The Path to the Cross
April 2, 2023
Are you surprised when you are confronted with evil? Are you shocked when people treat you unjustly? If you’re like me, you are. This past week we’ve seen evil rear its ugly head as 3 children and 3 adults were tragically murdered at a Christian School in Tennessee. Then when we hear those who say the shooter was justified for killing Christians because Christians are against those who claim to be transgender. And once again we have a vivid example of how evil is called good and good is called evil. And for most of us we are still surprised by the growing evil that’s upon us today.
But let me remind you who is not surprised by evil. It’s Jesus. In fact, if anyone knew the schemes of evil that opposed him, it was Jesus. Nothing surprised Jesus. Especially when the hour came for him to make his way to the cross. For as He made his way to the cross Jesus knew what would happen every step of the way. He knew he would face intimidation, anger, denial, arrogance and rejection. But none of what was to come his way on the eve of his crucifixion took him by surprise. Rather, as we’ll soon see, Jesus handled the evil with such composure and grace, that He models for us how we are to handle evil when it comes our way.
So, if you have your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to open it to John 18 – where we’re going to see how Jesus handled the schemes of evil that confronted him on his path to the cross, starting with the first evil: the arrest of Jesus:
The Arrest of Jesus When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So, Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. John 18:1-3 The first thing we see is that Jesus purposely went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. Why does John want us to see this? It’s because Jesus actually did control all the events that would lead Him to the cross. Jesus told us this truth much earlier. Let me repeat it now: “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:17-18
So, the first step on his path to the cross, Jesus makes it easy for His betrayer to find him. And it is there that the first evil to confront Jesus arrives with Judas as an intimidating show of force. For with Judas is a detachment of soldiers. A Roman “cohort.” Did you know that Roman cohort was made up of 600 soldiers. Now, that’s a show of force. Not only that, but we’re also told that with them are officers of the chief priests and the Pharisees. These guys were leaving nothing to chance. They come with both a religious and physical show of force, so that Jesus would give in to their scheme to arrest him.
However, their intimidating presence did not surprise Jesus. Instead, Jesus knew what was coming. In fact, Jesus knew everything that was coming his way this night. As we read, Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” John 18:4 So rather than cower at their power, Jesus takes the initiative. Rather, than allow them to intimidate him he comes out to them, asks them a question – not to gather information, but to show them who’s really in charge.
So, they answer his question: “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. They’ve come to arrest Jesus of Nazareth. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. John 18:5-6 Talk about a show of force. Jesus uses the very words God spoke to Moses when God revealed His name to him at the burning bush. He utters the eternal name of God, “I am.” And at that utterance every soldier and religious officer falls to the ground. They came with a show of force to arrest Jesus, but Jesus spoke His name and the power of His name put them on their backs. Round one goes to Jesus.
Now, they’re a bit shaken, so Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” John 18:7-9 Jesus has just revealed to these soldiers who’s really in charge. And they may have run away at this. So now, Jesus reminds them of what they are there to do. But as He does, He’s also thinking of his disciples. And He uses this opportunity to advocate on their behalf to make sure they’re not arrested along with him. And this seems to work.
But then there’s Peter. Apparently, Peter didn’t trust that Jesus had everything under control. So, we read: Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” John 18:11-12 But Jesus did have everything under control. He even put Malchus’ ear back and healed him. And as noble as Peter’s intentions were, nothing was going to deter Jesus from his appointment with the cross. So, this first encounter with evil ends as John tells us that Then the detachmentof soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people. John 18:12-14
Now, before we move on to Jesus’ next confrontation with evil, let me make three observations about the character of Jesus in face of evil: First, Jesus had great composure in the face of evil. He wasn’t manipulated by a worldly show of force. He wasn’t afraid. We need to learn from Jesus here. The reason Jesus had such poise in the face of evil, is that he knew who was really in control. He knew God was sovereign. He believed the Father was in control even when things seemed to be spiraling out of control. In fact, he had such confidence in the Father’s plan, he even initiated His own arrest. And even had to ask them a second time, so he could help them arrest him. We need to have the same kind of composure today, so we don’t go through this life and let evil throw us off our game.
Second, Jesus had great compassion in the face of evil. He knew he was about to be arrested. But that didn’t stop him from stepping up and advocating for his friends. Again, there needs to be more of this today. It seems like whenever evil rears its ugly head, everyone seems to think only of themselves. But that’s not the way of Christ, and it’s not the way of His followers. His followers have always been the ones who put others first, even in the midst of crisis.
Third, Jesus had great conviction to do the Father’s will. Even though Peter thought he was doing good thing by drawing a sword, the better thing is what Jesus was about to do by laying down His life for the world. And he would not allow Peter to stop the Father’s plan. We would do well to learn from this example, because far too often we try to fight evil with the weapons of evil, rather than the love of God.
