SERMON OUTLINE:
The Five Pieces in the Puzzle:
(1). Caiaphas the High Priest (vs 53)
(2). The Sanhedrin (vs 55)
(3). The Witnesses (vs 56-59)
(4). Jesus (vs 60-61b)
(5). Peter (vs 66-72)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
Taken from a book called "Disorder in the Court."
(1).
• Q: What is your date of birth?
• A: July fifteenth.
• Q: What year?
• A: Every year
(2).
• Q: What gear were you in at moment of the impact?
• A: A Gucci sweater and Reebok trainers.
(3).
• Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?
• A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can’t remember which!
• Q: How long has he lived with you?
• A: Forty-five years.
(4).
• Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke up that morning?
• A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
• Q: And why did that upset you?
• A: My name is Susan.
(5).
• Q: Trooper, when you stopped the defendant, were your red and blue lights flashing?
• A: Yes.
• Q: Did the defendant say anything when she got out of her car?
• A: Yes, sir.
• Q: What did she say?
• A: What disco am I at?
(6).
• Q: All your responses must be oral, OK?
• A: OK.
• Q: What school did you go to?
• A: Oral.
(7). Or these one liners – stupid questions:
• Q: The youngest son, the 20-year old, how old is he?
• Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?
TRANSITION:
• From the ridiculous to the significant;
• We are looking this morning at Jesus on trial & the denial of Jesus by Peter the disciple.
• In the narrative these two stories are woven together.
Read: verses 53-54:
“They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law came together.
54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.
• Let us first look at the trial of Jesus Christ:
• Jesus was arrested about midnight in the Garden of Gethsemane,
• In the next twelve hours he will be tried six times – you heard right – six times;
• Before being crucified the following noon.
Ill:
• Peloubet’s Bible Dictionary gives the time of this chronology as follows:
• Friday Morning:
• (1). Before Annas - 1 to 5 A.M.
• (2). Before Caiaphas - 1 to 5 A.M.
• (3). Before the Sanhedrin - 1 to 5 A.M.
• (4). Before Pilate - 5 to 6 A.M.
• (5). Before Herod - 5 to 6 A.M.
• (6). Before Pilate Again - 5 to 6 A.M.
• It’s worth noting that;
• None of the gospels give to us all six trials of Jesus in chronological order;
• You will need to do a bit of study yourself to get this information.
• There are plenty of commentaries or websites that do the hard work for you.
In our passage this morning (14 verses 53-65):
• Mark in his gospel records for us trial number two.
• Jesus before Caiaphas.
• This trial was held in what we call ‘A kangaroo court’.
• ‘A kangaroo court’ is
• "A mock court in which the principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted”
• Under Jewish law they had to meet legally in daylight, and not at night.
• They should not be in a home of Caiaphas but in a court room,
• Jewish courts were not meant to be a closed affair:
• They were also supposed to have court reporters present;
• And if you take the time to look it up;
• You will find that many standard and required procedures were broken or ignored.
• This is a classic example of ‘A kangaroo court’.
Now let’s look at the characters involved:
(1). Caiaphas the High Priest (vs 53):
• (a). Joseph Caiaphas,
• Was high priest of the temple in Jerusalem from 18 to 37 A.D
• (b). The high priest served as the Jewish people’s representative to God.
• Once a year as High Priest Caiaphas would enter the Holy of Holies in the temple;
• To offer sacrifices to God on behalf of the people.
• (c). The rest of his time was taken up with being in charge of the temple treasury,
• Controlling the temple police and lower ranking priests and attendants,
• And ruling over the Sanhedrin.
• (d). Caiaphas had held this position for 19-years;
• The average length of time in this position was two years.
• This long tenure is an indication of his ability and influence.
(2). The Sanhedrin (vs 55):
• (a). The Sanhedrin was the supreme council, or court, in ancient Israel.
• (b). The Sanhedrin was comprised of 70 men,
• Plus the high priest, who served as its president, making it 71 men.
• (c). The membership was made up from the chief priests, scribes and elders,
• But there is no actual record on how they were chosen.
• (d). They were a court that had legislative, executive, judicial, civil, criminal,
• And ecclesiastical powers over the Jews,
• Now the problem that the Jewish leaders faced and were trying to sort out was this:
• They had already decided that Jesus must die;
Ill:
• They remind me of the Indian tribe whose water was contaminated;
• A local doctor had used a microscope to show the Indians the germs in the water.
• They were horrified at what they saw.
