Introduction
Well, please turn with me in your Bibles to John 18. I mentioned last time we had the Lord's Supper. We're going to work our way through John's passion narrative, John chapter 18 to chapter 20, and then we'll pick up the epilogue in chapter 21. But tonight, the trial of Jesus before the Jews, specifically in chapter 18, verses 13 to 27, so I'll begin reading there in verse 13.
Scripture Reading: John 18:13–27
And they led him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.
But
Peter Enters the Courtyard
Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in. Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you? He said, I am not.
Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coal stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them and warmed himself. Then the High Priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spoke openly to the world.
I always taught in synagogues and in the temple where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them. Indeed, they know what I said.
And when he had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Do you answer the high priest like that? Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil. But if well, why do you strike me? Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, You are not also one of his disciples, are you? He denied it and said, I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, Did I not see you in the garden with him?
Peter then denied again, and immediately a rooster crowed. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this account, this narrative concerning our Lord and what he went through on our behalf. We know, Lord God, that he came down from heaven. He assumed our humanity with all of its essential properties and common infirmities thereof and yet without sin.
And he did such in order to fulfill that law, to die as a sacrifice and a substitute on the cross and to be raised again for our justification. We bless you for so great a Savior. We bless you for so great a salvation. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would shine the light upon the glory of Christ as He comes to us in the pages of Holy Scripture.
Again, forgive us now for all of our sin, and we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Well, last time we noticed the arrest of Jesus, verse 12 in chapter 18, goes with that particular section. Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. And
Overview of the Passage
then John moves on to what's in essence a preliminary trial when he appears before Annas. He is then sent to Caiaphas for the actual trial before the Jews with what we call the Sanhedrin. Of course, the Sanhedrin then sends him on to Pontius Pilate because the Sanhedrin didn't have the authority to execute criminal offenders. They didn't have the power or authority to implement the death penalty.
So, they needed the Roman governor to sign off on this particular situation. So, John alone records this preliminary hearing and we see that in verses 13 and 14. We have the meeting with the high priest. Secondly, we have the first denial by Peter in verses 15 to 18.
We have then the examination by the high priest in verses 19 to 24. And then finally, the other denials by Peter in verses 25 to 27. So while Peter is denying our Lord, Jesus is testifying faithfully before Annas. John methodologically is setting the two in sort of a contrast.
You've got faith less, or at least looking like, Faithless Peter, cowering in fear, denying his knowledge of the Lord. And then you've got faithful Jesus fighting the good fight before Annas, the high priest. So
Meeting with the High Priest
let's look first at the meeting with the high priest in verses 13 and 14. There's a bit of ambiguity. We see at times Annas is referred to as the high priest, but technically Caiaphas was functioning as the high priest. Annas was high priest from 86 to 15, but he was deposed by Pilate's predecessor.
The Romans had influence over such things. Five of Annas' sons served as high priest, as did his son-in-law Caiaphas. They covered AD 17 to 41, and Josephus records that. So when it calls Annas the high priest, it would be similar to a president who's no longer functioning in the office still being called president.
So in Acts and in Luke, we see that Annas is referred to as high priest, and that he's a high priest alongside of Caiaphas, simply because he's his father, simply because he held the position, and as the father in that particular family, he would be renowned, and he would be given that title of respect. What we see here, as I said, is a preliminary hearing. So in verse 13, and they led him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one should die for the people.
So
Caiaphas and Substitutionary Prophecy
notice back in John chapter 11, turn with me there, you've got Caiaphas who basically prophesies and sort of nudges the Sanhedrin in the direction of killing the Lord of glory. Notice in John 11 at verse 49, and one of them, basically they're sitting around and wondering and deliberating, what are we going to do with this Jesus? I mean, he's famous, he's popular, everybody loves him. How do we deal with this man?
It's a bit of a menace to the Sanhedrin. He's a menace to the unbelieving religious structure in Israel at that time. Of course, Jesus has debated with them openly. Jesus has disputed with them openly.
