What About Peter’s Denial of Christ?

First off, an interesting 1970-1971 speech by Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Council of the Twelve (who, of course, later went on to serve as president of the Church):

“Peter, My Brother”

Then a note on the story by Blake Osler that was brought to my notice by Robert Boylan:

“Follow up comments on Peter and Easter”

Brother Boylan is inclined to disagree with Brother Ostler on the grounds that “the Greek can be read as either a command or a prophecy, but Peter’s subsequent actions (his remorse after his three-fold denial of Christ [Matt 26:75]) as well as the need for Him to affirm his love for Jesus three times in John 21:15-17 (reminiscent of his three-fold denial of Christ) forces me to hold that Jesus was predicting, not commanding, Peter’s denial.”

I see the force of Brother Boylan’s reservation, and he may well be right.  However, I’ve long entertained at least the possibility of the same view of the story that Brother Ostler expresses, and I’m not absolutely sure that Matthew 26:75 and John 21:15-17 rule it out.  I can easily imagine a man of Peter’s dedication and courage feeling terrible about his three-fold denial even if he also felt that it was his obligation to do it.  And I think it may have been his obligation:  The leadership of the Church was to fall upon him after Christ’s death.  He knew that.  And he knew that getting himself arrested and very likely executed in the wake of a grand but futile gesture would serve no useful purpose but, indeed, might put the future of the Church at risk.