Cornelius a Lapide

Now Peter sat without in the hall: and a damsel came unto Him, saying, And thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. S. Matthew here goes back to the history of S. Peter, whom he speaks of (ver. 58) a? having followed Jesus into the hall; and he here brings together in one S. Peter's three denials, though they took place at different times. He sat at the fire warming himself. S. John says he stood; but this with the Jews merely meant that he was present, not any particular attitude He stood, it may be, at one time, and sat at another. But if he stood without, how was it that he was within the house? He was within, as being in the outer court, but without with respect to the inner court. Whence S. Ambrose says (Luke xxii.), “Where was it that Peter denied Christ? In the praetorium of the Jews, in the company of the wicked.” And Bede, too, on Mark xiv., “How hurtful is converse with the wicked! Peter amongst the servants of the High Priest said he knew not the man, though among the disciples he had confessed Him to be God.” A damsel One of inferior degree, “a doorkeeper,” says S. John. Hence we see more clearly the weakness and fear of Peter, who was staggered by the question of a humble damsel, and denied Christ ; though afterwards, when he had received the Spirit, feared not Caiaphas, or the whole Council, when he said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts iv.). Learn from this how weak is man when over-confident in himself and forsaken of God; and, on the other hand, how bold, if he distrusts himself and trusts in God. “Peter without the Spirit was overcome by the words of the damsel, but with the Spirit he yielded neither to rulers nor kings” ( Com. on S. Mark, apud S. Jerome). Peter's deceit. 24 1 But how did this damsel recognise Peter before all the men who had seen him in the garden with Christ? Because, as the doorkeeper, she carefully noticed those who went in and out And she observed that Peter was not one of the servants, but a stranger, and with an agitated look, and hence conjectured he was a follower of Jesus. For sagacious doorkeepers are quick in detecting, for it is difficult to conceal the feelings, and not to betray them by the look. Perhaps, also, she had seen Peter with the other Apostles, and had carefully noted his appearance. Of Galilee, For Jesus was of Nazareth in Galilee, and he calls him a Galilean, both as despised by the Jews, who thought that no Prophets came from thence (John vii. 62), and also as a seditious person, a follower of Judas of Galilee (Acts