This is the forty-fifth installment, comprising Act 6,
Scene 8, chapter 14:66-72, in the online commentary on the Gospel of Mark,
which I am blogging on throughout the liturgical year. Please see the forty-fourth installment here. Links to the entire series are available in one spot at The
Complete Gospel of Mark Online Commentary.
This is my division of the Gospel:
Prologue, 1:1-13;
Act 1, 1:14-3:6;
Act 2, 3:7-6:6;
Act 3, 6:7-8:26;
Act 4, 8:27-10:52;
Act 5, 11:1-13:37;
Act 6, 14:1-16:8(20).
Scene 8: 14:66-72
66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, "You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth." 68 But he denied it, saying, "I do not know or understand what you are talking about." And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. 69 And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them." 70 But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, "Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean." 71 But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know this man you are talking about." 72 At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and wept. (NRSV)
This entire scene revolves around two thematic issues which
have been developed by Mark throughout the whole Gospel: the fecklessness of
the apostles; and Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy, especially as these
prophecies are made manifest in the events of his life. In Act
5, Scene 6, Jesus prophesied Peter’s denial of Jesus, which Peter
vehemently denied. In the
previous scene, Peter has followed Jesus at a distance, attempting to be both
present and hidden in the shadows. It is clear that he is drawn to his teacher,
but also filled with fear when he sees the physical abuse Jesus suffers.
He is drawn out of the shadows here by “one of the
servant-girls of the high priest” (14:66). The Greek paidiskê
means in the first instance “little girl,” but the diminutive in this context
clearly refers to “female slave” and probably denotes a young slave. It seems
likely that Peter came to her attention when Jesus was arrested. When she sees “Peter
warming himself, she stared at him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus, the man
from Nazareth’”(14:67). Mark by including "she stared at him," demonstrates the initial tension in this scene. She has her eyes fixed on Peter. It is not obvious that she identifies Peter in a threatening way
- she is after all a little girl and a slave- but any identification of Peter
as a follower of Jesus might imply a threat. It might simply be curiosity which attracts her to Peter. Certainly Peter would not have
been hiding himself, though, if he were at ease with the circumstances or his relationship
with Jesus.
He senses the threat in being identified with his arrested
Messiah and plays dumb, denying any knowledge of Jesus: “I do not know or
understand what you are talking about” (14:68). When Peter leaves the area to
go to the forecourt, the cock crows.
The second identification by the slave girl has more of an
edge to it, as the dramatic tension is built by Mark. Mark also creates a
greater sense of danger to Peter, as the girl now tells the bystanders, “This
man is one of them” (14:69). By speaking to the crowd in general and
identifying Peter to them, the girl seems to be interested in creating
mischief. She also speaks with greater certainty. Who knows what the result will be if the crowd knows this is Jesus’
disciple? Percolating beneath the surface is the potential for menace from the
mob, the same or similar mob as that which came to arrest Jesus. Peter denies that
he is a follower of Jesus for the second time (14:70).
The third time that Peter is challenged, it is the crowd
itself, the bystanders, who turn on Peter. When the bystanders become engaged
in this identification, it is clear that Peter’s life is threatened. The bystanders say to Peter, “Certainly you
are one of them; for you are a Galilean” (14:70). At this point, Peter takes it
upon himself to make his denial more formal or “official.” He “began to curse,
and he swore an oath, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about’”(14:71).
By swearing an oath, Peter has placed his life on a lie. He senses that his life is in danger and he
preserves it by denying Jesus and the life that he has led by following him. He
has chosen himself over Jesus. He wants to continue as a follower of Jesus, as even after Jesus' arrest Peter continues to follow at a distance or in the shadows. Yet, Peter cannot maintain this strength of
character or purpose. He preserves his own life. Mark has created a scene in
which each challenge to Peter has created greater danger. Each time Peter could
have acknowledged his relationship with Jesus, but each time he becomes more
vociferous in his denial. Peter has shown himself to be a human being, striving to be faithful but often weak and afraid.
At the point of his third denial, “the cock crowed for the
second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock
crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ And he broke down and wept”
(14:72). This scene, when imagined visually, creates tension both at the level
of physical danger to Peter – the
previous scene, which Peter might have been watching, shows Jesus being
physically abused – and at the level of prophetic fulfillment. Jesus knows what
is to occur to him; he knows how strangers and bystanders will act; he knows how
his disciples will behave. These prophetic fulfillments both relieve and create
tension. They relieve tension because what occurs is known to Jesus and a part
of the divine plan; they create tension because however much Jesus is aware of
what is to happen, we still cannot imagine how these events will lead to God’s conquest
of sin and death.
John W. Martens
Follow me on Twitter @BibleJunkies
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