The Trials And Denials Of Jesus – Part 1

Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

John 18:12-27 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. ¹³ First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ¹⁴ It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

¹⁵ Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, ¹⁶ but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷ The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

¹⁹ The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” ²² When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” ²³ Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” ²⁴ Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not 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 the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” ²⁷ Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

INTRODUCTION

Last week’s sermon ended at 18:11, with Jesus having been betrayed, having been surrounded by an untold, but significant number of Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders, and having insisted on His followers being released. We were left wondering what would happen.

Judas, the band of soldiers, and the officers were seeking Jesus. They found Him. Now what?

Was this the moment in which He would throw back His cloak and reveal the emblazoned “C” (for Christ) on His chest? Is this the moment when Jesus would begin crushing the resistance and shame His doubters? Was this the moment in which Jesus would force the enemies of God to drink the cup of God’s wrath they so deserved?

Peter seemed to think so as he started hacking off ears before Jesus stopped him. Did Jesus halt his assault just so that He could begin His own?

As you know, that was certainly not the case. Jesus came to drink the cup of the wrath of God for those who had betrayed Him, not to make them drink it. And the means by which He would do so was to hand Himself over to His betrayers.

Practically, our passage begins with Jesus’ arrest and then continues quickly on to a series of “trials” that Jesus was brought through—three Jewish and three Romans. In the midst of all of that, John tells of Peter denying Jesus three times in fairly short succession.

We’ll consider the three Jewish trials this morning as well as Peter’s denials.

The big idea in all of this is the staggering love and grace of Jesus in the face of the growing treachery of those He came to save. The main takeaways are the Spirit-empowered cultivation of humility, gratitude, trust, and love.

PASSION WEEK TIMELINE REVIEW

In John’s Gospel, as is the case with the rest of the Gospels, there is a significantly disproportionate amount of time given to the final weeks of Jesus’ life. Approximately half of John covers the beginning of Creation through the first 30 years of Jesus’s life. The other half covers the final week of Jesus’ life. Clearly, John means us to understand that everything was leading to this last week.

For that reason, as we often point out at our Maundy Thursday and Easter services, being clear on both the events of Holy Week and their spiritual significance, is critical for us. I’ll continue to do my best to highlight both as they show up in the text. Right now, however, I want to give a bit of attention to the timeline of the week.

Sunday

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, which was marked by Jesus riding triumphantly into Jerusalem. He did so at a time in which the city was filled to the brim with the Passover crowd. In so doing, He publicly presented Himself as the Messiah and the people received Him with adulation and praise. That evening He returned to a city not far from Jerusalem, Bethany (where He’d raised Lazarus from the dead).

Monday

On Monday of Holy Week Jesus rode back into Jerusalem (from Bethany) and wept over Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness. He also cleansed the temple for a second time before returning to Bethany again at night.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, again on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem, Jesus showed His power and explained that His followers would share in it through faith. This is also the day in which Judas agreed to betray Jesus, the religious leaders plotted His death, and Mary anointed Jesus’ feet.

Wednesday

Wednesday seems to have been a silent day for Jesus and one in which Judas and the Jewish and Roman leaders put their plans together to arrest Jesus.

Thursday

And on Thursday, as we’ve been considering for some time in John’s Gospel, Jesus returned one more time from Bethany in order to meet with His disciples and eat the Passover meal together. During the meal, He washed their feet (and commanded them to do the same for one another), explained Judas’s treachery, worked to strengthen the disciples’ faith for when He was gone, and instituted the Lord’s Supper and the New Covenant.

Later in the evening, which we saw over the last several last weeks’ sermons, after Judas left to betray Jesus, Jesus and the remaining eleven disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus prayed to the Father in one of the most moving passages in all of Scripture (Matthew 26:36-46).

It’s interesting and important to note that on each previous night (Sunday-Wednesday) Jesus had returned to Bethany. In Bethany He would have been protected from His enemies by the people who had witnessed Him raise Lazarus from the dead. On Thursday night, however, Jesus remained in Jerusalem because His time had finally come. That’s what allowed the treachery we’re now reading about to take place.

Late Thursday night, and into Friday morning, then, several enormously significant events unfolded. As I mentioned in the introduction, those events began with Judas’s betrayal of Jesus, leading to a confrontation with a cohort of armed Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders.

Once again, before continuing on with the timeline of events, it’s critical for us to settle on the fact that these are historical events. They really happened. They all have significant spiritual implications, but they are at the same time entirely factual. They are more than historical, but they are not less.

