Matthew 26, Part 3
Notes
Transcript
Last time, we covered the period of time when Jesus prepared His disciples for the last time. The Passover was prepared, every arrangement had already been pre-ordained and was completed as Jesus said it would take place. He brought the disciples into the upper room and spoke of a betrayer. One who had already sold his soul out to the devil, and Christ over to the Jewish rulers. He displayed the symbolism of the bread and the wine, signifying He broken body and spilled blood offered as a final sacrifice for all humanity. Afterwards as they are headed out to the Mount of Olives He tells how the disciples will be scattered and of Peter’s denial. He speaks the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7:
7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.
While their faith would not fail, it would be tested. Three times Jesus goes to pray alone after taking Peter, James, and John with Him into the hillside. Three times they were found asleep. The last time He awakens them, you can almost imagine the sight of torches and the sounds of men coming closer as Judas kisses Jesus… “Greetings, Rabbi”. A short squabble ensued leaving a high priests servant with an ear cut off. Jesus was taken into custody, even chiding them about how they approached with clubs and swords…but it is written all of this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then, those in whom He had just had the Last Supper with, those He had warned about fleeing, ran. The crowd then takes Jesus away.
False Witnesses
False Witnesses
57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.
58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.
59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death,
60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward
61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ”
62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”
63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.
66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him,
68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
Scripture gives us the time from of this occuring between the hours of dark and first light. Everyone who had just been with Him was one.
The mob takes Him away. Then He stands before a kangaroo court -an unofficial court held by a group of people in order to try someone regarded, especially without good evidence, as guilty of a crime or misdemeanor. This was important for one main reason. This was an illegal inquiry. All criminals had to be tried in the day. They were meeting in Caiaphas’ palace (home), not in the official court. This, too, was illegal. All cases had to be tried in court. Jesus was being tried during the Passover week. No cases could be tried during the Passover week. They had not met to try Jesus but to secretly devise charges that would condemn Him to death.
These men were so intent on doing evil they were willing to twist and break every rule and law just so they could condemn Jesus. A person often finds it easier to oppose Christ within a group than when alone. Not all among these religionists felt malice toward Christ, but most went along with those who did. They did not stand against the malicious and unjust treatment of our Lord. The house of Caiaphas, the religious leader, should have been an ideal home, a home that stood forth as a strong testimony for God. Yet, here it is seen as a center for evil.
As they took Him away, Peter - the one who stood fast that his faith would never fail trails behind. Peter was confused. He just could not understand why Jesus was not blasting His enemies and setting up His earthly kingdom. When it was clear that Jesus was not going to act, Peter fled for his life, but he had not gone far. His love for Christ had stopped him, and now his love was turning him around to follow Christ along the trail to Caiaphas’ palace. He wanted to see the end, just what would happen to His Lord.
Now they bring Jesus into the house of Caiaphas. there was the stacked court against Christ—predetermined rejection and opposition. The court was not convening to see if Jesus were guilty. The court was meeting to seek false witnesses against Christ.
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know.
They wanted to sentence Him to death. They had already determined in their hearts to reject and oppose Him. He was a threat to both their nation and their personal security and position. They feared the loss of both, so they were set on killing Him.
Why were they so intent on killing Christ? “The religionists’ conflict with Jesus over religious beliefs and rules is sometimes thought by modern man to be petty and harsh, or else such conflicts are just not understood. Three facts will help a person in understanding why the conflicts happened and were life-threatening, ending in the murder of Jesus Christ.
1. The Jewish nation had been held together by their religious beliefs. Through the centuries the Jewish people had been conquered by army after army, and by the millions, they had been deported and scattered over the world. Even in the day of Jesus, they were enslaved by Rome. Their religion was the binding force that kept Jews together, in particular …
• their belief that God had called them to be a distinctive people (who worshipped the only true and living God)
• their rules governing the Sabbath and the temple, intermarriage, worship and cleansing, and what foods they could and could not eat
This belief and these rules protected them from alien beliefs and from being swallowed up by other peoples through intermarriage. Their religion was what maintained their distinctiveness as a people and as a nation.
