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1. While the Lord Jesus was commending to the disciples that holy
love wherewith they should love one another, "Simon Peter saith unto
Him, Lord, whither goest Thou?" So, at all events, said the
disciple to his Master, the servant to his Lord, as one who was
prepared to follow. Just as for the same reason the Lord, who read
in his mind the purpose of such a question, made him this reply:
"Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now;" as if He said, In
reference to the object of thy asking, thou canst not now. He does
not say, Thou canst not; but "Thou canst not now." He intimated
delay, with out depriving of hope; and that same hope, which He took
not away, but rather bestowed, in His next words He confirmed, by
proceeding to say, "Thou shall follow me afterwards." Why such
haste, Peter? The Rock (petra) has not yet solidified thee by
His Spirit. Be not lifted up with presumption, "Thou canst not
now;" be not cast now into despair, "Thou shalt follow
afterwards." But what does he say to this? "Why cannot I follow
Thee now? I will lay down my life for Thy sake." He saw what was
the kind of desire in his mind; but what the measure of his strength,
he saw not. The weak man boasted of his willingness, but the
Physician had an eye on the state of his health; the one promised,
the Other foreknew: the ignorant was bold; He that foreknew all,
condescended to teach. How much had Peter taken upon himself, by
looking only at what he wished, and having no knowledge of what he was
able! How much had he taken upon himself, that, when the Lord had
come to lay down His life for His friends, and so for him also, he
should have the assurance to offer to do the same for the Lord; and
while as yet Christ's life was not laid down for himself, he should
promise to lay down his own life for Christ! "Jesus" therefore
"answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake?" Wilt thou
do for me what I have not yet done for thee? "Wilt thou lay down thy
life for my sake?" Canst thou go before, who art unable to follow?
Why dost thou presume so far? what dost thou think of thyself? what
dost thou imagine thyself to be? Hear what thou art: "Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast
denied me thrice." See, that is how thou wilt speedily become
manifest to thyself, who art now talking so loftily, and knowest not
that thou art but a child. Thou promisest me thy death, and thou wilt
deny me thy life. Thou, who now thinkest thyself able to die for me,
learn to live first for thyself; for in fearing the death of thy
flesh, thou wilt occasion the death of thy soul. Just as much as it
is life to confess Christ, it is death to deny Him.
2. Or was it that the Apostle Peter, as some with a perverse kind
of favor strive to excuse him, did not deny Christ, because, when
questioned by the maid, he replied that he did not know the man, as
the other evangelists more expressly affirm? As if, indeed, he that
denies the man Christ does not deny Christ; and so denies Him in
respect of what He became on our account, that the nature He had
given us might not be lost. Whoever, therefore, acknowledges Christ
as God, and disowns Him as man, Christ died not for him; for as
man it was that Christ died. He who disowns Christ as man, finds no
reconciliation to God by the Mediator. For there is one God, and
one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. He that
denies Christ as man is not justified: for as by the disobedience of
one man, many were made sinners; so also by the obedience of one man
shall many be made righteous. He that denies Christ as man, shall
not rise again into the resurrection of life; for by man is death, and
by man is also the resurrection of the dead: for as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive. And by what means is He
the Head of the Church, but by His manhood, because the Word was
made flesh? that is, God, the Only-begotten of God the Father,
became man. And how then can one be in the body of Christ who denies
the man Christ? Or how can one be a member who disowns the Head?
But why linger over a multitude of reasons when the Lord Himself
undoes all the windings of human argumentation? For He says not,
The cock shall not crow till thou hast denied the man; or, as He was
wont to speak in His more familiar condescension with men, The cock
shall not crow till thou hast thrice denied the Son of man; but He
says, "till thou hast denied me thrice." What is that "me," but
just what He was? and what was He but Christ? Whatever of Him,
therefore, he denied, he denied Himself, he denied the Christ, he
denied the Lord his God. For Thomas also, his fellow-disciple,
when he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God," did not handle the
Word, but only His flesh; and laid not his inquisitive hands on the
incorporeal nature of God, but on His human body. And so he touched
the man, and yet recognized his God. If, then, what the latter
touched, Peter denied; what the latter invoked, Peter offended.
"The cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice." Although
thou say, "I know not the man;" although thou say, "Man, I
know not what thou sayest;" although thou say, "I am not one of
His disciples;" thou wilt be denying me. If, which it were sinful
to doubt, Christ so spoke, and foretold the truth, then doubtless
Peter denied Christ. Let us not accuse Christ in defending Peter.
Let infirmity acknowledge its sin; for there is no falsehood in the
Truth. When Peter's infirmity acknowledged its sin, his
acknowledgment was full; and the greatness of the evil he had committed
in denying Christ, he showed by his tears. He himself reproves his
defenders, and for their conviction, brings his tears forward as
witnesses. Nor have we, on our part, in so speaking, any delight in
accusing the first of the apostles; but in looking on him, we ought to
take home the lesson to ourselves, that no man should place his
confidence in human strength. For what else had our Teacher and
Saviour in view, but to show us, by making the first of the apostles
himself an example, that no one ought in any way to presume of
himself? And that, therefore, really took place in Peter's soul,
for which he gave cause in his body. And yet he did not go before in
the Lord's behalf, as he rashly presumed, but did so otherwise than
he reckoned. For before the death and resurrection of the Lord, he
both died when he denied, and returned to life when he wept; but he
died, because he himself had been proud in his presumption, and he
lived again, because that Other had looked on him with kindness.
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