This is the human part of the story. There is nothing divine in being betrayed by a friend, denied by your pupil, or deserted by your companions. Jesus now knows the exposed, intimate hurt betrayal brings. All of a sudden everyone knows his friendship with Judas isn’t what they thought. There is a force as strong as love at work. But bold Peter goes for a softer version. He chooses the whitest of lies; a disownment where the one being denied didn’t even have to be present for it to occur. Who will ever know? By this action he said their whole history was worth erasing, pretending all the miles walked together, bread broken, lessons taught, never happened. And the rest of his companions give into the base instinct born of fear, and flee for their lives. The real forces of power and danger have arrived and no one knows how it will end. Not even Jesus is worth waiting around for.