Peter claimed he would die before he would ever deny Jesus.--When it came time for Christ's betrayal, Peter demurred. Why was this----The key is Christ's forbidding Peter from fighting to stop His murder. In other words, Christ deprived Peter of a -fair fight- with swords and fists. So long as Peter could strike the enemies of Jesus with weapons of war, his determination was secure.--But Christ forbade Peter from using carnal methods in the cause of Christ. It was at this point, that the disciples all forsook Christ and fled.--It turned out that Peter's boast to stick with Christ was limited to circumstances where He, as a man, could put up a fair fight with arms. Peter was a man of action, and such a battle appealed to him.--So long as Peter could resist physically and violently the taking of the Savior, he was operating in his zone of comfort as a strong and determined man---But the idea of submitting according to the will of God to violent men, to murderers, to traitors, that Peter could not and would not do.--If Jesus wasn't going to put up a fight, how could Peter----But Christ must be slain to save His people from their sin- The gospel plan of salvation was utterly contrary to carnal man's way of thinking.--To submit to the Holy Ghost, to place one's hope in a savior who died to save us, was to turn away completely from all self-reliance, earthly power, strength, and self-righteousness.--Peter and the other disciples were not ready for all that-