Chapter 18: Part 2 Verses PETER S DENIAL. The Book of JOHN Chapter 1

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1 The Book of JOHN Chapter 1 Chapter 18: Part 2 Verses This lesson continues the events of the time immediately before Jesus death. Often called the Passion, this lesson continues the events in chapter 18, and covers the last 16 verses, specifically Peter s denial, and Jesus time before Pilate, the Roman Governor. As before, we will present the synoptic Gospel accounts to help us with the details of these hours of Jesus suffering. Jesus arrest and the time before the High Priest and Jewish Council (recorded in the first part of chapter 18) covered most of the overnight hours immediately after the Passover meal with the disciples and Jesus intense teaching, and His passionate prayer in the Garden. We are now moving into the early morning hours of the day of Jesus death Passover. PETER S DENIAL (v 25-27) BEFORE PILATE (v 28-40) PETER S DENIAL OTHER GOSPEL ACCOUNTS Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you are saying. And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. But again he denied with an oath, I do not know the Man! And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you. Then he began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the Man! Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. So he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:69-75) Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, You also were with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied it, saying, I neither know nor understand what you are saying. And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, This is one of them. But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it. Then he began to curse and swear, I do not know this Man of whom you speak! A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. And when he thought about it, he wept. (Mark 14:66-72) Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, This man was also with Him. But he denied Him, saying, Woman, I do not know Him. And after a little while another saw him and said, You also are of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not! Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean. But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are saying! Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. So Peter went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:55-62) RockofAges.org 1 The Book of John, Chapter 18, Part 2: Verses 25-40

2 THE GOSPEL OF JOHN ACCOUNT 25 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! 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? 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed. Peter is still outside in the cold courtyard, warming himself by the fire. The longer he stays there, the more likely he is to be recognized. Especially since many of these people were probably part of the crowd that joined the guards as they arrested Jesus. Now finally these people are putting the pieces together, and Peter is recognized and challenged. These verses contain the second and third denials of Peter, as predicted by Jesus. Peter is not just challenged once, but several times, as more and more people realize who he is. Each time he angrily denies His Lord. Peter is full of very human fear at this point. This is far different than the Peter we will see later after being filled with the Holy Spirit. That Peter became fearless, strong and an ardent supporter of His Master, leading eventually to his own death by crucifixion. (Tradition tells us that Peter was crucified upside down, since he did not want to belittle the death of Jesus in any way. He also witnessed the death of his own wife.) The other Gospel records reveal that Peter didn t just deny that he knew Jesus, he did it with an oath and cursing and swearing. This doesn t mean he was swearing or uttering blasphemies as we would understand this, but that he probably swore with an oath of some kind so that people would believe him. This is not just denial, but vehement fear-bred disavowal of Jesus. Now a relative of Malcus, the man whose ear Peter cut off in his attempt to kill this servant and defend Yehsua, steps into the conversation. This person was there in the garden. Peter would have been very recognizable in that moment. This relative speaks up and questions Peter again. Peter is probably paralyzed with fear at this point, perhaps realizing that he also saw this person there. (It would be interesting to know where Malchus was at this time, and whether or not this experience changed him. Perhaps he became a believer in the Messiah after this night. He certainly had the proof he needed!)...and immediately a rooster crowed. It would be difficult to imagine what Peter was feeling in this instant. The words Jesus spoke to Peter many hours ago in the upper room came flooding back to him: 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. (John 13:38) To make this moment even more horrifying and crushing for Peter, the book of Luke gives us one more piece of information: And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. (Luke 22:61) Putting this incident in context, the previous verse of this book tells us that Jesus was led away to Caiaphas, most likely through the very courtyard where Peter anxiously and fearfully waited. RockofAges.org 2 The Book of John, Chapter 18, Part 2: Verses 25-40