Jesus has repudiated them. Jesus has condemned them. Jesus has pronounced woes upon them. And so, of course, they've got a Jesus problem, and they want to deal with it.
And so, in verse 49, it says, and one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, you know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish. Now this he did not say on his own authority, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that he would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. So Caiaphas spoke better than he knew. He's preaching substitutionary atonement, whether he knows it or not, and this is ultimately the glory of the Christian gospel.
Christ died for the nation, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the great shepherd, and he is the one who gave himself for us. And then notice in verse 53, then from that day on, they plotted to put him to death. Edward Klink says his, Caiaphas, importance is not merely his position of authority, but the manner in which he used it to direct the strategy of the Jews to kill Jesus, which the narrator intentionally reminds the reader.
So verse 14, now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. Again, a blessed truth, it's glorious that one man died For the people, us, the people of God, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, those whom God chose from before the foundation of the world, those He predestined unto everlasting life. But Caiaphas prophesied this, or rather he prophesied it unknowingly, but it was the actual truth and accomplished by the Most High. Now in terms of bringing harmony with John and the synoptic gospels, John doesn't deal with Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin properly.
The synoptics don't mention the meeting with Annas, the synoptics being Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So basically what you have is this preliminary hearing. And then Jesus is shuffled over to this trial before the Sanhedrin. He's then sent to appear before Pontius Pilate.
Pilate, for a moment, sends him over to Herod, because Pilate plays past the buck, as politicians are so good at doing. And then Jesus comes back, and then Pilate renders that decision under pressure from the Jews, political blackmail, and Pilate ultimately gives the kill order with reference to our Lord Jesus. So the harmony holds up. The legitimacy of the text are pure, and what we have is utter consistency.
John comes at one angle, and Matthew, Mark, and Luke come at another angle. Same data, same truth.
First Denial by Peter
That brings us to the first denial by Peter in verses 15 to 18. It says, And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door outside.
Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her, who kept the door, and brought Peter in. Then the servant girl, who kept the door, said to Peter, You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you? He said, I am not. Now the servants and officers who made a fire of coal stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves, and Peter stood with them and warmed himself." So what we find here, again, running parallel with Jesus' preliminary hearing before Annas is Simon Peter denying his Lord.
We don't know who the other disciple was, as he's not named. A lot of commentators suggest it was John. It was John, the author of the fourth gospel, which would make good sense. It sounds like eyewitness testimony, but we're not given his particular name.
In Matthew's gospel, it tells us that the disciples forsook Jesus and fled, according to Matthew 26, 58. But it goes on, in verse 58, it goes on to say, Peter followed him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. that at a distance already suggests not great things with Peter. I'm not going to condemn or consign Peter to the depths of hell. In fact, I think Peter is representative of many of us that we do get cowardly.
We don't always stand up. We're not eight foot tall and bulletproof, and we know that, and we oftentimes slink under the pressure that is all around us. Matthew Henry says, it looks ill and bodes worse when those that are willing to be Christ's disciples are not willing to be known to be so. Here began Peter's denying Him.
For to follow Him afar off is by little and little to go back from Him. There is danger in drawing back, nay in looking back. There's a good lesson here for us. So I said, in Matthew, he's following him from a distance.
He follows out of love, but it's a distance because he's afraid. There's a fearfulness that has overtaken Simon Peter. So again, the particular setting is the courtyard, we've got two disciples, and then we see the denial proper. Notice specifically in verse 16, Peter stood at the door outside.
Then the other disciple who is known to the high priest went out and spoke to her who kept the door and brought Peter in. Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, you are not also one of this man's disciples, are you? So what is she doing? She's trying to establish guilt by association.
It's not a direct attack or a direct assassination upon the person of our Lord, but rather, you're not one of His disciples, are you? You're not one of those fellows, those rabble-rousers that hang out with this particular man, are you? And note Peter's words. He says, I am not.
