Luke 22:54 They seized him, and led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed from a distance. 55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and had sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 A certain servant girl saw him as he sat in the light, and looking intently at him, said, “This man also was with him.”
57 He denied Jesus, saying, “Woman, I don’t know him.”
58 After a little while someone else saw him, and said, “You also are one of them!”
But Peter answered, “Man, I am not!”
59 After about one hour passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean!”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the Lord’s word, how he said to him, “Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.” 62 He went out, and wept bitterly.
Before Jesus’ arrest Peter was confident in his abilities. He knew his Lord and was willing to die for him. But after the arrest Peter followed from a distance. He wanted to know what was going on but he didn’t want to be recognized or identified as a disciple of Christ. After denying Christ, Peter, realizing his sin, repented in guilt and shame. God turned Peter’s denial of Christ into a fortunate fall for the other disciples. When once you have turned again, establish your brothers. And that is just what Peter did. We see him throughout the book of Acts and in his letters, 1&2 Peter, encouraging, strengthening, and establishing the brothers.
Are you willing to let everyone, friend, foe, and family, know that you are a Christian, or do you follow at a distance hoping not to be recognized or identified with Christ?
Are you, like Peter, able learn from your failures, turning them into opportunities to strengthen and encourage others?
Luke 22:63 The men who held Jesus mocked him and beat him. 64 Having blindfolded him, they struck him on the face and asked him, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?” 65 They spoke many other things against him, insulting him.
66 As soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people were gathered together, both chief priests and scribes, and they led him away into their council, saying, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.”
But he said to them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe, 68 and if I ask, you will in no way answer me or let me go. 69 From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
70 They all said, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He said to them, “You say it, because I am.”
71 They said, “Why do we need any more witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth!”
The temple guards that arrested and detained Jesus didn’t know who they were mocking, insulting, and tormenting. But the Jewish leaders, the high priest, and the elders knew that Jesus claimed to be the Christ. Under interrogation they tried to get Jesus to admit that he was the Christ, the Messiah: “If you are the Christ, tell us.” Christ answered by saying;
First, “even if I tell you, you won’t believe.”
Second, “no matter what I say you will never let me go.”
Third, referring to the prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14 Jesus added, I will say this… “From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
Understanding Christ’s reference to Daniel, the priests again asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” To which Christ responded, I Am, referring to how God named himself in Exodus 3:14. Upon hearing his answer the council members said, “We ourselves have heard from his own mouth!”
With that they took Jesus to the civil authorities.
Luke 23:1 The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
3 Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
He answered him, “So you say.”
4 Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
5 But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.” 6 But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he found out that he was in Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.
To make their case to Pilate, the priests trumped up the charges to include crimes against the state. “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” When Pilate saw through their charade, the priests sought to bolster the charges saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.”
This was just the out that Pilate was looking for. Galilee? Not my jurisdiction. Send him to my subordinate, Herod. He is the ruler of Galilee.
Luke 23:8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him. 9 He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him. 11 Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other.
Herod was glad to meet Jesus and asked him to perform a miracle. Clearly this was not going as the priests had planned. They wanted Jesus condemned to death and Herod just wanted Jesus to perform tricks. When Jesus would not perform a miracle on demand Herod and his soldiers humiliated and mocked him. But, like Pilate, Herod refused to find Jesus guilty. And, in fact, in reaching the same decision – not guilty – Pilate and Herod became friends.
Luke 23:13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and behold, having examined him before you, I found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. 15 Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. 16 I will therefore chastise him and release him.”
Back in the higher court, Pilate formally announced his verdict to the gathered crowd: I found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.”
However, there was a tradition where every year at Passover a prisoner would be released. The crowd began demanding that the murderer, Barabbas be released and that Christ be crucified. The crowd, along with the chief priests shouted, crucify, crucify him, until finally Pilate delivered Jesus up to their will.
Luke 23:17 Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast. 18 But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”— 19 one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.
20 Then Pilate spoke to them again, wanting to release Jesus, 21 but they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”
22 He said to them the third time, “Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no capital crime in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.” 23 But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed. 24 Pilate decreed that what they asked for should be done. 25 He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.
Even at Jesus’ trial God shows us the Gospel plan being worked out. The innocent one, Jesus, is condemned to die in the place of the guilty murderer, Barabbas. The innocent one, Jesus, went to his death so that your sin could be forgiven and you could be set free from your guilt and shame.
Luke 23:26 When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus. 27 A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 Then they will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and tell the hills, ‘Cover us. ’Hosea 10:8 31 For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?”
As Christ is being led to the slaughter, he turns to the women mourning for him, lamenting the injustice, and advises them to, instead, weep for themselves and for their children.
Why does He say that?
For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?” In other words, if they are willing to publicly condemn and crucify a sinless innocent man, 1 John 3:5 their Creator, imagine the wicked and vile things that they are willing to do in secret behind closed doors. And when the God who sees all and judges justly, comes in vengeance against these leaders, the destruction will be so severe that they will cry to the mountains, “Fall on us… cover us from the wrath of God.”
God gave Ezekiel a vision of what goes on behind closed doors:
Do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”
7 Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.
9 And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” 10 So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel. 11 In front of them stood seventy elders of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.
12 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’” 13 Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.”
14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz. 15 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.”
16 He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.
17 He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! 18 Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”
Ezekiel 8
In Ezekiel’s vision the elders and priests of Israel were seen behind closed doors secretly worshiping and bowing down to false gods. God is saying that if pastors and religious leaders are willing to compromise God’s Word in public, you don’t even want to imagine what they are doing in private. Or, to put this in modern terms, how many pastors, teachers, and Christians would be willing to make public the passwords to their computers? What idols, vices, and sins are they pursuing behind closed doors? God knows, and what is hidden will be made known. Luke 8:17