3 In the moment of his denial, Peter looks up and sees His Master. What wretchedness Peter must have felt. The other Gospels tell us that Peter went out and wept bitterly. He knew what he had done, and in that moment probably knew the greatest regret and bitterness of his life. We can easily empathize with Peter, and in many ways, we should be grateful for this event being captured and related in scripture. Aren t we all like Peter? Peter is all of us, in our weakest moments. We fail our Lord repeatedly. And we are also grateful for the last chapter of this book, where Peter is forgiven and charged with new work in God s Kingdom. In every weak moment of our lives, there is always forgiveness, if those weaknesses are also accompanied with the same bitterness, regret and sorrow for our sins that Peter felt. King David was called by God a man after my own heart. Why was that? David was a great king, but he was also a great sinner, deliberately breaking God s laws on several occasions. Yet each time David was filled with sorrow and repented before a forgiving God. For this reason David, and each of us, can be people after God s own heart. Peter certainly was. He did a terrible thing in denying His Lord, but how many times have each of us denied Him in our lives as well? Forgiveness is always there. This event also underscores the fact that Yeshua was in control from the beginning of this night to His death on the cross. He knew in advance every moment, every agony, every suffering He would experience, including this denial by His most outspoken disciple. We would imagine that Peter knew this as well in that moment. We also need to remember that God is in control of all things, at all times. He remains on His throne. Nothing surprises Him, and nothing is out of His control. In these changing and often frightening times, this is even more important for us to remember. BEFORE PILATE, RELEASE OF BARABBAS OTHER GOSPEL ACCOUNTS When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.... Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him, It is as you say. And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, Do You not hear how many things they testify against You? But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, Which of the two do you want me to release to you? They said, Barabbas! (Matthew 27:1-2, 11-20) Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. Then Pilate asked Him, Are You the King of the Jews? He answered and said to him, It is as you say. And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You! But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. RockofAges.org 3 The Book of John, Chapter 18, Part 2: Verses 25-40

4 But Pilate answered them, saying, Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. (Mark 15:1-11) Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King. Then Pilate asked Him, saying, Are You the King of the Jews? He answered him and said, It is as you say. So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, I find no fault in this Man. But they were the more fierce, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. (Luke then provides the account of Jesus being sent to Herod for questioning as well, then returning to Pilate for final disposition. ) And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other. Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast). And they all cried out at once, saying, Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. (Luke 23:1-19) THE GOSPEL OF JOHN ACCOUNT 28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. The religious Jews have questioned, abused, beaten and mocked Jesus until the early morning hours, near dawn. There is no more than can do. All have determined He must die. The only way that will happen (legally) is for them to petition Rome for His death. So they head out to the Roman Praetorium, the place where the governor of Judea resided and held court. They are bringing their condemned prisoner to Pontius Pilate. And, of course, being the pious and upright religious Jews that they are, they personally would not enter the Praetorium. This was inhabited by Gentiles, and to enter the dwelling of a Gentile would have made them ceremonially unclean. It was Passover, and they would need to remain clean in order to celebrate it. This entire evening is filled with ironies, and here is one of them. These religious frauds are concerned about defiling themselves by entering a Gentile dwelling place, while they are planning and setting about murdering an innocent man. Not only is Jesus an innocent man, He is the One who came to fulfill the Passover, as the Passover Lamb of God. These men are religious but have no relationship with God. Christianity is not a religion. Religion is manmade ritual. God is interested in the heart, and desires to be in relationship with each of us. RockofAges.org 4 The Book of John, Chapter 18, Part 2: Verses 25-40

5 29 Pilate then went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this Man? 30 They answered and said to him, If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you. 31 Then Pilate said to them, You take Him and judge Him according to your law. Therefore the Jews said to him, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death, 32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. The religious Jews probably made a fuss about entering into Pilate s domain, so he most likely moved his judgment seat outside, into the courtyard. The Jews are requesting that Pilate (Rome) put this man to death, something they cannot do. Now Pilate wants to know why. He asks them what the prisoner is accused of, a logical request. For Pilate, this is a new case, not a continuation of the illegal trial given by these men. If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you. Obviously the cranky Jews, now up all night and not getting what they want, are not really prepared to provide what Pilate is asking. Instead they answer Pilate in a fairly sarcastic and nonrespectful way. They insinuate they wouldn t be there if this man weren t an evil-doer. In other words, how dare he question them! You take Him and judge Him according to your law. Throughout this nasty official business, Pilate is reluctant. He really doesn t want anything to do with these bothersome Jews. They have, by what we know of secular history, already caused him one headache after another. Pilate was apparently not the best governor in all of Rome, and shortly we will see the Jews capitalize on this fact. Pilate tells them to essentially go away and judge Jesus according to their own laws, since he can t see where Jesus has done anything, and they don t provide any testimony about him. Therefore the Jews said to him, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death, that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. According to the Law of God, Hebrew execution was conducted by stoning. Again, God is in control. They tried to stone Jesus earlier, but were not successful. They seek to seal the deal by having Rome do their dirty deed. However, in so doing, they will ultimately fulfill prophecy. Rome s form of execution was through the cruelty of the cross, crucifixion. Jesus Himself foretold of this event: Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again. (Matthew 20:17-19). It was also prophesied many years ago in the Old Testament scriptures (see Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 written about 1000 and 700 years before Jesus death, respectively). Jesus had to die by crucifixion for a number of reasons. Stoning often ended up with multiple broken bones. We will see in chapter 19 of this book that none of Jesus bones were broken (although it was customary for them to break the legs of those on the cross to hasten their deaths by suffocation). Exodus 12 gives instruction regarding the Passover lamb: In one house it shall be eaten, you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. This is reiterated in Numbers 9:12, and then in Psalm 34:20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Some have said that was also necessary to include both the Jews and the Gentiles (Romans) in the shared guilt of His death, as His death atoned for the sins of the entire world. In Acts 4:27-28, Luke states: For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. By crucifixion, Jesus also fulfilled His comments in John 3:14-15, a fulfillment of the event in Numbers 21:4-7: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. We will investigate more of these fulfillments in the next chapter. RockofAges.org 5 The Book of John, Chapter 18, Part 2: Verses 25-40