I am not. He does not deny that Jesus is the Christ, but he denies that he himself is a follower of this Jesus. No, I'm not. I just happen to be here.
I just kind of want to see what's happening and going on in this particular part of the world at this particular time when Jesus is standing before Annas, and I'm in the courtyard of the high priest, and I'm with my other friend here, and I'm just hanging out. He denies it. The apostle Peter cut off the ear of the high priest's servant in the garden, and here with a servant girl, he's not willing to confess and own that he's a disciple. The Peter that we see in the arrest of Jesus, and the Peter that we see here in the denial of Jesus, again, not to pick on Peter, but I think it reflects something of the human heart. even of the redeemed human heart.
There are those times we're ready to take on all comers, and then there are those times when we're sheepish, we're cowardly, we don't speak up, we don't testify, we don't give an account of the glory of the Most High God. And that is Simon Peter, the man who takes out a sword and he strikes the servant, cuts off his ear, ready and willing to die with our Savior, is now denying him before a servant girl in the courtyard. And then notice the distancing from Jesus. Notice the distancing from Jesus.
Verse 18, now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coal stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves, and Peter stood with them and warmed himself. Judas stood with them as well when they came to the garden to arrest Jesus. This doesn't bode well for Peter. He is standing with them, according to verse 18, and he is standing with them, according to verse 25.
He's not standing with his Lord. He's not supporting the Savior. And I don't mean necessarily that he's in close proximity to him. I am saying that he does deny the master who bought him.
He does deny to this servant girl, no, I'm not one of his disciples. That's not me. He must have made a mistake in terms of identity. So the close connection that we find with reference to Jesus before Annas and Peter with reference to these persons shows the contrast.
It shows the difference. It shows the distinction between these two men. Praise God that our Lord is our Lord. Jesus is steadfast and truthful before his accusers.
Peter is cowardly and deceptive before his questioners. It's cowardice. It's deception. No, I'm not one of his disciples.
Of course you are one of his disciples. Why won't you own that? Why won't you confess that? Again, I'm not picking on Peter.
There's been plenty of times where I should have spoken up, where I should have held my ground, where I should have said whatever it is, and probably you're in that same boat. But nevertheless, Peter is representative here of that sort of fickleness or inconsistency that at times finds its way into the hearts of God's people. And if you think about that, it's pretty obviously bizarre. Why wouldn't we side with the God of absolute glory, sovereignty, and power?
You know, Paul asks the question in Romans chapter 8, if God is for us, what can man do? The psalmist calms his readers in Psalm 46, 10, be still and know that I am God. And there is no other. Or be still and know that I am God.
My name, my glory will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. Be still under the sovereign glory and power and majesty of God. Not be fretful, not be cowardly. Not shrink back from testifying, but rather own the Lord.
Understand that He is with us. Understand that His glory is worth testifying of. Peter is representative in a lot of ways of disciples that are inconsistent at times.
Examination by the High Priest
Notice then, thirdly, the examination by the high priest in verses 19 to 24. This is the preliminary hearing. The question concerns his disciples and his doctrine. Notice in verse 19, the high priest then asked Jesus about his disciples and his doctrine.
So this is Annas, preliminary hearing. Verse 24 says, Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest, and thus begins the formal trial under the Jews. But right now, preliminary hearing, the high priest in view is Annas. Specifically, the nature of his questions.
What about these disciples of yours? He wants to make sure these disciples of yours are not subversive, either A, against religious authority in Judaism or Israel, and B, against the political machine of the Roman Empire, but his doctrine also. He's asked to give an account or a defense of his doctrine and his disciples. And Jesus does exactly that.
Jesus Defends His Open Teaching
Notice the response concerning his doctrine in verse 20. Jesus answered him. I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple where the Jews always meet.
And in secret, I have said nothing. So the teaching was done openly in the synagogues and temple. So you kind of get the drift of what Jesus is saying. What's happening here?
Why are you asking me this? Why are you pressing me on this? I never hid. I didn't go to the temple, gather a band of 10, slink off into the dead of night, and have private Bible studies with that.
