Introduction
We’re coming closer and closer to the Lord’s death on the cross. Two weeks ago we read how the Lord went with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed to his Heavenly Father. Then last week we read how Judas the Betrayer led a large crowd to the Garden in order to arrest the Lord Jesus. One of the disciples drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest in an attempt to defend the Lord Jesus and to establish his kingdom on the earth by force. But though the Lord Jesus is God’s Anointed King, he did not come to kill and destroy and to set up his kingdom by force. He came instead to lay down his life on the cross in order to rescue his people. And he came to rescue his people, not from Roman occupation, but from our sin and misery, so that all who believe may live with him forever in the new heavens and earth. And since he came to lay down his life for his people, he let the guards arrest him.
Today’s passage has two contrasting parts. In the first part we have the Lord’s trial before the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish court of law, comprising the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders. When questioned by the high priest, the Lord gave a true confession. He did not deny who he is, even though it would lead to his death. And in the second part of today’s passage, we have Peter being questioned by the people around him. And when he was questioned by them, he did not give a true confession. Instead he lied about knowing the Lord Jesus. He denied his Saviour before men. And yet the good news is that the reason the Lord Jesus was tried by sinful men and condemned and killed was to save sinners like Peter and sinners like you and me.
Verses 57 to 68
Matthew tells us in verse 57 that those who arrested the Lord took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. In other words, the Lord was taken to the Sanhedrin for trial. In those days there were actually two high priests, because Annas, Caiaphas’s father-in-law, was also high priest. Both of them had been appointed at different times by the Romans. John, in his gospel, records for us that the guards first took the Lord to Annas, who subsequently sent him to Caiaphas.
And Matthew notes for us in verse 58 that Peter followed at a distance and that he entered the courtyard of the high priest’s house in order to see what the outcome would be. He had come to see what would happen to the Lord Jesus.
And we’re told in verse 59 that the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against the Lord so that they could put him to death. So, instead of conducting an honest search for the truth and instead of weighing up all the evidence before reaching a verdict, they had decided the verdict in advance and they were looking for evidence to fit in with it. And this is not the only thing that they did wrong. The scholars believe that did not follow the correct procedure for such trials. For instance, the scholars believe that capital trials could not be held at night. And a guilty verdict could not be made on the same day as the trial began. In other words, they were to take their time and consider all the evidence carefully before making up their mind about a person’s guilt. And yet, this trial took place in the night and the verdict was reached on the same day. And since they had already decided what the verdict should be, all they needed for their trial was for witnesses to come forward to confirm what they already believed, which is that the Lord must die. And, of course, if anyone accused the Lord of wrongdoing, their evidence must be false. It must be false because the Lord never did anything wrong; he always did everything right. So, no one could accuse him truthfully; everyone who accused him of wrongdoing must be telling a lie.
Matthew tells us in verse 60 that they could not find any false witnesses, though many came forward. Mark, in his gospel, tells us that their evidence did not agree. And that was a problem for the Sanhedrin, because, according to Deuteronomy 19:15, one witness was not enough to convict someone of a crime. So, while they were willing to accept the testimony of false witnesses, they nevertheless needed two false witnesses to say the same thing. And finally two witnesses came forward and their testimony agreed.
The two witnesses refer to the Lord as ‘this fellow’, which was a term of contempt. And they said that he had claimed that he could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. The witnesses seem to have misinterpreted the Lord’s words as recorded in John 2:19, where he said: ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it in three days.’ And John explained for us that when he mentioned the temple, he was referring to his body. In fact, he was predicting his resurrection from the dead on the third day. But these false witnesses misinterpreted what he said and they accused him of having threatened to destroy the temple in Jerusalem. Destroying a sacred place like the temple was regarded as a capital crime.
The high priest stood up and asked the Lord to respond to what the witnesses had said. But he remained silent, which recalls what we read in Isaiah 53 about the Lord’s Suffering Servant who ‘was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.’ When we are falsely accused, we normally speak up to defend ourselves. But since it was his Father’s will for Christ to die for us, then the Lord did not defend himself, but he let them accuse him falsely.