6 33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, Are You the King of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered him, Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me? 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done? Pilate doesn t seem too concerned about defiling this Jewish prisoner, and here he takes Jesus inside the Praetorium, away from the heckling crowd and His accusers. Pilate wants to have a little chat with this man, and be done with this matter. He has probably grown tired of the arrogant angry Jews and perhaps a little nervous about this whole business. The other Gospel accounts tell us that during most of Pilate s questioning (and all of Herod s), Jesus was silent and did not offer any defense. He did not protest, He did not argue that He was illegally tried or innocent of any wrongdoing. He could have. Why didn t He? Firstly, Jesus is fulfilling prophecy in Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. Secondly, and more profoundly, in the moment of His trial and unfounded accusations, Jesus was standing in for us. The scriptures say that He actually became sin for us: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Could any of us deny that we deserved the death that was given to Jesus? We are sinners, and we have no defense for our evil. And in that moment before His accusers, standing in the place we should have been, Jesus had no defense either. This is a very sobering thought. Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me? Herod gave himself the title King of the Jews which is one reason he was completely unnerved by the real King of the Jews at His birth. Herod s son now ruled Galilee with this self appointed title. But in reality, under Roman occupation, there was no king but Caesar, no kingdom other than Rome. For anyone to claim to be king of anything could have been seen as treason against Rome and the Emperor. When Pilate questions Jesus about this, perhaps he is thinking about manufacturing some sort of treason charge against Yeshua, merely to placate the religious Jews who gave Pilate nothing but trouble throughout his tenure as governor of Judea. This Gospel writer does not give the simple answer of Jesus to this question in the same way as the others. He does not merely indicate It is as you say as the synoptic Gospel writers report. In this account, Jesus goes a bit further. He asks Pilate if he came up with this himself, or he is responding to the charges others have made. In the next verses, Jesus will expound on His Kingship and His Kingdom. Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done? Pilate is getting a little testy now. He snaps at Jesus question by reminding Him that he isn t a Jew, and doesn t have a clue what is going on here. It is likely Pilate knew of Jesus previously, merely by the confrontations that happened in Jerusalem whenever Jesus appeared there, but until now, Pilate has no reason to think Jesus deserves punishment, especially death. He doesn t know why the Jews want this and asks Jesus directly. RockofAges.org 6 The Book of John, Chapter 18, Part 2: Verses 25-40

