While Annas and his men were thus showing their hate toward Jesus, who stood bound and alone among his enemies, Peter was still in the court-yard warming himself at the fire.  A woman, who was a serving-maid in the house, looked at Peter sharply, and finally said to him: 

“You were one of those men with this Jesus of Nazareth!”

Peter was afraid to tell the truth, and he answered her: 

“Woman, I do not know the man; and I do not know what you are talking about.”

And to get away from her, he went out into the porch of the house.  There another woman-servant saw him and said:  “This man was one of those with Jesus!”

And Peter swore with an oath that he did not know Jesus at all.  Soon a man came by, who was of kin to Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off.  He looked at Peter, and heard him speak, and said: 

“You are surely one of this man’s disciples; for your speech shows that you came from Galilee.”

Then Peter began again to curse and to swear, declaring that he did not know the man.

Just at that moment the loud, shrill crowing of a cock startled Peter; and at the same time he saw Jesus, who was being dragged through the hall from Annas to the council-room of Caiphas, the other high-priest.  And the Lord turned as he was passing and looked at Peter.

Then there flashed into Peter’s mind what Jesus had said on the evening before!

“Before the cock crows to-morrow morning, you will three times deny that you have ever known me.”

Then Peter went out of the high-priest’s house into the street; and he wept bitterly because he had denied his Lord.

THE STORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB

After Jesus was taken before the high-priest where he was ridiculed and the people spat upon him, he was taken before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, who ruled over Judea.  He heard their complaints, but did not find any cause for putting him to death.  But at last he yielded to their demands, although he declared Jesus was innocent of all wrong.

[Illustration:  He heard their complaints]

And so Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, gave command that Jesus should die by the cross.  The Roman soldiers then took Jesus and beat him most cruelly; and then led him out of the city to the place of death.  This was a place called “Golgotha” in the Jewish language, “Calvary” in that of the Romans; both words meaning “The Skull Place.”

With the soldiers, went out of the city a great crowd of people; some of them enemies of Jesus, glad to see him suffer; others of them friends of Jesus, and the women who had helped him, now weeping as they saw him, all covered with his blood and going out to die.  But Jesus turned to them and said: 

“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For the days are coming when they shall count those happy who have no little ones to be slain; when they shall wish that the mountain might fall on them, and the hills might cover them, and hide them from their enemies!”