I always did what I did openly. I didn't hide anything. In fact, they debated, the Jewish leaders, the unbelievers, with Jesus at the temple. Why are you questioning me concerning this?
In fact, if you turn back to Matthew's gospel in chapter 26, this is the rationale as to why Jesus questions their use of weapons in coming after him to get him. Notice in 2655, in that hour, Jesus said to the multitudes, have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple and you did not seize me. But all this was done that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.
Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. You see what Jesus is doing before Annas. Why are you asking me this? Really?
We're going to just have a little theological debate here that that's what this is. We're just going to try to, you know, ferret out whether or not I'm subversive to the Roman state or to the Jewish religious power structure. He says as well, the teaching was heard by the Jews and he always met there. I spoke openly to the world.
I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple where the Jews always meet and in secret I have said nothing. There's nothing that I can pony up at this point that's probably going to change your minds. In fact, the content of what he spoke openly in the synagogues and in the temple is the content he spoke openly to the religious leaders in John 7 and 8. There he declares, I am.
Before Abraham was, I am. They knew what it was he was teaching. Brethren, never for a moment think that this is lawful judicial procedure, that they are engaged in a fact-finding mission to determine whether or not this man is a subversive, to determine whether or not this man is a blasphemer, a threat to the Roman state. That's not it at all.
This is a farce, this is a fake, this is only simply to dot I's and cross T's so they can present the case to Pontius Pilate, exercise pressure on Pontius Pilate, basically grab him as it were by the neck and force him to give a kill order concerning the only man that has ever been wholly harmless and undefiled. The only man who never sinned in this world. The only man who never committed a crime. I spoke openly to the world, I always taught in synagogues and in the temple where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing." And then notice the witness of his disciples in verse 21, why do you ask me?
Ask those who heard me what I said to them, indeed they know what I said. I think we see Jesus' insistence on lawful judicial procedure throughout this preliminary hearing. You're ponying me up here. You're investigating.
You're seeing if there's a case to be built in order to turn me over to the civil state to be executed. Ask witnesses. Invoke witness testimony. Follow the rules of evidence.
Provide cross-examination. Provide all those things that your law is so clear on in terms of Genesis to Deuteronomy. So he says, why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them.
Indeed, they know what I said. So his immediate disciples, those genuine followers of his, but also all the persons that heard him in the temple, including the officers, the basically temple guards, we saw that in John chapter seven. You can turn back there for a moment. You could even call these men as witnesses and perhaps they'd witness similar to what they say in John chapter seven.
Notice in John 7 at verse 45, Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, Why have you not brought him? The officers answered, No man ever spoke like this man. Okay, gather those guys up, Annas, and ask him, What is it that he said that was so unique and so earth-shattering? Why did you say what you said in John 7 at verses 45 and 46?
This is Jesus' point. Go ahead and invoke those witnesses. Go ahead and get the, you know, the jots and tittles in order in terms of this preliminary hearing and build your case properly. The testimony of his disciples, one of which was presently denying him, would have been a good place to ask as well.
And ultimately, notice the verifiability of his doctrine. The end of verse 21, indeed, they know what I said. They know what I said. Jesus wasn't the type of teacher that you go, you know what, I'm not sure I really follow.
I'm not picking up what he's putting down. You can't say that about Jesus' teaching. Now, certainly there are some passages that are a bit more difficult for us to wrap our minds around. You know, if you read through the Bible during the course of a year and you're reading Old Testament, you're reading the law, you're reading the prophets, I gotta say, somebody brand new to the Christian faith or brand new to Bible reading, if they turn to Ezekiel 1 and just started reading, it's gonna be a bit of a chore.
Not a chore in terms of reading words off of a page, but what is happening here? You know, when we tell unbelievers, you should read scripture. Maybe point them to some scripture that's a little bit easier to cut one's teeth on than Leviticus. Now, Leviticus is all about Jesus.