• Later on that night some of the men broke into the doctors surgery;
• They found the microscope and destroyed it.
• In their ignorance they had solved the problem;
• Now they were unable to see the germs they assumed the problem had gone away!
• The Sanhedrin was showing the same sort of ignorance:
• Get rid of Jesus and you get rid of the problem.
• It was a case of we have our minds made up, now don’t confuse us with the facts!
So the problem that the Jewish leaders faced was this:
• They had decided that Jesus must be killed;
• But because they were being ruled by the Romans;
• They did not have the authority to carry out such a sentence.
• So they needed to create a charge that would carry weight in a Roman court;
• And so this initial hearing is an attempt to piece together such a charge.
(3). The Witnesses (vs 56-59).
56 “Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree”.
57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him:
58 We heard him say, ’I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’
59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree”.
• (a). Under Jewish law (Deuteronomy chapter 17 verse 6).
• It was necessary to have the unanimous evidence of at least two witnesses;
• Before the accused could be declared guilty and worthy of death
• (b). make a note that the Sanhedrin had many more than two witnesses,
• The fact they were so readily available and on hand in the early hours of the morning;
• Suggests very careful pre-planning on the prosecutions behalf.
• (c). Observe also that the Sanhedrin did not have enough time to brief their witnesses properly;
• So they were unable to get their stories to match up, they kept contradicting each other.
• Therefore under Jewish law their testimony was invalid.
• Note: How tragic that a group of religious leaders would encourage people to lie,
• And even worse; to lie during a special holy season!
(4). Jesus (vs 60-61b).
“Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?
61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer”.
• Throughout this time of false accusation Jesus said nothing;
• I think there were two reasons for this:
• First: The charges were false and everybody knew it;
• So as far as Jesus was concerned there was no case to answer;
• So he remained silent!
• Second: Jesus was also aware that this trial(s) was part of a much bigger plan;
• We call that arrangement ‘God’s plan of salvation’:
• ill: Isaiah the prophet had predicted hundreds of years before (chapter 53 verse 7).
• That the Messiah would be:
“…led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.”
• Caiaphas was no doubt ignorant of those words applying to his current situation:
• But he was very much aware of the uselessness of these witnesses;
• So he decides to take matters in to his own hands.
• We would say; ‘He grasps the nettle’ and forces the issue.
• By placing Jesus under an oath.
• We know this happened because Matthew in his gospel (chapter 26 verse 63);
• Tells us this is what happened,
• And only when he was under oath to tell the truth;
• Jesus was willing to reply and to speak the truth into a courtroom full of lies!
• And what a simplistic, yet profound reply Jesus gave;
• Jesus quotes from two Old Testament parts of the Bible;
• Psalm 110 verse 1 and Daniel chapter 7 verse 13.
Verses 61b-63:
“Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?
62 I am, said Jesus. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.
63 The high priest tore his clothes. Why do we need any more witnesses? he asked.
64 You have heard the blasphemy”.
In these verses Jesus tells Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin;
• (a). That before them they may just be seeing a man in chains;
• But a day is coming when they will see him as he really is;
• ‘The Son of Man’ – which they understood & knew to be a Messianic title.
• (b). Jesus then went on to say:
• That those who now stand there judging him;
• Will one day see him as the judge of all people!
• When he is enthroned “at the right hand of the mighty one”
For Caiaphas this is all too much;
• He understood full well the claims that Jesus was making concerning himself.
• And he responds by tearing his clothes;
• An outward demonstration that he considers the reply of Jesus to be blasphemy!
• Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin no longer need witnesses;
• As far as they are concerned Jesus has condemned himself.
• The penalty for blasphemy was death (Leviticus chapter 24 verse 16);
• They had all the proof they were looking for;
• Well, everything except one thing;
• They needed Pilot to rubber stamp their verdict and agree to execute Jesus.
Now:
• While Jesus as verse 65 tells us was being ‘spat upon’ and physically beaten up;
• We have our fifth piece of the puzzle in this narrative – Peter.
• Who was in the courtyard, blending into the crowd,
• Desperately trying to keep close to Jesus, yet at the same time avoid detection.
(5). Peter (vs 66-72)
• (a). Peter the fisherman called to be a disciple;
• (b). Peter who was the unofficial spokesman for the disciples.
• (c). Peter chosen by Jesus and allowed with James & John to witness certain events;
• (d). Such as the Transfiguration (Mark chapter 9 verses 2-8).
