Peter denies the Lord, just as Jesus had warned him that he would, but this is only the first denial. On cue, the rooster crows as if God is trying to stir Peter's soul to a new-found fortitude or to remind him of his failure that has just begun to unfold. As the verses that follow show (Mark 14:69-72), Peter does not awaken from his spiritual slumber until later. He continues down the path of denial and abandonment that was begun in the Garden of Gethsemane when he ran away as Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:50). How many times have we been caught in the lure of sin or the spiral of spiritual weakness and not heeded the Lord's warning and not found his way of escape?