It is about the glory of that crucified, resurrected Lamb of God. But that's not immediately obvious when somebody first jumps into Leviticus 1. When it comes to Jesus' words, it's not that people don't understand, it's that they don't want it. I mean, all those who are, you know, have an animus against Jesus or enmity against Jesus, why?
You ever thought about that? Why would you hate this man that says, you know, don't kill people? This man who says, don't commit adultery with your brother's wife. You know, these are good operating principles for, you know, basic fundamental society.
What is it about Jesus to the carnal man? They despise the light. The darkness doesn't come to the light lest its evil deeds is exposed. Jesus teaches that in John 3.
It's not for a lack of reading comprehension. It's not for a lack of availability of Scripture, at least in the Western world. It is rather that prejudice that Paul speaks of in Romans 1. If men suppress the truth of general revelation in unrighteousness, you don't think they do that with special revelation?
You don't think that sinners hear about the Lord Jesus Christ and say, I don't want this man to rule over me. I don't want this man to have truck in my life. I don't want this man to call me to faith and repentance. I don't want this man to dictate the terms by which I function in God's world.
It's a suppression of the truth and unrighteousness and hear what Jesus says. Indeed, they know what I said. Just because you don't like what Jesus says doesn't mean it's not true. Just because you don't like what Jesus says doesn't mean it's not clear.
Jesus is able to point to the verifiability of his own doctrine, and he points Annas to that particular witness. And then notice the violence inflicted upon his person. Isn't this typical? I mean, when you read this, if you've been around it for any amount of time, this is how people do what they do.
They're not getting the answers that they want, so why not slap them around? Wasn't it Chairman Mao who said, true, political power comes out of the end of a gun? Well, I don't think that was unique to Chairman Mao. I think that's always been the way it is with sinners.
And that's precisely what you find here. So they move from this witness testimony phase to the actual physical violence phase. Notice in verse 22, and when he had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand saying, do you answer the high priest like that? Like what?
Truthfully? Honestly? Candidly? That deserves a slap?
That deserves a blow? That deserves this kind of maltreatment? We know that Jesus is wholly harmless and undefiled. We know that he didn't sin in this particular situation.
It is a very obvious thing that is happening. They're trying to stack the deck in favor of a death warrant with reference to Pontius Pilate. Notice, the blow was inflicted. One of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand.
And then he says, do you answer the high priest like that? How dare you? How dare you demand judicial process? How dare you demand witness testimony?
How dare you assert the verifiability of your... How dare you? It would be laughable if it wasn't so grievous. It would be laughable if it wasn't so rampant.
I mean, think back to, oh, I guess last week, we saw the absolute bastardization of the political system in the United States of America. You murder three children, you should be executed. It's just that simple. I don't know why there's any mistrial or hung juries on any of that.
I get it. There's a lot of variables involved in the human psyche. I get it. There's a lot of issues involved.
But the crime is the crime. And when somebody can do something like that and then go? hopefully to come back and hopefully to be prosecuted appropriately. But this blow is inflicted and the question is posed. And he then says to him in verse 23, he says, Jesus answered him, if I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil.
But if well, why do you strike me? This is a biblical demand for just proceedings. Turn back with me to Deuteronomy 25. Now remember the Sanhedrin, their station in first century Israel.
Who were these guys? It was the highest religious council in Israel, subject ultimately to the Roman government because they did not have autonomy and sovereignty and authority. But within their own political and religious structure, they were it. modeled after the counsel given by Jethro to Moses to take 70 men to form them as counselors and elders and helpers to assist Moses in adjudicating the various things that would come up. By the time of Jesus, we've got that 70-man council presided over by a high priest.
What is their particular job? Yeah, politics. They interact with the Roman state. They kind of buffer between the Roman state and their own citizens, but it's religious.
These are the experts in the law. Every step of the way in the trial, we see these experts of the law absolutely disregard the law. Notice in Deuteronomy 25, 1, if there is a dispute between men and they come to court, that the judges may judge them and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. Then it shall be, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows.