• (e). Peter of course started life as Simon;
• But Jesus changed his name to ‘Mr Dependable’ (my paraphrase);
• Who had his name changed to ‘The Rock’ because he would be solid & reliable.
• (f). It was Peter who had a few hours earlier (Mark chapter 14 verses 27-31):
• Had boasted twice hat his loyalty would never falter!
• “Peter declared, Even if all fall away, I will not.”
• “But Peter insisted emphatically, Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you”
I believe that Peter is about to act out-of-character in these verses:
• I say that because as we pick up the story;
• Remember that he is physically tired, mentally exhausted.
• He is on an emotional rollercoaster as he sees Jesus arrested and being tried.
• He is mentally shattered, in a state of shock and unbelief;
• As his whole world is suddenly falling apart
• And while his guard was down;
• He was so venerable to fall into the traps set before him.
Notice: Three times Peter is accused of knowing & following Jesus:
• (a). Verse 67: A servant-girl sees him warming himself by a fire and says:
• “Your face looks familiar” (my translation)
• “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus, she said”
• Notice the contempt in her voice as she describes Jesus as “that Nazarene”
• (b). Verse 69: Peter makes a quick escape and takes up a less conspicuous hiding place;
• While he is standing in a passage the servant girl once again spots him & accuses him:
• “The servant girl said to those standing around, This fellow is one of them.”,
• (c). Verse 70: The bystanders in that area recognise Peter’s northern accent;
• And they too accuse him:
• “those standing near said to Peter, Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean”.
Notice: Three times Peter denies knowing Jesus:
• (a). Verse 68: In reply to the servant-girl he says:
• “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about”
• (b). Verse 70: Again accused by a servant girl Peter once again refutes the idea:
• And we are told simply: “Again he denied it.”
• (c). Verse 71: In reply to the bystanders Peter makes his strongest reply so far:
• “He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them,
• I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
Note:
• Verse 72 is one the saddest verses in the Bible:
• Those three denials must have shook Peter to his very core;
• Yet his worst moment is just about to happen:
• “Immediately the cock crowed the second time.”
• As we have already noted a few hours earlier (Mark chapter 14 verses 27-31).
• Jesus had foreseen and predicted to Peter that he would behave like this.
• Jesus had told Peter would deny him three times before the cock crew twice.
• In verse 68 after his first denial the cock crowed;
• And now in verse 72 after his third denial the cock crowd again.
• And as always the words of Jesus prove to be true!
• And once again showing us that nothing here happened by chance!
• This was not circumstances out of control!
• The arrest and crucifixion of Jesus was all part of a predetermined plan.
• Quote: “There were no accidents in the life of Jesus – only appointments!”
• And one by one the pieces of Gods plan of salvation are fitting together.
In conclusion:
• Don’t rush by those words:
• “Immediately the cock crowed the second time”.
Ill:
• We have in the English language a proverb,
• "Every cloud has a silver lining,"
• It comes from John Milton’s masque (dramatic entertainment) ’Comus’ (1634).
• ’Was I deceiv’d, or did a sable cloud/ Turn forth her silver lining on the night?’
• The proverb means that out of a negative situation;
• Something positive has also been produced.
• The very positive thing or situation is the "silver lining".
Note:
• Although the cockcrowing was Peter’s darkest moment;
• It would also offer him a ‘silver lining’ of hope!
• Dr Luke in his gospel (Luke chapter 22 verse 61),
• Tells us at this very moment Jesus turned and looked at Peter
• And it was this look of love (not the crowing cockerel) that broke Peter’s heart.
• Peter had been a first-hand witness of the sufferings of Christ,
• And he knew that by his own denials he added to those sufferings.
Question: Why a silver lining?
Answer:
• Symbolically remember that the crowing of the cock was an announcement:
• It announced the dawning of a new day!
• Peter had shamefully failed his master;
• Yet with a new day came a new opportunity to repent and therefore new hope!
Ill:
Just contrast Peter and Judas:
• (a). While Judas admitted his sins but never really repented.
• Peter wept over his sins and repented,
• (b). Judas experienced remorse,
• Peter repentance.
• (c). When Judas went out from the Upper Room, “it was night” (John 13:30);
• But when Peter went out to weep bitterly, there was “the dawning of a new day”.
• (d). For Judas it was deliberate betrayal and therefore the end of his relationship with Jesus;
• For Peter it was a temporary mistake, a blunder, a failing in his walk as a disciple;
• And as we know from John’s gospel chapter 21;
• Jesus would later correct those denials of Peter and re-commission him!
