1 2014, Reverend Steve Carlson Tabernacle Baptist Church West National Avenue West Allis, Wisconsin

Transcription

1 I. Introduction Jesus Trial; Peter s Denial May 18, 2014 John 18:12-27 For Jesus and His disciples, it had been a long week. It started on Sunday morning when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem while His disciples and many Passover pilgrims cheered for Him. But, from the disciples viewpoint, nothing really seemed to come from all the uproar; Jesus just looked into the Temple and then left Jerusalem for the night. The next day, Monday, Jesus entered the Temple again and for the 2 nd time in 3 years He cleansed the temple courts. Turn to Mark 11: But, once again, nothing seemed to come from all the pandemonium. Tuesday and Wednesday, Jesus returned to the Temple and, as the Pharisees got angrier and angrier, Jesus healed and taught those gathered in the Temple courts. On Thursday, instead of going to the Temple, Jesus and the Twelve prepared and celebrated the Passover meal. From the disciples viewpoint, this Passover meal was different. Jesus washed all of their feet and He said that they were to love one another. Later, He had said that one of them would betray Him. Soon after that Judas had gone on an errand. While they were eating, Jesus said that the bread and the cup of wine represented His body and His blood. After the meal was over, Jesus led His eleven disciples to a familiar place at the base of the Mount of Olives, to a garden called Gethsemane. Knowing the ordeal that was ahead, Jesus spent His last night of freedom praying for courage and for strength to endure with dignity the coming trial. But most of all, Jesus prayed for the Father s sovereign plan to prevail. Sometime during the night, a cohort of Roman soldiers and many Jewish officers and officials surrounded the garden. Judas then greeted his Master with a kiss, signaling to the assailants hidden in the shadows. While the mob came prepared for a fight, Jesus offered no resistance, even restraining Peter s impulse to take on the small army with his sword. Jesus words to Peter in John 18:11 help us understand how Jesus could endure the outrageous injustices of the next several hours: Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me? Jesus was willing to do the Father s will at any cost. In today s Scripture we see two different dramas that occurred at the same time: Jesus trial and Peter s denial. John flips between scenes a couple of times as we see Jesus courage and Peter s cowardice; Christ s sacrificial love and Peter s self-preserving lies. The story opens with Scene 1: Jesus 1 st trial begins. 1

2 II. Jesus Trial; Peter s Denial A. Scene 1: Jesus 1 st trial begins. Jesus had deliberately given Himself to His enemies. He was the sheep before the shearers. As prophesied in Isaiah 53:7, He didn t offer any resistance; John 18 says that they bound Him and brought him first to Annas. Annas had been the high priest from A.D. 6 to A.D. 15. He was then removed from office by Pilate s predecessor. He could still carry the title of high priest just as former presidents of the United States are referred to as president. But Annas title was more than a mere courtesy. Many Jews were resentful of the Romans involvement in their religious affairs. Since, according to the Mosaic Law, high priests served for life (Numbers 35:25), they still considered Annas to be the true power. After his removal from office, five of Annas sons and one of his grandsons served as high priest. As John writes, he was also the fatherin-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. One historian writes, There is little doubt but that the astute old man at the head of the family exercised a good deal of authority. He was in all probability the real power in the land, whatever the legal technicalities. Annas was a proud, ambitious, and greedy man. A significant source of his income came from the sales in the temple. So infamous was his greed that the outer courts of the temple, the place where those transactions took place, became known as the Bazaar of Annas. Thus Annas had a special hatred for Jesus, who had at least twice disrupted his business operations by cleansing the temple. As the real leader, Annas was the one who plotted the arrest, the trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. With Jesus in the custody of His enemies, the scene shifts to Peter and his 1 st denial. B. Scene 2: Peter s 1 st Denial After Jesus healed the servant s ear, Matthew 26:56 says that then all the disciples deserted Jesus and fled. But Peter soon mastered his fear and John writes that Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. The other disciple with Peter was most likely John, who never names himself in his gospel but instead describes himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. The firsthand details recorded in John s Gospel which tell how Peter got into the courtyard from the outside and of what happened inside Annas' house would seem to imply that the author, John, was there in person he was the other disciple. There is much debate about how John was known to the high priest, but regardless, he was allowed to enter with Jesus into the high priest s courtyard. Peter, however, was not known and had to wait outside the door. Realizing what had happened, the other disciple came back, spoke to the 2