Forty blows he may give him, and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these, and your brother be humiliated in your sight." Not gonna get into all the corporal punishment there, but notice specifically if there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. That's what's supposed to happen here. They're condemning the righteous. They're justifying themselves, the wicked.
And Jesus doesn't just watch it go. He challenges them along the way. He's specifically addressing these violations of their own law. Notice, again, back in 1823, if I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil.
Bring a witness to testify that I have actually done something evil. You don't just start doling out blows. I know that it seems odd. It's like, you know, when Pilate comes to execute the Lord Jesus, you're not supposed to kill innocent people.
Sometimes we forget that. You're not supposed to kill little children. You're not supposed to do these things that have somewhat become commonplace in modern society, such that it doesn't even surprise us anymore. Well, Jesus is calling them out on this.
If I've spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, but if well, why do you strike me? What's happening here? Is the purpose behind this? This is why we read Psalm 43.
This is why we're going to sing Psalm 43 when the bread is passed out. If the Psalter is about our Lord Jesus, we have Psalms like Psalm 43 expressing, as it were, the inner revelation of his own heart at times like these. He's surrounded by vile, evil, wicked men. He's surrounded by godless men that only have one purpose in view, and that is ultimately to liquidate him.
The Psalms give us a window into the psyche of our Lord in those points of His earthly ministry. The Lord Jesus Christ is standing before godless men as the man who alone is wholly harmless and undefiled, and what he is asking for is not out of line, not at all. So if I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil, but if well, why do you strike me?" And as I noted, as we went before, last time we looked at this, he didn't turn the other cheek He doesn't turn the other cheek. You know, the Sermon on the Mount, we oftentimes interpret Matthew 5 as if it applies to law courts.
It doesn't. Matthew 5 is your interpersonal interactions on a daily basis. In other words, be willing to yield. Take the insult, take the loss, but in civil court, criminal court, when you're being misrepresented, when you're being lied about, when you're being slapped for no good reason, when you're going to be sent to a cross, yeah, Now, it's okay to not turn the other cheek in that particular instance.
There is a great difference between the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to 7, again, our day in, day out, personal relationships with other people, believers and sinners, and how we make it in this world in a way that honors our Lord, versus what obtains in a courtroom. This is a great example of that. And then notice, then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest. So when he goes before Caiaphas, when he goes before the Sanhedrin, we lean on Matthew's gospel and we know certain things happen.
They invoke false witnesses in Matthew 26, 59 to 63. They invoke false witnesses. Again, you cannot read this and go, well, you know, these guys are doing due diligence to try to bring Jesus to justice. No, they're not.
This is a kangaroo court. This is a mockery. The men that are trained in the law, the men that are the experts in the law show no regard for the law whatsoever. So they invoke false witnesses who testify with reference to Jesus.
They then directly question Jesus, the high priest does. And then the testimony of the Lord Jesus, he confirms exactly what it was that Caiaphas asks him. And then he is formally charged with blasphemy. And the decision is made by the Sanhedrin to send him on to Pontius Pilate.
You kind of wonder if you're thinking about it from that jurisprudence angle, how did that happen? How did they get there? I mean, this preliminary hearing, if that's all it takes to get you an audience with the Sanhedrin and a death sentence from Pontius Pilate, well, we know ultimately this is God's purpose, God's plan, God's decree to save His people from their sins. The Apostle Peter in Acts chapter 2.
He indicts and upbraids the lawless Jews and the Romans. He says, you crucified by lawless hands. But it was according to the predetermined plan and purpose of God Most High. How do we make heads or tails out of that?
Well, we go back to Genesis chapter 50, when Joseph understood all too well God's sovereign purpose and plan. You meant this for evil, but God overruled it for good. Annas, Caiaphas, the entirety of the Sanhedrin, and that coward Pilate all engaged in absolute wickedness and lawlessness, and God overruled it for good. What good?