Grace, our faith rests not merely on concepts or ideas, but on genuine people and events in the course history. Our faith rests on both spiritual and historical realities. Kids, that’s why some of you should give your lives to studying and teaching theology and some of you should give your lives to studying and teaching history. This is why historical and theological methods matter. Parents, this is why you need to help your kids learn not just what to think, but how it all fits together. This is why we all need to make sure that all of our learning is properly connected to the biggest story. Paying attention to the historicity of the events of the Gospels is part of what it means to love God with all our minds. Not every Christian needs to pursue academic degrees, but the fact that God ordained the salvation of the world to come through actual events and people in the course of history means that there can be no thoughtless Christians.

THE ARREST AND JEWISH TRIALS OF THURSDAY EVENING AND FRIDAY MORNING

It seems pretty obvious to me that if we didn’t already know what happens next, it wouldn’t be obvious what happens next. Continually, Jesus acted in ways no one seemed to understand or predict.

Jesus Arrested

Rather than fight back or cause the betrayers to fall back once and for all (18:6), rather even than mysteriously slip away again (John 10:39), Jesus simply allowed Himself to be arrested and bound.

¹² So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

Again, what a staggering response. It was the Word of God that created the soldiers, their captain, the officers, and the bonds. It was the Word of God that sustained them in that moment.

Jesus could have crushed His enemies more easily than we can crush an ant. And if He didn’t want to get His hands dirty, it would have been no problem for Him call in countless angels to slice down those who would presume to lay hands on the Son of God. It seems that His disciples were ready to fight on Jesus’ behalf. He could have charged them to charge. At the very least, Jesus could have simply stopped holding the bonds together by the word of His power!

But He didn’t do any of those things. He did nothing to stay the hand of the Romans or Jews. He demanded the release of His followers and then “came forward” (18:4), handing Himself over to His betrayers.

I hope it’s easy to see that Jesus’ Kingdom is not like the kingdoms of the world. Things work differently in Jesus’ kingdom. It is, in many ways, an “upside down” kingdom. The first are last and the last are first (Matthew 20:16). The greatest are the servants (Matthew 23:11-12). Burden taking is easy and light (Matthew 11:30). Trials are joy (James 1:2). Love sacrifices rather than demands (John 15:13). And Jesus defeated His enemies, in order to save His enemies, by surrendering to His enemies.

I also hope it’s easy to see that following Jesus means loving and trusting Jesus, such that we too humbly and gratefully come forward into obedience, no matter the cost. We love our persecutors (Matthew 5:44), bless those who curse us (Romans 12:14), we turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), and we endure mistreatment (1 Peter 2:20) in the name of Jesus, according to the example of Jesus. For us, discomfort is a blessing when it leads to godliness (James 1:2-4), persecution for godliness is joy (Acts 5:41), and it is not death to die (John 11:25-26).

Grace, hear me, young people especially, in allowing Himself to be arrested and bound, for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), in obedience to His Father and love for His people, Jesus shows us that godliness isn’t about running toward the world’s invitation for fun, comfort, acceptance, or power. It is about running toward God’s commands and promises in service and sacrifice.

Jesus Jewish Trials

Again, after His betrayal and arrest Jesus was immediately brought through three Jewish “trials”.

Jesus’ first Jewish trial was before Annas, the former High Priest (who was also father-in-Law to Caiaphas, the current High Priest). John writes primarily about this trial.

¹³ First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ¹⁴ It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

¹⁹ The high priest [Annas] then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

Apart from the background I’ve shared, this might appear to have some measure of legitimacy. Perhaps the former High Priest really did want to examine Jesus concerning legitimate charges against Him. Again, though, the facts that it came about through a paid betrayal, that it was in collusion with the Romans, that it was at night, and in light of how Jesus replied, we know the Jewish leaders were after anything but a fair trial. Therefore…

²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.”

Jesus understood the situation. Perhaps Annas’s antics would have duped someone else. Or perhaps, his authority would have intimidated someone else. But Jesus would not be duped and could not be intimidated. He saw right through the whole ruse, cut straight to the heart of the matter, and let Annas know that He knew what was going on; and remained in perfect control as He did.

In essence, Jesus told Annas that if this were a legitimate inquiry, he wouldn’t have asked a question that everyone already knew the answer to, at night, and without witnesses. By that point, Jesus had made everything public. By that point, there were thousands of witnesses to all of His teaching. This wasn’t about fact-finding, it was about setting a trap and doing so in a way the provided a hint of legitimacy. Again, Jesus knew this.