3 girl on duty there and brought Peter in. Peter s desire to be with Jesus overcame his fear and he entered the courtyard. Peter s 1 st challenge came from an unexpected source. The servant girl who was in charge of the door asked Peter in a friendly sort of way, You're not one of this man's disciples too, are you? By her tone and by her words, Peter knew that she expected a negative answer. It was so natural and so easy to just smile and say, No. The first temptation is often very subtle for Peter and for us. What else is he going to say if he wants in? He certainly can t do Jesus any good outside the gate. It is so very easy to justify that first lie. But now Peter has a problem. He has portrayed himself as an innocent bystander. When the next challenge comes, it is going to be very hard to reverse the course he has taken. Peter tried to just blend in with those gathered there. He went and stood by the fire like everybody else. He probably made small talk with them even though his heart was with the Lord. He was taking a chance that someone else might recognize him in the firelight but standing alone in the courtyard would only have drawn attention to himself the last thing he wanted to do. Peter, like Judas a little earlier in Gethsemane, ended up standing with the enemies of Jesus. C. Scene 3: Jesus 1 st trial concludes. The scene changes again; John takes us back to the confrontation between Annas and Jesus Scene 3: Jesus 1 st trial concludes. Jesus trial was a kangaroo court; His fate had already been determined. Turn back to John 11: None of Jesus trials before the Jewish authorities was an attempt to determine His guilt or innocence. Their only purpose was to make Jesus arrest and crucifixion really, His murder appear legal. The so called trial before Annas was more like an informal hearing. Rather than bringing charges against Jesus and producing evidence to back up the charges, Annas illegally questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. This was against Jewish law. Annas was hoping to uncover a crime to justify the death sentence that had already been given. Jesus knew His rights, so He said, I have spoken openly to the world, I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. There was no secret plan, no ulterior motive, He had preached openly and offered salvation to all who accepted it. Jesus then challenged Annas to present his case and call his witnesses as he said, Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said. Perhaps trying to please his master, one of the officials struck him in the face. But Jesus didn t respond in anger; Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:23, When they hurled their insults at him, he did not 3

4 retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. Instead Jesus said, If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me? Realizing that he was getting nowhere with his questioning of Jesus, Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest. Caiaphas could bring legal charges against Jesus before Pilate. D. Scene 4: The results of Peter s denials. As Jesus is led away, the scene shifts back to Peter and Scene 4: The results of Peter s denials. Since Peter remained by the fire, it is no surprise that he was questioned again. Becoming suspicious of this stranger with a strange accent, They said to him, You aren't one of his disciples too, are you? Here was a chance for Peter to redeem himself and be honest. Once again, however, He denied it, saying, I am not. Perhaps aroused by the repeated questioning one of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove? Being a disciple of Jesus was not a crime as of yet, but assaulting a man with a sword was. Panic-stricken Matthew 26:74 says that Peter began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, I don t know the man! At that moment, the cock began to crow just as Jesus had predicted (John 13:38.) Peter had done something he never dreamed he would do. He denied His Lord and Savior. Turn to Luke 22: God s timing is perfect. Jesus had just been led into the courtyard on His way to Caiaphas. The moment that rooster crowed Jesus turned and looked into the eyes of Peter. It was not a look of anger. It wasn t an I told you so look. It was a look of pure love and compassion. Jesus was on His way to die for Peter and for you and for me. That s what broke Peter s heart. There is Peter cursing and denying the Lord and there is Jesus looking at him with such tenderness that Peter can do nothing but to go outside and weep bitterly with a broken heart. There were a variety of issues that resulted in Peter, a sincere, dedicated follower of Jesus Christ, denying his Lord. We need to guard against the same issues in our own lives. 1. First, Peter disagreed with God s plan. Turn to Mark 8: Second, Peter relied on himself. Turn to Matthew 26: Third, Peter lacked prayer. When Jesus led His disciples into the Garden of Gethsemane, He told them in Matthew 26:41, Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak. What did Peter and the other disciples do? They slept instead of praying. 4. In the Garden as Jesus was being arrested, Peter was moved by the flesh and not the Spirit as he drew his sword and starting hacking away. His intensions may have been good, but that didn t make it the right thing to do. 5. All this led up to the last step before his denial, Peter was 4

5 discouraged. Peter had given it his best shot and nothing had worked out. He didn t know what to do, so discouraged he fled with the other disciples as the mob arrested Jesus. It was this downward trend that resulted with Peter denying Jesus Christ to those in the high priest s courtyard. It was this downward trend that led to Peter s broken heart. III. Conclusion We need to learn from Peter s example and from God s Word. A. To keep from falling, we need to: 1. Know and obey God s will: Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will ; As we pray in the Lord s Prayer, God s will must be done on earth we must follow our Lord and Savior. 2. Trust God: Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding ; in Philippians 4:13 the Apostle Paul wrote, I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Unlike Peter who trusted himself, we need to trust God. 3. Never stop praying: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray continually ; James 4:2 says, You do not have, because you do not ask God. 4. Be filled with the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 5:18 says, Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. B. If we walk with God there will be no discouragement: Joshua 1:9 says, Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Sometimes even though like Peter we may have the best intentions, we may still fall. But 1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. The cockcrowing was God s invitation to repent. Peter was sorry for what he had done. God forgave him. In John 21 we will see that Jesus restored Peter and enabled him to serve with great power and blessing in the fledgling church. Similarly, if we confess our sins, God will forgive them and remove them; Psalm 103:12 says, As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As the father welcomed his prodigal son home, God will welcome you home. God is love (1 John 4:8). 5