Namely, the salvation of the likes of you and I. Christ does what Christ did in order to bring us to salvation.
The Remaining Denials by Peter
And then finally, notice the other denials by Peter. Again, back and forth. Denial, faithfulness, denial, faithfulness. Verse 25, now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.
That connects us back to that first denial in verse 18. Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there for it was cold and they warmed themselves and Peter stood with them and warmed himself. So in verse 25, now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, you are not also one of his disciples, are you?
You see, again, guilt by association. You're not with that one, are you? He denied it and said, I am not. Do you ever just read passages like these?
I think 2 Samuel 11 and 12 is sort of like this as well. You just kind of want to talk to Peter and say, don't do this, Peter, come on. You ever had anybody faithful in your life? No, what you're about to do is really not a good idea.
You really shouldn't jump off that bridge. That's just not a smart thing, friend. You want to just tell Peter, look, you messed up once, confess, forsake, repent, you'll find mercy. The glory of the passage or the glory of the gospel is that even though he did it another time, and then another time, There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared.
That is not to promote in us a threefold sin every single time we sin. Well, you know, I blew it thus far. So I'm just going to go, you know, hog wild for the rest of the day and then confess everything at the rest of the day, at the end of the day. No, no, no, no.
That's not why passages like these are here. Passages like these are here to show us our own proneness to wander, our own proneness to leave the God that we love, and to remind us of God's powerful grace. We are great sinners, but Christ is a great Savior, and we mustn't ever forget that, and the supper preaches that message to us loud and clear. Then notice, with reference to the third denial, there's a question in verse 26.
One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, did I not see you in the garden with him? Did I not see you in the garden with him? He's really found out. He's known.
He's identified. I saw you there. I can place you there. These eyes locate you in that particular garden when you wielded that sword against this man, Malchus.
What's Peter do? Peter then denied again and immediately a rooster crowed. The frequency of the denial is bad, not once, not twice, but three times. The obviousness of the denial is bad.
He was placed at the scene by a relative of Malchus and then the context of the denial is bad as well. He's not standing before Annas. He's not standing before Caiaphas. He's not standing before Pilate.
He's standing before servants. and dudes hanging out by a fire in a dumpster so that they can stay warm in a courtyard. These are not menacing threats. These are not people that can do you harm, Peter. The fact that you have denied in the presence of these people shows a cowardice on your part when you needed to be strong.
It is a sad situation, but it is as well, again, not an encouraging situation so we can go thou and do likewise and sin three, five, eight, ten times against God. But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. And then the last verse, Peter then denied again and immediately a rooster crowed. Jesus said this to Peter in the upper room.
Peter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake. Jesus answered him. Will you lay down your life for my sake?
Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied me three times. That preacher of repentance. that convictor of sin, that rooster crow probably rang in the ears of Peter from thence on. That's why, you know, rooster weather vanes are atop churches. It's so that we'll remember that.
It's not just that the Christian church has an affinity for chickens. Wow, they love their fowl, they love their poultry. Look, they've got them adorning their church. No, to remember that preacher of righteousness, that convictor of sin, that man, Peter, who denied his Lord three times, not in the presence of the high priest, but in the presence of a servant girl, and then other attendants there in the courtyard.
Look at that, remember that, and please, by God's grace, resist it.
Application
Well, in conclusion, the wretchedness of the trial, the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus. We saw that in John 11 at verse 53. You see that all through John's gospel, those instances where they pick up stones to throw at Jesus. They wanted to liquidate him.
They wanted to terminate him. The Jewish leaders did not have jurisdiction to execute Jesus. So the Jewish leaders held a trial in order to convict him such they could deliver him over to Pontius Pilate, who had the authority to execute him. And even then, when Pontius Pilate was hesitant and reticent to do this because he had more wherewithal than they did.
He knew they handed him over because of their own envy. They lay pressure on him. They blackmail him. We'll just, you know, call your higher ups and tell them that you're not, you know, giving allegiance to Caesar.