And then the high priest charged him under oath to answer whether or not he is the Christ and the Son of God. I think I’ve explained before that ‘Son of God’ sometimes refers to the Second Person of the Trinity; and it sometimes refers to the Christ, who is God’s Anointed King. And the high priest is probably using the second meaning here. So, he’s asking the Lord to declare whether or not he’s the Christ, God’s Anointed King. By charging him under oath, he was compelling the Lord to respond. They Lord had to reply. And presumably the high priest was hoping the Lord would say something to incriminate himself.
And the Lord replied that it is as he said. So: Yes, he is the Christ, God’s Anointed King. And he went on to say that in the future they will see the Son of Man sitting at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven. He’s referring to himself. He’s the Son of Man. And he’s referring to what we read in Daniel 7, where Daniel saw a vision of one like a son of man who approached God in heaven and received authority and glory and power and people worshipped him. And his kingdom will never end. And sure enough, after the Lord’s death and resurrection, he was installed in heaven as king with power and authority over all.
This is too much for Caiaphas. He therefore tore his clothes and announces that the Lord has spoken blasphemy. Apparently the regulations at the time said that the name of God must be spoken for blasphemy to occur. And the Lord did not use God’s name in what he said in verse 64; instead he used the words ‘Mighty One’ to refer to God. So, this was not blasphemy. But as far as Caiaphas was concerned, the Lord was guilty of blasphemy. And he asked the others to declare the verdict. And they agreed that the Lord should die.
And then they abused him by spitting in his face and by hitting him and by slapping him and by mocking him, thus fulfilling what we read in Isaiah 50 where the Lord’s Suffering Servant did not hide his face from mocking and spitting.
Verses 69 to 75
And while this was taking place, Peter was in courtyard. And a servant girl came to him and announced in front of the others who were there that Peter was with the Lord Jesus. And he denied it; ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He then moved away to the gateway where another girl saw him and she made the same announcement. Once again he denied it, this time with an oath. And after a little while, the people said to him that he must be one of the Lord’s disciples, because the knew the Lord’s disciples came from Galilee and his accent gave him away. And this time Peter called down curses on himself. So, something like: ‘May God deal with me ever so severely if I’m telling a lie.’ And he once again denied knowing the Lord.
And immediately the cock crowed; and Peter remembered the words of the Lord that he would deny the Lord three times before the cock crowed. And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Conclusion
In verse 67, the members of the Sanhedrin mocked the Lord because they did not believe he was a true prophet. But his prophecy about Peter’s threefold denial was true.
And the members of the Sanhedrin did not believe that he is the Christ, God’s Anointed King. But he is and he now reigns at God’s right hand in heaven. And he has received power and authority over all; and he is building his kingdom throughout the world through the reading and preaching of his word, by which he calls sinners to turn from their sins and to come to him for forgiveness and eternal life. And whoever repents and believes is added to his kingdom which is an everlasting kingdom which will never come to an end.
And his kingdom is made up of sinners like Peter. And all of us are sinners like Peter, because while we may not have denied the Lord three times, all of us have been unfaithful in other ways and we have disobeyed his commandments and we have fallen short of doing his will. We are sinners who sin against the Lord continually. And yet the good news is that the Lord Jesus was willing to be falsely accused for sinners; and he was willing to be spat on and hit and slapped and mocked for sinners. He was willing to be whipped and beaten and crucified for sinners. He was willing to take the blame for sinners and to suffer God’s wrath in our place.
And because of what Christ suffered, Peter’s tears and our tears are turned into joy, because we know that, though we are sinners who deserve to be condemned and punished, we are justified — pardoned and accepted by God — through faith in Christ. And when we stand before God’s judgment seat, Christ our Great High Priest will stand up, not to condemn us, but to acquit us of all the charges against us and to invite us into the presence of God to live with him forever.
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