While He didn’t directly insult Annas, Jesus’ refusal to play Annas’s games or cower in fear was enough to elicit his anger and that of his officers. Thus…

²² When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”

Still unfazed in the way that only a clean conscience, immovable trust in the rightness of mission, the strength of the Spirit, and the favor of God can do…

²³ Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”

Annas got no where with Jesus and so, from there, Jesus was then taken to the Caiaphas, the current high priest’s, home for the second Jewish “trial”.

In this, we have a model, Grace. This is what it looks like to fear none, but God alone. This is what it looks like to stand in faith against those who accuse us and seek our harm for bearing the name of Jesus.

His second Jewish trial was before Caiaphas (the current high priest) and the Sanhedrin. John alludes to this trial in v.24, but it is explained in some detail in the other Gospels (Matthew 26:57, 59-68, Mark 14:53, 55-65, and Luke 22:63-65).

²⁴ Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

From the other Gospels, we find that…

Matthew 26:59 … the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, ⁶⁰ but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward.

In response to these false accusations “⁶² the high priest stood up and said, ‘Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?’ ⁶³ But Jesus remained silent.”

Unwilling to let the matter go as Annas did, “⁶³ …[Caiaphas] said to [Jesus], ‘I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’”

This time, Jesus did reply. Indeed, His time had truly come! Therefore…

⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Jesus acknowledged that He was indeed the Christ to these men. Having what they were after…

⁶⁵ … the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What is your judgment?”

And joining in, the members of the whole council answered…

⁶⁶ “He deserves death.” ⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

Jesus was brough before Caiaphas, the one “who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.” Do you see the irony, Grace? Without even understanding it, Caiphas was given the gospel. That is the good news! The One Man, Jesus, died for the people. He died in the place of all. But because Caiaphas was thinking only of worldly self-preservation, he missed the greater meaning, glory, and salvation offered to him by God. He was correct in his conclusion, but deadly wrong in his reasoning and motives.

Finally, Jesus’ third Jewish trial took place before the Sanhedrin for the second time, but this time in the day so as to give everything the appearance of legitimacy. John doesn’t mention this trial at all, but it is described in Matthew (27:1), Mark (15:1), and Luke (22:66-71).

Matthew 27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.

Nothing new was revealed in this third trial, but again, the fact that it was held in the morning gave the Jews a kind of protective cover, a kind of plausible deniability, a veneer of legitimacy.

And yet, appearances aside, the fact that 70 of the most important men in the city (the entire Sanhedrin) were available to hold a trial in the middle of the night, as summoned by the high priests of Israel, demonstrates that this was a planned and shady event.

Virtually everything about the Jewish trials was against Jewish law. Jesus was arrested with no charge, he was struck before being found guilty, witnesses were manufactured, and the first two trials took place at night.

Eventually, however, during the second Jewish trial, Jesus admitted to being the Messiah and therein gave the Pharisees and Sadducees the insurrectionist charge they needed to have Pilate put Jesus to death. The third trial, then was convened in the day to make things look on the up and up. Convinced things were in order, as we’ll begin to consider next week, the Jews took Jesus to the Romans for execution, which led to the three Roman trials.

In all of this treachery, we see that sin is sinful and so it will find ways to sin. Unchecked, sin sets its appetite on a thing and will go about satisfying that craving by any means possible. The very keepers of the Law of God were willing to violate the Law of God to suite their own misguided purposes.

That is treacherous, but you do not know the gospel, the good news of Jesus, if you do not know that apart from God’s grace, that’s you and that’s me and that’s all mankind since Adam’s fall. There is no place for pride or self-righteous scorn. It is right to acknowledge the folly and evil and wickedness of the actions of these men, but only as we first recognize that our sin crucified Jesus as much as theirs. Had God not graciously intervened on our behalf, we would all remain stuck in our sin and folly as well.

And the greatest irony of all of this is seen very clearly in the contrast between “high priests.” Annas and Caiaphas were holding an office created by God to foreshadow the Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). They were charged by God to be holy, clean, and righteous, to perform sacrificial and leadership functions as a way of pointing to the One who was to come. Their lives were to be lived in such a way that when the True High Priest came, the parallels would make sense. Instead, however, they were acting in every way the opposite. They were acting wickedly and in selfishness and ignorance. And they did so in such a way that, instead of making Jesus more recognizable, they made Him unrecognizable. And yet Jesus, the High Priest of high priests, acted in perfect righteousness, soon to offer and be the sacrifice, once for all (Hebrews 10:10).