The inconsistency of Peter, the defense of Jesus in the garden against armed soldiers. Doesn't Peter show us again the excesses that many of us find that remain in our own hearts? Matthew 16, who do men say that I, the Son of Man am? Jesus says, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. It's beautiful. Praise to God, but Peter is being commended or given accolades because he's been the recipient of that special revelation to make that confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Drop down a little bit and what happens?
Jesus announces that he must go to Jerusalem, he must be tried, he must be crucified, must be delivered up to godless men. What does Peter do? Peter says, no, not you, Lord. What does Jesus then say?
Get behind me, Satan. Peter can go from that hot to cold really, really quick. And Peter goes from that hot to cold from the garden where he takes out his sword and dutifully lops off the ear of Malchus to now cowering before a servant girl and not testifying. Brethren, there might be a lesson there for us.
Peter says, Lord, I'm willing to die with you. I'm willing to go wherever you say, and I'm willing to lay down my life for you. Again, I don't want to get into the psychology of Peter. I don't know enough to dissect him and understand what was going on in his mind at that time.
But there might've been a sense where, you know, he might've been a bit too big for his britches at a certain point. You know, the Proverbs tells us that pride goes before a fall. Again, I don't want to load Peter up with more sin, more guilt. But could it be the willingness to die for Jesus overshadowed the reality that that might mean you need to live for Jesus even before a servant girl?
You know, a lot of us can have that romantic idea. Yeah, I'll go out to the battlefield and die for Jesus. Just live for Jesus right now. Just get up tomorrow and do what you're supposed to do without whining, without grumbling, and without complaining.
Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. I know that's not as romantic as dying on the battlefield praising Jesus, but isn't that what we're called to? Wives, submit to your own husbands as unto the Lord. I'm gonna make a guess that if you can't do the minimal in terms of those particular functions, you're probably not gonna go die on the battlefield for Jesus.
I mean, I like to think we all would, and I hope that we all would. You see, this willingness to die for Jesus must reflexively include a willingness to live for Jesus, to stand before servant girls and say, yeah, I'm his disciple, come what may. When the pressure comes, brethren, and we've seen it, at least in small part, in the early part of the 2020s, When the pressure comes, what are we going to do? Are we going to withstand?
Are we going to stand fast? Are we going to be steadfast? Are we going to say, well, you know, this confession of faith, it's great, it's doctrinally beautiful, but not enough to actually go to church for, not enough to actually obey God for. Peter is a wonderful example of a sinner saved by grace that struggles with what we're gonna also sing a bit later on, prone to wander, prone to leave the God that I love.
And then finally, the faithfulness of Jesus, the determination to drink the cup, verse 11, the willingness to be bound as a criminal, verse 12, the readiness to give a defense of his disciples and doctrine, verse 20, The commitment to biblical law in verse 23, and then the confession of his identity when pressed by the high priest in Matthew 26, 63, this is Jesus' response in verse 64. It is as you said, nevertheless I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming on the clouds of heaven. faithful to the bitter end, faithful to the end that he might save us from our sins. So praise God Almighty for the Lord Jesus Christ and his faithfulness, and praise God Almighty for Simon Peter. He was saved by grace.
We're gonna see him in heaven. We notice that at times, we notice on the day of Pentecost, he is the first among equals, standing up, preaching on the day of Pentecost, a forgiven sinner redeemed by sovereign grace. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this account of the arrest of our blessed Lord and the trial, the preliminary hearing before Annas. We pray that you would cause us to reflect upon the glory of the Savior. Cause us as well to reflect upon the inconsistency of the apostle. And may we, by grace, be faithful to you in the big things and in the little things.
And it is certain, if we're not in the little things, we most likely won't be in the big things. So help us to be faithful, willing to die for you to be sure, but willing as well to live for you in this present evil age in a way that brings glory to you. And for any and all here that are dead in their trespasses and sins, awaken them by your grace. Cause them to look to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith and to know the joy of so great a salvation.
And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.