' 1 Pet. ii. 20—23.
peter's fall and repentance.
Luke xxii. 61, 62. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the xoord of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and ivept bitterly.
THE fidelity of the sacred historians is a strong argument for the truth Of what they wrote, and for the divine commission which they bore. Had they been impostors, they would never have recorded all their own failings in such an artless and faithful manner. A greater blemish could scarcely exist in the character of an Apostle, than that which is here exposed : and yet it is not only mentioned by all the four Evangelists, but St. Mark, who wrote his Gospel under the immediate inspection of St. Peter himself, is most diffuse in aggravating the crime, and most reserved in noticing the repentance : he tells us of Peter's oaths and curses ; but observes only, that he wept : whereas St. Luke, who omits the former, tells us, that he wept " bitterly." The immediate occasion of Peter's repentance is mentioned only by St. Luke. It should seem, that his heart was affected by the expressive look which our Lord gave him.
It will be useful therefore to inquire, I. What that look expressed —
We may be certain that there was nothing vindic- tive in it —
[Never on any occasion did our Lord assume a menacing tone towards those who injured him : " when he suffered, he threatened not." When Judas came to betray him, he saluted the traitor by the tender appellation of Friend ; " Friend, wherefore art thou comea?" When the people came to appre- hend him, he only asked whom they sought ? and then told them, that he was the person. Yea, in the midst of all the torment and ignominy of crucifixion, he extenuated the guilt of his very murderers, and prayed to his heavenly Father to forgive them. Justly indeed might he have looked on Peter with anger, and have intimated, by an indignant aspect, that he, who now thus basely denied his Master, should speedily be denied by him at the bar of judgment. But, as no such words ever escaped his lips, so no such disposition ever manifested itself in his looks : he was altogether meek and silent, like a sheep before her shearers, or a lamb led to the slaughter1'.]
Nevertheless it, doubtless, conveyed a reproof to Peter—
[We may conceive, that our Lord intended to remind him of his folly in boasting, and of the presumption he had manifested, in declaring that, though all the Disciples should deny their Master, he never would ; and, that he would rather die with him than deny him. Such a reproof was necessary : but still it was expressed only in a look: and how different was it from the rebuke given him on another occasion ! When Peter, though in real kindness, desired to divert his Lord from the thoughts of suffering, Jesus, in righteous displeasure, said, " Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offence unto mec." But, when Peter wished to shrink from sufferings himself, even though, in order to avoid them, he denied his Lord with oaths and curses, the severest reproof that Jesus gave him, was, a look, a gentle intimation, that he had fallen by his own vain confidence and self-dependence.]
But the principal thing expressed in that look, we apprehend to have been pity and compassion —
[Having nothing revealed respecting this, we can only speak from conjecture. But, if we may be permitted thus to interpret a look, which perhaps no words could fully express, we may suppose it to have intimated somewhat to this effect : ' Ah ! Peter, see the sad consequence of trusting in yourself. See how you have not only dishonoured me, but wounded your own soul. But still, though your sin is so great, do not give