This Was Done Thrice

On the night of the Last Super, Peter and the Savior had this conversation as recorded by John: “Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice” (John 13:36-38). John included in his account the fulfillment of that prophecy. Here was the first denial: “Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not.” This was the second denial: “And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.” And this was the third: “One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew” (John 18:17, 25-27). Not only did John record exactly three denials, just as the Savior prophesied, but he even recorded the rooster crowing to show the fulfillment of Jesus’s words in every particular.

                My niece, soon to be departing on a mission, recently highlighted in a sacrament meeting talk a connection between this story and what John subsequently recorded in his last chapter in the gospel. I do not think I had thought of this before, but I can see now that John wanted us to link the stories together. After the Savior’s resurrection, He visited His disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and ate with them. John recorded, “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17). Having denied the Savior three times, Jesus now gave Peter the opportunity to affirm his devotion three times. Surely Peter thought back to that fateful night as he declared thrice that he did love the Lord. John also recorded that this appearance of the Savior was the “third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead,” emphasizing I believe the importance of the number three in this story. Peter was given the chance to redeem himself in a way, putting his three denials in the past forever as he declared three times his love for the Savior. The rest of his life would be a testament not to his denials but to his affirmations of love for Jesus as he gave his all to feed the Savior’s sheep.

                I wonder if there is not also a connection between this experience and what happened when Peter learned that the gospel was to go to the Gentiles. In a dream he was told to kill and eat beasts which had been ritually unclean in the law of Moses. Luke recorded, “But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven” (Acts 10:14-16). Perhaps this repetition of the vision three times, which clearly Peter noticed and recounted since it made it into Luke’s account, reminded Peter of the times when he had repeated something thrice. While he pondered on this vision, men came to the gate where he was at. The account records, “While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them” (Acts 10:19-20). It wasn’t just that there were three people there but that the Spirit told him specifically that three were there for him. I have to think that this again took him back to his experience with the Savior when he affirmed three times his love and heard the Savior tell him three times to feed His sheep. Now with three men before him, right after a vision being told three times not to call common that which God has cleansed, Peter saw before him the way to indeed feed the Savior’s lambs and prove his devotion as he would take the gospel to the Gentiles.