Jewish leaders knew this. They knew that their religion was the binding force that held their nation together. Therefore, they opposed anyone or anything that threatened to break or weaken the laws of their religion and nation.
2. The religionists were men of deep, deep conviction. They were strong in their beliefs; therefore, they became steeped in religious belief and practice. To break any law or rule governing belief or practice was a serious offense, for it taught loose behavior. And loose behavior, once it had spread enough, would weaken their religion. This is the reason V 1, p 275 p 275 Jesus was committing a great offense by breaking their law. In their minds, He was weakening their religion and threatening their nation.
3. The religionists were men who had profession, position, recognition, esteem, livelihood, and security. Anyone who went contrary to what they believed and taught was a threat to all they had. Some religionists undoubtedly felt that Jesus was a threat to them. Every time Jesus broke their law, He was undermining their very position and security.
The errors of the religionists were fourfold.
1. They misinterpreted and corrupted God’s Word.
2. They committed serious sin after serious sin in God’s eyes.
3. They rejected God’s way of righteousness, God’s Messiah, which is Jesus Christ.
4. They allowed religion in its tradition and ritual to become more important than meeting the basic needs of human life: the need for God and the need for spiritual, mental, and physical health. Christ, being the true Messiah, was bound to expose such error. Thus the battle lines were drawn.
⇒ The Messiah knew that He had to liberate people from such enslaving behavior. He had to save them so they could worship God in freedom of spirit.
⇒ The religionists felt that they had to oppose Christ because He was a threat to their nation and to their own personal position and security.
The religionists’ attack took two forms.
1. First, they tried to discredit Christ so the multitudes would stop following Him.
2. Second, failing to discredit Christ, they sought some way to kill Him.
So, they charged Him with false charges. Interestingly twice it is stated they “found none” speaking of the charges brought against Him. The religionists sought false witnesses but found none whose charges were strong enough. The law required two witnesses who had no contact with each other and who agreed on the same evidence. The court was to examine each separately. Apparently, the religionists ran into several problems …
• The evidence of the false charges was just too weak to convince the Roman authorities of Jesus’ guilt.
• A strong case could not be formulated from the charges made.
• Two witnesses who agreed on a single charge could not be found.
-Finally, two witnesses did come forth with a charge that seemed to be strong enough. Note the words “at last.” The case almost broke down and failed. Imagine! Even in seeking false witnesses, the case against our Lord could not be established.
The High Priest and court become disturbed and perhaps confused by Jesus’ silence. They needed Him to begin speaking, hoping He would add evidence to the charge, thereby incriminating Himself. The High priest turned and attempted to pressure or browbeat Jesus: “Answerest thou nothing?” Jesus held His peace (v.63). He said nothing to defend Himself against the false charges. Why did He say nothing? He was calm, assured, peaceful, and confident in the midst of turmoil. He wouldn’t allow Himself to become a part of the useless arguments.
They made this claim of Jesus: He is the Messiah, the Son of God. Four things happened here.
a. The High Priest questioned Jesus and put Him under oath to answer. The words “I adjure thee by the living God” was an official oath which demanded an answer. The High Priest used his office as God’s representative to demand an answer: “By the living God, answer. Are you claiming to be the Messiah, the Son of God?” he asked Jesus.
b. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus answered, “Thou hast said.” It was a strong assertion. All that Caiaphas had said was true. Mark added the striking words of deity, I am (ego eimi).
62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
Note that Christ also called Himself “the Son of Man”.
Jesus claimed beyond question to be the promised Messiah, the Son of God. He was claiming to be God of gods, Lord of lords, One with the Father in every respect.
Then came the verdict. Note that Caiaphas tore his clothes. Mark even says he tore his under garments (tunic). This was a custom among Jews when they heard or saw God’s name dishonored or disgraced. Caiaphas had gotten what he wanted. Christ had committed blasphemy which was punishable by death among the Jews. No other witnesses were needed. A vote by acclamation was quickly called for: “What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.”
