Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard,

but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, "I am not."

It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.

Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."

When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded.

"If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?"

Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it, saying, "I am not."

One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?"

Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Insights Regarding Fire (18:15-24)
The fire—is it merely a detail or a significant insight? While reading the passage, did the presence of a fire stick out to you, or did you pass over it and focus more on Peter’s denial and the interaction between the high priest and Jesus? There are two insights into this passage that we can discover by examining the presence of this seemingly minute detail. First, the presence of a fire confirms that Jesus was being put on trial during the night. The trial had to take place during the night if the Jews wanted to bring Him to Pilate the next day. Second, the fire at night signified that something unusual, but of momentous proportions, was taking place. After all, according to A.N. Sherwin-White, a scholar on ancient Roman society in the New Testament, in those times lighting a fire was an act of extravagance when people were sleeping.

Integrity (18:25-27)
What is the cost of your integrity? What kind of situation will cause you to lose and sacrifice your integrity? For Peter, it was the desire to please others. Every time Peter was asked if he was one of Jesus’ disciples, in the Greek, he was asked in a way that expected the response, “No.” As a result, each time Peter was asked, he submitted to the pressure of his questioner and sacrificed his integrity. Wanting to please others and stay discrete, he did not think much of his lying until the rooster began to crow (v. 27). Immediately, he remembered Jesus’ words to him earlier, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” (John 13:38).

When you read the Bible, do you skim over it, or do you savor every word? Spend some time meditating on Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 119:105.

What is the cost of your integrity? Is it the desire to please others? Money? Lust? Popularity? Fame? Education? Search your heart and offer that area of your life back to God.