DENIALS AND TRUTH.
John 18:15-40.
Although the disciples all initially scattered immediately after Jesus’ arrest (cf. Matthew 26:56), Simon Peter and “another disciple” thereafter followed Jesus and gained entrance into the palace of the high priest. The girl at the door challenged Peter, but he who had earlier said to Jesus, ‘I will lay down my life for thy sake’ (cf. John 13:37) now denied being Jesus’ disciple. Peter then stood with “the servants and the officers,” with whom Judas had so recently stood (cf. John 18:5), on the pretext of “warming himself” at the fire (John 18:15-18).
How can we pray, ‘Lead us not into temptation’ if we purposely choose to keep company with the Lord’s enemies? This is to place ourselves in temptation’s way.
At the other end of the room, the high priest was interrogating Jesus about His disciples, and His teaching. Jesus refused to answer since, as He said, His teaching had been public not secret. It would have been more appropriate to ask those who heard Him (John 18:19-21).
After He said this, one of the officers who stood by delivered a blow to Jesus’ face. Jesus’ answer to this was, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why do you smite me?” According to the Greek text, it was at this point that Annas sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas (John 18:22-24).
“Now Caiaphas was he who gave council to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people” (cf. John 18:14; John 11:49-50). Thus far the purposes of God, and the plans of men, coincided (cf. John 11:51-53). Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas is recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Meanwhile, back at the fire, Peter stood warming himself. Again he was asked, “Are you not one of His disciples?” and again he replied, “I am not.” Then a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off recognised him, and asked, “Did I not see you with Him in the garden?” Peter denied again, and the cock crowed (John 18:25-27).
John’s account hastens us onward with Jesus into Pilate’s court. The hypocrisy of Jesus’ accusers comes to the fore, as they hand over a man whom they have no evidence against, but refuse to enter the judgment hall lest they be defiled and unable to eat the Passover (John 18:28). Ironically, and unbeknown to themselves, the one who they were handing over to be killed was the true Passover Lamb.
The interview between Pilate and Jesus paints a pathetic picture, with Pilate scurrying back and forth between the prisoner within, and His accusers at the door. Pilate needed to hear what accusation they brought against Him, but they evaded the question. So, judge Him by your own law, suggested Pilate. “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death,” admitted the Jewish leaders (John 18:29-31). The scepter had indeed departed from Judah (cf. Genesis 49:10)!
This fulfilled the saying of Jesus , signifying by what death He would die (John 18:32; cf. John 12:32-33).
The King of kings stood accused before the tribunal of an earthly governor. The prisoner appeared so unlike the usual revolutionary that you could almost hear the scorn in the prefect’s voice: “You? The King of the Jews?” Are you asking for yourself, or did others put you up to it? wondered Jesus. “What have you done?” demanded Pilate (John 18:33-35).
Jesus assured Pilate that He posed no threat to Rome: His kingdom is of another order. Yet He did not deny that He is the One who was to come, hoped for by Israel, and expected by the Gentiles: and that everyone who is of the truth hears (i.e. obeys) Him. Counselled by none other than the ultimate manifestation and personification of truth, the Emperor’s representative whimpered “What is truth?” and declared to the crowd, “I find no fault in Him" (John 18:36-38).
Some, perhaps, of the Passover crowd had expected a Messiah who would overthrow the Roman government, but this ‘son of David’ (cf. Matthew 21:9) came instead to die for His people. It is not without reason that Jesus said to Pilate, “but now my kingdom is not from hence” (John 18:36).
When Jesus said, “To this end was I born,” (John 18:37), He was acknowledging His incarnation. When He said, “and for this cause I came into the world” (John 18:37), He was hinting at His Messiahship.
Jesus came to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37). He came into the world to save sinners (cf. 1 Timothy 1:15). He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (cf. John 10:10).
Given the choice of a prisoner to release, the fickle crowd chose Barabbas, a robber, rather than their King (John 18:39-40).