There was the physical abuse inflicted. The bitter hatred of the Jews broke through. The rights and expectation of justice was completely forgotten. The abuse took two forms. Bitter hatred and behavior. Spitting in the face was a sign of monstrous disrespect. Beating with the fists and palms (erra pisan, rods) was an outburst of the inner bitterness within the hearts of the religionists against Christ. Ridicule of His claim, mocking His supernatural power and sarcastically calling Him “thou Christ.”
Interestingly, the Jews had no authority to condemn someone to death. But, they wouldn’t let that stop them.
Peter’s Denial
Peter’s Denial
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.”
71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”
73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.”
74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed.
75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
The cause of Peter’s denial was that he sat without in the palace. He sat down with the crowd, the crowd which represented the world of rejecters. Very frankly, Peter was failing Christ and failing Him miserably. Sitting down among the crowd was the last place he should have been. Of course, He should have never forsaken Christ. But having fled, he should have been off alone with God in prayer, seeking answers and understanding from God. Or he should have been with the other apostles, leading them to seek the face of God for understanding and direction. Three things can cause us to deny Jesus. 1) turning away from Him and running 2) not following Him closely and being identified with Him 3) Being where one should not be (in the world).
The guard at the gate (a woman) knew John and allowed him to enter (Jn. 18:15).
15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest,
Apparently John requested her to let Peter enter. Note the words, “thou also wast with Jesus.” She seemed to be making a simple statement to Peter, perhaps for identification purposes. There seemed to be no threat or danger to Peter, yet Peter pretended to know nothing about Jesus. Again, note his exact words: “I know not what thou sayest”; that is, he pretended to know nothing about what she was saying or to know nothing about this Jesus of Nazareth. In either case, Peter denied and pretended to have nothing to do with Jesus.
Note the tone of the second denial given when another maid or servant girl made the accusation “This fellow was also with Jesus”. It was strong and emphatic, “I swear by God, I do not know the man. I know nothing about Him.” The denial which uses an oath downgrades Christ. Note that Peter called Christ, “the man!” He, of course, was the Man; but Peter did not mean the Man in this sense. Peter ignored who Jesus really was, pushing his responsibility to profess Christ out of his mind. Embarrassment, ridicule, abuse, persecution, and the threat of arrest and death intimidated him; so he denied any knowledge of Christ with an emphatic oath: “I swear to God, I do not know the man.”
Then came the strongest denial - one of cursing and swearing. The charge was made by a crowd this time, a crowd who actually came up to Peter to charge him. Luke says it happened about one hour after the second charge. John says that one of the persons in the crowd was a kinsman of Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off in the garden of Gethsemane. Note that the third charge differed from the other two: Peter was no longer charged with having been with Jesus; he was now charged with being “one of them,” one of the disciples. The denial by cursing and swearing is a terrible sin. A man who is put under pressure to prove himself often resorts to cursing and swearing. Peter’s failure was a deteriorating failure. His first denial was simply pretending not to know Christ, simply evading the issue. His second denial was stronger, using a socially acceptable oath (although it was wrong and a sin). His third denial declines into depraved cursing, totally unacceptable to righteous hearts and pure minds and clean lips.
As soon as Peter had cursed and swore for a while, “immediately the cock crew.”
Then came the remorse and the repentance. Remembering the Lord’s words: apparently while the rooster was crowing, the Lord, standing in the chamber of the palace, turned around and caught Peter’s eye (Lu. 22:61).
61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”
And Peter, eye to eye with the Lord, remembered the words the Lord had spoken to him. In the midst of all His own pain and suffering, the Lord took time to look at Peter. His look told Peter that His Lord had not forgotten him. The Lord still loved and cared for Him and wanted his loyalty and service. Christ had prayed for Peter, and the power of that prayer was now moving in Peter’s heart and life. Peter now remembered His Lord’s word and that word began to take effect. Peter left the porch or courtyard as fast as he safely could. He rushed out through the gate into the night to get alone with God. He was broken and full of anguish and pain for having failed his Lord: he “wept bitterly.” Peter repented and expressed godly sorrow.
What was the difference between Judas and Peter?
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.