Those who’d arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they didn’t find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I’m able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? What’s this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you’re the Messiah, the Son of God.”
“You’ve said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you’ll see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He’s spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you’ve heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
“He’s worthy of death,” they answered.
Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”
Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.
But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you’re one of them; your accent gives you away.”
Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”
Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you’ll disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Matthew
Love Never Dies 