Mark 14:72

Mark alone noted that this was the second time the cock crowed (cf. Mark 14:68). Peter had evidently received an earlier warning but had disregarded it. Now he remembered Jesus’ prediction and broke down (Gr. epibalon, cf. Luke 22:61). He remembered too little and too late.

Peter now drops out of the picture until after Jesus’ resurrection. He had finally learned his own weakness and consequently seems to have felt unable to face the pressure of public identification with Jesus.

The parallels between Peter’s behavior and Jesus’ are all too evident. Both men faced a three-fold temptation. One defeated the tempter, and the other fell before him. While Jesus served God faithfully as His Servant on the upper floor, Peter failed to serve God faithfully on the lower floor. The reason for the difference goes back to Gethsemane. Disciples must learn from Peter’s failure as well as from Jesus’ success.

"The importance and relevance of Peter’s denial for the church to which Mark writes is obvious. To a church under severe pressure of persecution it provided a warning. If denial of Jesus Christ was possible for an apostle, and one of the leaders of the apostles at that, then they must be constantly on guard lest they too deny Jesus. The story also provided assurance that if anyone did fail Jesus under the duress of persecution, there was always a way open for repentance, forgiveness, and restoration (cf. Mark 16:7)." [Note: Wessel, pp. 771-72.]