“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 13:37-38 

 The New Testament was written in the cultural context of ancient Israel. Many times, details are given, but our understanding of the culture is assumed, and things are not spelled out for us. We are far in both time and space from the events recorded, which further hampers our comprehension. In this passage, and the parallel texts in the other Gospels, we assume that Peter’s actions preceded a rooster crowing in the morning as they do. Jesus prophesies that Peter will deny knowing Him before the cock crows, which is exactly what happens. It seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it?  

What Sound Did Peter Hear?

In the ancient Jewish writings called the Mishna, we learn that “one may not raise chickens in Jerusalem.” (M. Bava Kama 82b). This prohibition is repeated several times in the Mishna and dates to the first century. So how do we reconcile this prohibition on chickens in Jerusalem with what is written in the Gospels? If we read further, we learn that at daybreak on feast days and holidays, the priests in the Temple would begin their preparations for the special day’s worship. We are told that they would begin around “cock crow”, which was a set time before daybreak, most likely 3 AM (M. Tamid 1:2). At cock crow, a priest would climb to the place of trumpeting on the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount and blow a silver trumpet with a series of blasts. It would announce to the inhabitants of Jerusalem the beginning of another special holiday in the Temple. (M. Sukkah 5:4) Over time, this trumpeting became known colloquially as “the cock crowing.”

The Trumpet for Passover

In the cold hours of that fateful morning, Peter denied knowing Christ. He did not just deny Jesus; he denied Him with swearing and cursing. However, Peter’s distinctive Galilean accent betrayed him, and the others knew that he was a follower of Christ. Then, the cock crew. The priest stepped to the place of trumpeting, and when he received the signal from his superior, he blasted across Jerusalem the announcement that Passover was here. When Peter heard it, he knew that the trumpet announced that today was a special feast day. Today a lamb would die on the altar for the sins of the people, just as one had done every year for over a millennium. He wept bitterly because he knew that today the Lamb of God would die in his place, and he had just denied Him.  

The Trumpet Sound of Christ’s Return

Christian, are you ready for Christ’s return? As we wait for the trumpet blast that will announce the feast day of the King, it is easy to get discouraged and deny Him. If that is you, please know that after denying Jesus, Peter stood a few steps away from this very spot and proclaimed the Gospel. Thousands came to Christ through his preaching. If you have lost your boldness for God, and even denied that you know Him, I urge you to repent.   

“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:” Mark 13:35

A replica of the stone (photo above) is erected where the original was found. The original stone was thrown off the Temple Mount by Roman soldiers during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It was found where it fell in 1968. Photo by John Buckner.

About John Buckner