7 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here. 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, Are You a king then? Jesus answered, You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. 38 Pilate said to Him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, I find no fault in Him at all. Instead of answering directly, or defending Himself, now Jesus gives Pilate (and all readers of scripture) a little theological lesson. He identifies Himself and His Kingdom as not of this world. Actually, the Greek here can imply out of this world. COMMENTARY: He is not saying that His Kingdom is not going to be on this earth someday, as He is going to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords and " the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). But His Kingdom is not going to be of this world system. It will not be a power structure built on politics. It will not come through worldly measures. Jesus will not be elected King by either the Democrats or the Republicans or by the United Nations. It is not going to be built by war and turmoil and hatred and bitterness.... Jesus will not come to His Kingdom by political maneuvering.... He is not building His Kingdom out of the present political system...the church cannot build His Kingdom either. The Bible teaches us clearly that in this present age Christ is gathering out a people for His name (see Acts 15:14). These are the ekklesia or the called-out ones, the church. They are called out of the world to live in the world but not of the world. The time will come when the Lord will completely remove the church from the world. Then, when Christ comes in His Kingdom, He will establish it! (McGee) Are You a king then? Jesus answered, You say rightly that I am a king. Jesus replies in the affirmative to Pilate s direct question regarding being a king. Yes, Jesus is a king. But His kingdom is out of this world. It has nothing to do with Rome, Caesar, or any other nation or human government on earth. Yeshua s Kingdom will fill the whole earth and send all others into permanent oblivion. Nebuchadnezzar s dream in Daniel chapter 2 makes that very clear. Jesus goes on to explain that not only is He a king, but it is the entire reason He came into this world. A king has subjects, people over which He rules. He has come to declare the Truth, to make followers to populate His Kingdom. He is the Truth. The Truth is God s Word. The Truth is God s plan for the world. The Truth is in contrast to the deception and lies of the world. The Truth is God Himself. And everyone who believes the Truth, hears Yeshua s voice. Hearing implies not just physical hearing, but spiritually understanding and accepting it as Truth. We can only know the Truth through God s declaration. If we desire to know the Truth, we will be seeking God. And if we seek God, we will find Him, and we will find His Son. No one will find Truth in this world system. It is based on lies, and ruled by the Father of Lies. Pilate said to Him, What is truth? You can almost hear the disdain in Pilate s voice, especially since he did not wait for Jesus to answer. His question implies there is no truth. Pilate is a learned man, a worldly man, a man of knowledge. Yet he does not know the answer to this question. This is another of those amazing ironies, perhaps the most amazing of all. Pilate asks an age-old question that is still being debated today. What is truth? Jesus has already provided the answer to those who heard Him teach. HE IS TRUTH. He stated this clearly to his confused disciples in the upper room earlier this night: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6) Jesus is the answer to Pilate s question, and the answer to every question this world asks, then and now. It is so simple, yet so elusive for those who reject the simple Truth. The answer to Pilate s profound question was standing before him. RockofAges.org 7 The Book of John, Chapter 18, Part 2: Verses 25-40

8 After his rhetorical question about truth, Pilate is done with this conversation. His patience is at an end, so he returns to the Jewish mob waiting outside and proclaims that he can t find any reason (fault) to punish Jesus. Reading about this exchange between Pilate and Jesus is interesting. Pilate doesn t want to judge Jesus. He has many reasons for this, some we will look at in the next lesson. 39 But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews? 40 Then they all cried again, saying, Not this Man, but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a robber. But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. In order to maintain goodwill between Rome and those they governed, this policy had been established to release one prisoner to the Jews each Passover. Many Jews and others were imprisoned by Rome, some for very minor offenses. Rome ruled with a tight fist, but would try to keep the peace by showing their largesse on occasion. By making this statement and asking if the people wanted him to release the King of the Jews to them, Pilate was hoping to get out of a tight spot he didn t want to be in. Never did he imagine they would desire Jesus to die, and for him to release a known murderer instead. Barabbas is an interesting character. We know from other sources that he was not just a robber but a political zealot who continually stirred up the people to revolt against Rome. He was what was called a sicarii meaning dagger men who often assassinated Roman officials. He was a well-known terrorist in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Pilate would have greatly preferred to release Yeshua rather than Barabbas, who was a known murderer, and constant threat to Roman rule. It is interesting to note the meaning of Barabbas name. This man is Jewish. His name is the combination of two words: Bar which means son of and Abba, the Greek word for Father. So his name is literally Son of the Father. Jesus called His Father Abba in Mark 14:36 during His prayer in the garden. And in Romans 8:15 Paul says we can call God our Abba. The word Abba means father, but it was what is termed a vocative, or the title spoken to that person. So Bar-Abbas means Son of the Father. This is another irony, and not coincidental. The people call for the release of a murdering son of the father imposter, instead of the true and innocent Son of the Father. In so doing, these people reject the Son of God the Father, preferring sin to holiness. This is a terrible indictment on the people. Jesus time with Pilate continues into the next chapter. There is no break in the events between chapters. The action will continue right into chapter 19. RockofAges.org 8 The Book of John, Chapter 18, Part 2: Verses 25-40