a lot of personal agony.

Answer 7

We all do this very same thing. Everytime we stray from God and sin, we are denying His Sovereignty over us.
Everytime we fail to witness about Christ Jesus, we are guilty of the same sin Peter wrestled with. Every single one of us has rejected our Savior on many occasions. I'm just thankful that my transgressions aren't written in a book for the entire world to read. The main message of that story is that Peter was still used by God to accomplish Great things for our Lords Kingdom. Later on, Peter was hung on a cross (Upside down by his own request, because he did not fill worthy to die the same way Jesus did)
Regardless of our failures, God has a plan for everyone of us....God Bless You...Peace.

Answer 8

fear and not filled with the Spirit of God an d he openly wept too

yet after the resurrection before the assension Jesus told Peter do u love me -if u do feed my sheep

Hi! oak tree i wrote this to Moses = Dear God open eyes to the truth that life is LIFE + Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life, no one cometh unto heaven but by me." John 14 verse 6

Jesus said "The one that rejects my words, the same words will judge them in the last day." John 12:48

John 3 "Except you repent of sin and let me into your heart to save you and be your friend=born again, you can not see the kingdom of heaven."

Revelation 19-22nd chapters Jesus describes the joy of heaven and the agony of weeping forever and gnashing teeth in hell.

I am born a Jew & taught to reject Jesus -now he is my best friend and savior and I look forward to heaven and have no fear in death, once I would have died and gone to hell forever for rejecting the bible- so it gives me even more joy to know what Jesus has delivered me from and even more he is my best friend and savior as it explains how too John 3 repented of sins and born again Filled with His Spirit to share the gospel now.

and Acts records that Peter led over 3000 Jewish people to Jesus -so believe its a good thing and Jesus never gives up on anyone

Answer 9

you seem to missing a very important fact here, when Jesus died on the cross we all were able to receive forgiveness of sin, that includes Peter. Jesus was rebuking satan,Peter didn't want Jesus to die and Jesus knew that was the only way we could get forgiveness and be saved. satan knew that Jesus was going to give us a great gift so he used Peter to go against what God had planned. Jesus forgiving the soldiers is an example for us to forgive our persecutors. and Peter denied him out of fear of being crucified too. but he was forgiven for that too.

Answer 10

Fear and at that time Peter didn't have the Holy Spirit. He did
it in his weak flesh. He felt awful, but the Lord strengthen Him
in the end. Read 1 and 2 Peter.