53. I was with you every day in the Temple area. Why didn’t you try to arrest me there? But this is your time—the time when darkness rules.”
54. They arrested Jesus and took him away to the house of the high priest. Peter followed Jesus but stayed back at a distance.
55. The soldiers started a fire in the middle of the yard and sat together. Peter sat with them.
56. A servant girl saw him sitting there. She could see because of the light from the fire. She looked closely at Peter’s face. Then she said, “This man was also with Jesus.”
57. But Peter said this was not true. He said, “Lady, I don’t know him.”
58. A short time later, someone else saw Peter and said, “You are also one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59. About an hour later, another man said, “It’s true. I’m sure this man was with him, because he is from Galilee.”
60. But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
61. Then the Lord turned and looked into Peter’s eyes. And Peter remembered what the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows in the morning, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”
62. Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.
63. The men guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him.
64. They covered his eyes so that he could not see them. Then they hit him and said, “Be a prophet and tell us who hit you!”
65. And they shouted all kinds of insults at him.
66. The next morning, the older leaders of the people, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law came together. They led Jesus away to their high council.
67. They said, “If you are the Messiah, then tell us that you are.” Jesus said to them, “If I tell you I am the Messiah, you will not believe me.