Skip to content ↓

That Pesky Rooster

Articles Collection cover image

You might have noticed when reading through the Gospels that, when it comes to Jesus predicting Peter’s denial, Mark records Jesus telling Peter that he will deny him three times “before the rooster crows twice” (Mark 14:30). Matthew, Luke and John, on the other hand, don’t mention a specific number of crows. They just record Jesus saying that Peter will deny him before the rooster crows, presumably at all (Matthew 26:34; Luke 22:34; John 13:38).

But how did it actually happen? I found myself wondering this after my Bible plan took me through Matthew’s and then Mark’s account. Did Peter deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed at all, or did the bird get one cock-a-doodle-do out there before Peter’s denials were done? I went looking for answers and here is what I found.

Commentators agree that this way of phrasing the question probably presents a false dilemma. One interpretation is put forward in a way that forces the other to be a contradiction, but, as is so often the case, there may be a third alternative that enables both sides to stand without contradiction and still be as faithful to the text.

Andreas Kostenberger presents the third option to this question in his ESV Study Bible note on John 13:38:

In a number of manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel, though not all, Mark mentions the rooster crowing “twice” (Mark 14:30, 68, 72), but roosters could crow a number of times separated by a few minutes. Mark specifies the first two individual crowings (as evidently Jesus did), while Matthew, Luke, and John focus on the shameful act of Peter’s denial. They therefore drop this detail and report Jesus as referring to the entire set of crowings as the time the rooster crows.

So the rooster probably crowed many more than two times. Mark mentions that number for some reason, perhaps to remain as faithful as possible to Jesus’ actual words, or to make it clear that Peter denied Jesus at the very end of the night. Or just because he liked detail. I guess the why is less important than the what.

The other Gospel writers communicate the same basic thing, only less specifically. Their use of the word “crow” includes “the entire set of crowings” that a rooster would unleash in the morning. So yes, like Mark records, Peter will deny Jesus before the rooster finishes crowing—but whether it will be long before or sometime in the middle, they don’t really care to say.


  • A La Carte Thursday 1

    A La Carte (February 13)

    A La Carte: The conundrum of celebrity Christians / The Luka trade / Dopamine media / The best place to hide an idol / Overcoming blind spots in parenting and leadership / and more.

  • Dreams

    What Becomes Of All Our Dreams?

    My dad loved to cook. This was a passion that began relatively late in his life after the kids had moved out. With an empty nest, my parents were able to live a slower-paced life and my dad began to dabble in cooking. He soon found that he loved it and that my mother was…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (February 12)

    A La Carte: A young Christian reading John Mark Comer / Being inconvenient / Breaking gender stereotypes to the glory of God / Gluten-free and non-alcoholic / AI-Pocalypse Now / and more.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (February 11)

    A La Carte: To those living in secret sin / The time Jesus Left the 99 / The discipline of remembrance / No-contact for toxic relationships / Relational wisdom / and more.

  • Dumb Will Do

    Dumb Will Do: Why Satan Doesn’t Need Heresy

    There is one memory of my earlier years as a Christian that I’ve never been able to shake. It’s a formative memory that I actually don’t think the Lord means for me to shake, for it has often reminded me that, when it comes to the local church’s worship, the stakes are sky high.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (February 10)

    A La Carte: Break shame’s chains / I don’t deserve this / Seeing the world like a Great Gray Owl / The cosmic canvas / Preserving wonder / Kindle deals / and more.