#22 – How Many Times Will the Rooster Crow Before Peter Denies Jesus?
A subtle and funny contradiction emerges in the accounts of Peter’s denial of Jesus and the role of the rooster’s crowing.
In Mark 14:30, Jesus predicts: “Truly I tell you, today – yes, tonight – before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” True to the prediction, Mark’s Gospel records the rooster crowing twice as Peter denies Jesus three times (Mark 14:68, 72).
In contrast, the other Gospels — Matthew (26:34), Luke (22:34), and John (13:38) — simplify the prediction, stating that Peter will deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows, with no mention of a second crowing.
Jesus' birth stories in Matthew and Luke contain several examples of the contradictions in the Bible that scholars have noted since the work of Enlightenment thinkers in the 18th century. Let’s take a look!
#23 – The Hometown of Mary and Joseph
In Matthew’s Gospel, the hometown of Mary and Joseph is implied to be Bethlehem. The narrative begins with Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and continues with the family fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod’s massacre (Matthew 2:1-15). Only later, after returning from Egypt, do they settle in Nazareth, presented as a new location chosen to avoid Herod’s successor (Matthew 2:22-23).
Luke, however, explicitly states that Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth before Jesus’ birth. The couple travels to Bethlehem for a census, as Joseph is said to be of the house of David (Luke 2:4-5). After Jesus is born in Bethlehem, the family returns directly to Nazareth, with no mention of Egypt or Herod’s massacre (Luke 2:39-40).
#24 – Where Did the Family Go After Jesus’ Birth?
Another notable contradiction between Matthew and Luke concerns the family’s movements after Jesus was born. In Matthew, the Holy Family doesn’t return to Nazareth immediately. Instead, they flee to Egypt to escape King Herod’s order to kill all the male infants in Bethlehem.
In Luke’s Gospel, however, there is no mention of Herod’s massacre or a flight to Egypt. After Jesus is born, the family completes the required purification rites in Jerusalem (Luke 2:22-24) and then returns directly to their home in Nazareth.
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#22 – How Many Times Will the Rooster Crow Before Peter Denies Jesus?
A subtle and funny contradiction emerges in the accounts of Peter’s denial of Jesus and the role of the rooster’s crowing.
In Mark 14:30, Jesus predicts: “Truly I tell you, today – yes, tonight – before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” True to the prediction, Mark’s Gospel records the rooster crowing twice as Peter denies Jesus three times (Mark 14:68, 72).
In contrast, the other Gospels — Matthew (26:34), Luke (22:34), and John (13:38) — simplify the prediction, stating that Peter will deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows, with no mention of a second crowing.
you got to be chitting me? your objection is "no mention of second crowing" fukn eh your desperate king of the pedants
pizziss me off i even decided to read something of yours.
heres today scripture
Daniel 7:25 of the King James Version (KJV)
“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall
wear outthe saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time”.
This verse refers to a figure who opposes God and persecutes His people, indicating a time of tribulation for the saints.
you dont have anything your just trying to wear everyone out.
like leftie street frauds in the streets blowing on whistles to irritate everyone
This post was edited by TiStuff on Jan 22 2026 12:50am