The Roman cohort and temple police had just witnessed two miracles; they were brought to the ground by Jesus declaring His divine name (I AM) and they saw Jesus restore Malchus’s severed ear, yet they acted as if nothing miraculous had happened.
Their calloused hearts graphically display the terrible power of sin and Satan to blind the minds and harden the hearts of the unregenerate (2 Co. 4:4). This truly illustrates what it means to be dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).
Annas had a special hatred for Jesus, who had twice disrupted his business operations by cleansing the temple. Perhaps he had Jesus brought to him because he wanted to be the first to gloat over the capture of this popular troublemaker.
Annas’s son-in-law Caiaphas was the high priest (and therefore president of the Sanhedrin), who said that Jesus must be killed to save the nation(John 11:49-52).
Caiaphas considered Jesus a threat to the interests of the Sanhedrin and its agenda. Never mind about His miracles, or His teachings, or His holy and loving character. Jesus must die. End of discussion.
But by the irony of history, the exact opposite was to happen: when the Jews murdered Jesus, they sealed their own doom and the nation was destroyed. Less than 40 years after putting Jesus to death, Titus and the Roman legions came and destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple and carried away the whole nation into captivity).
God can make the designs of His enemies work together for the good of His people and cause the wrath of men to praise Him.
PETER’S FIRST DENIAL 18:15-18
Peter went from fearless to spineless after Jesus was arrested and he fled along with the rest of the disciples. He didn’t go far but he and another disciple stayed at what they thought was a safe distance so as not to be noticed.
Traveling with Jesus out in the open for three years the twelve disciples became known to the religious leaders who considered them traitors for supporting Jesus. They along with Jesus were marked men by the religious establishment.
The tragic story of Peter’s multiple denials is a warning to all who would claim self-confidently that they would never deny their faith in Christ. Boasting of our abilities is an invitation for failure. Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
JESUS BEFORE ANNAS Part Two 18:19-24
Jesus’ trial before the Jewish authorities was a farce; since the outcome had already been determined, He must die! Forget the evidence.
This challenge of Annas was not an act of rude rebellion, but a demand that the requirements of the law be observed: Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Jesus unmasked the hypocrisy of Annas and challenged him to present his case and call his witnesses.
Christ’s logic was flawless. If He was wrong about the proper legal process, they should have corrected Him instead of striking Him. But if the Lord spoke accurately (which He did), what justifiable reason was there for hitting Him? Jesus merely wanted a fair trial—which His enemies had no intention of giving Him.
PETER’S SECOND AND THIRD DENIAL 18:25-27
Peter now had the opportunity to redeem himself and courageously confess that He indeed was one of Christ’s disciples. But instead of proudly acknowledging that he knew Jesus and was in fact one of His disciples, he denied it, and said, I am not.
This second questioning of Peter drew the attention of one of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of Malchus whose ear Peter cut off. He challenged Peter with the most specific accusation of all: Did I not see you in the garden with Him? Peter then denied that he was with Jesus in the garden and immediately a rooster crowed.
Pink Seven lessons to be learned from Peter’s fall:
1. In himself the believer is as weak as flea.
2. Peter’s fall shows the danger of self-confidence.
3. Peter’s fall warns us of the consequences of prayerlessness: had Peter watched and prayed he would have found grace to help in time of need.
4. Peter’s fall reveals the peril of separating yourself from other believers and going it alone.
5. Peter’s fall shows the influence of the “fear of man” – Proverbs 29:25 says that “the fear of man brings a snare”, making us more afraid of the face of those we can see than the eye of God whom we cannot see.
6. It should prepare us against surprise when our friends fail us in the crucial hour—God often permits this to cast us back more on Himself!
7. God will permit our faith to be tested like Peter’s to prove it genuine and to strengthen it. Peter’s faith was genuine because it was a repentant faith. A faith that wept bitterly over sin. A faith that got up off the ground of sin and pursued holiness even unto death.
Audio of sermon