Grace, consider this carefully. Your marriage is a version of this. It was created by God to reflect the gospel and make our evangelism make sense. Husbands, are you loving your wife as Christ loves the church, giving yourself up for her holiness? Wives are you respecting and submitting to your husbands as the Church does Christ? These charges are meant to provide a living picture of the gospel. Is that the case, or are you like the high priests who made it harder to recognize Jesus?

This is the case for us as members as well. The way we interact with one another is designed by God to show the transforming power of the gospel. Are you using your gifts to build up the church? Are you gladly bearing others burdens or mainly focused on your own? Do you confess and help others fight against sin? Do you forgive quickly and avoid gossip and slander? Do you love sacrificially and look to serve rather than be served? Do you love deeply and continually seek unity? Again, rightly oriented, collectively, we are an example to the world of the truthfulness of God’s promises. Wrongly oriented, we are like the high priests.

PETER’S DENIALS

In the midst of all of this, we are right to wonder what the disciples were doing. Jesus had “negotiated” their release at His surrender, so what did they do? We don’t know what all of them were up to, but John tells us about two of them. Look at v.15.

¹⁵ Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, ¹⁶ but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.

There’s a good deal of debate about who the “other disciple” is. And yet most agree that it was the “beloved disciple” (John 13:23), John, the Gospel writer, himself. Whoever it was, though, the point is simply that he knew Annas well enough to gain entrance for himself and his +1 into his house and examination of Jesus.

But that’s when things got dicey for Peter.

¹⁷ The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

For me, the most interesting aspect of this question is the word “also.” It seems clear that the servant girl already knew that John (or whoever the other disciple was) was a disciple of Jesus and let him in with a guest anyway. That makes Peter’s response even more troubling and confusing.

He said, “I am not.”

In spite of all he’d seen, heard, experienced, sacrificed, and received, Peter denied Jesus.

John doesn’t mention it, but like Judas’s betrayal, Jesus knew of Peter’s denial as well. It was promised many years earlier.

Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; will turn my hand against the little ones.

Indeed, claiming this very text, Jesus Himself predicted it. Back to Matthew 26.

³¹ …Jesus said to [the Twelve], “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ … ³³ Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” ³⁴ Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” ³⁵ Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

In spite of his vehement assertion, Peter succumbed to temptation and did indeed deny Jesus. But would he really do so two more times?

¹⁸ Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

²⁵ … So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?”

Peter’s first denial seemed about as unnecessary as you can imagine. The heat is turned up a bit here, though. He was not being questioned by a servant girl who would have let him in no matter what, but by Jewish officers who had some measure of authority over him. Not overly high stakes, but higher than the first time. Had Peter learned his lesson? Had conviction set in? Was there a chance that Jesus miscounted?

He denied it and said, “I am not.”

Again, Peter denied Jesus.

Almost immediately after, Peter was confronted with a steeper challenge still. This time he was questioned by someone who certainly had skin in the game.

²⁶ One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?”

A family member of the man Peter had attacked questioned Peter. Here, there was at least an implied threat of violence. But Peter had already had two chanced to recalibrate. Would he? Did he?

²⁷ Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Let us all learn two lessons from this, Grace.

First, Jesus came for betrayers. Jesus came for unjust leaders. Jesus came for deniers. No kind or measure of sin puts you outside of the reach of Jesus’ saving grace. The only thing that puts you outside of it, is failing to recognize that you are an unjust betraying denier. It is not the deniers who will be left out of the kingdom of God, but those who deny their denial and refuse to turn to Jesus for rescue from it.

Second, your past sin does not determine your present ability to serve Jesus in significant ways. At the end of John’s Gospel, John made sure to record Peter’s reconciliation with Jesus and Jesus’ charge to love and lead His people. Peter, as you know, would go on to be a fearless proclaimer of the resurrected Jesus and the leader of the early Church. What matters in the service of the kingdom of God is not past failure, but present faithfulness.

O, what amazing grace.

CONCLUSION

The big idea in all of this is the staggering love and grace of Jesus in the face of the growing treachery of those He came to save—including you and me. The main takeaways are the Spirit-empowered cultivation of humility, gratitude, trust, and love. May it be so among us, in increasing measure, Grace. All glory be to Christ.