John 13:36-38 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Where I go, thou cannot follow me now; but thou shall 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, Will 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.
The 30th New Testament prophecy in John that is fulfilled: ‘Where I go, thou cannot follow me now; but thou shall follow me afterwards.’
Peter wanted to know just why He could not follow Jesus now. He was willing (so he said) to die and go along with Him now. Christ knew Peter better than he knew himself, so made a prediction that proved it.
Peter’s answer to Jesus was that he was ready to go with Him, both into prison and to death. (Luke 22:33) This kind of pride and boastfulness was the cause of Peter’s downfall (Pro. 16:18). Such is likely to happen to anyone who does not take heed (1Cor. 10:12-13).
The 31st New Testament prophecy in John that is fulfilled: The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.’ This prophecy seems to have been uttered more than once: in the upper room (John 13:38; Luke 22:34) and once after leaving it (Mat. 26:30-35; Mark 14:26-32).
In Luke 22:32 Jesus said the following to Peter: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fails not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” This does not mean that Peter had not been converted, for he had been and had served God for over three years. It simply refers to the fact that he was headed for a fall, and that he would come back to God and be reconverted becoming stronger than before. This is not the case with all men that fall into pride.
Living the Word 