Now, this just one confrontation with evil Jesus faced that night. The next he didn’t face directly, but it still effected on him. So, what was that? The denial of Jesus: Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in. John 18:15-16
“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself. John 18:17-18 Now, Peter often gets a bad rap here. And I tend to agree. For after Jesus was arrested, the rest of the disciples abandoned Jesus. They ran away. But not Peter. He had told Jesus he would die for him, just an hour earlier. He even tried to defend him in the garden. The least he could do was stay close by. So, Peter goes with John to the high priest’s residence. John could go in, but Peter had to wait outside. That’s a key detail. Why? Because now Peter was alone. He’d been separated from Jesus. He’d been separated from John, and that made him vulnerable. And so, when he was asked if he was Jesus’ disciple, it shouldn’t surprise us that he denied Jesus. It didn’t surprise Jesus. He knew that’s exactly what he would do.
Here’s where I want to draw our attention to the evil behind Peter’s denials. It wasn’t the evil in Peter. But the scheme of the evil one. One of the schemes of the evil one is to divide us or isolate us. If he can get you to go it alone, if he can separate you from others who know Jesus, he can make you deny your relationship with Jesus.
Peter never intentionally set out to deny Jesus. But once he was separated from John and left alone to deal with all his fears, my best guess is that his fears got the best of him. He’s like us. Let alone, he starts thinking of the worst-case scenario. If Jesus was arrested, he could be next. After all, he did cut off Malchus’ ear. He could be arrested for that. In fact, when we listen to the second and third denials of Peter, we see that his worst fears materialized: Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So, they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again, Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. John 18:25-27
Now, here’s the truth I want us to take away from this: Jesus isn’t surprised when fear gets the best of us. Jesus knew Peter would deny him three times. He knew he would be isolated and overtaken by fear. Fear can make you run, hide or avoid. Fear can make you defensive and over- protective. And when fear gets the best of you, it can make you do things you never thought you would do. That’s what happened to Peter. At the moment he was at his most vulnerable he denied knowing Jesus.
Now, let me encourage you here. Jesus never denied Peter. In fact, later on we will see how Jesus loves Peter and restores him. But before we move on to Jesus’ next confrontation with evil, let me leave you with two things that can protect you from letting fear get the best of you:
First, stay close to Jesus. Jesus promises to never leave nor forsake you. When you are cultivating your relationship with Jesus, learning his word, staying connected to him in prayer and in fellowship with other believers, you will protect yourself from Satan’s scheme to isolate you and attack you. You will keep yourself in the presence of God’s love. And when you keep yourself in God’s love, His Word promises us that His perfect love that drives out fear.
Second, stay close to God’s people. If the evil one can isolate Peter, he can do the same with you. That’s why when Jesus saved you, he connected you with His body. You were never meant to go it alone. You need to love, the encouragement, the prayers other believers, and they need the same from you. So, when you stay close to God’s people, you’ll have someone there to stand with you to protect you from the schemes of the evil one. Peter didn’t have that protect that night and it caused him to do the unthinkable. Don’t let that happen to you. Stay close to Jesus and stay close to God’s people.
Jesus’ denial was one of the steps Jesus had to endure on his path to the cross. Now, let’s look at the third one: The illegal trials of Jesus. Jesus knew he would be falsely tried. Jesus knew when the religious authorities wanted to arrest him, they were going to have to come with some kind of evidence against him, so they could kill him. So, it didn’t surprise him that He would be dragged into not one, but two illegal trials. The first one is recorded here, where we pick it up in verse 19: Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely, they know what I said.” John 18:19-20
Now Jesus immediately knew that this trial was rigged, because Jesus knew the law. He knew the high priest can never directly question a defendant. For there were laws protecting against self-incrimination, much like our laws today. And Jesus also knew that bringing him directly to Annas was a ploy meant to intimidate him. But Jesus didn’t fall for it. That’s why Jesus said what He did. He knew that they were trying to intimidate him in to saying something that would incriminate him, that’s why he responded by telling Annas to question those who heard him. Any worthy student of the law would know this is the proper approach to acquiring evidence against Jesus; so, this was Jesus’ way of throwing the law back in the face of Annas.
Of course, when Jesus said this, it hit a nerve: When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded. “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” There was nothing improper about Jesus’ response. But those around Annas were so drunk with power, they couldn’t handle Annas’ being challenged. So, one of them struck Jesus. He wanted to put Jesus in his place. All I can say, is that the arrogance of evil will make you do foolish things. But striking Jesus wasn’t going to intimidate Jesus either.
So once, again, Jesus shows us to handle the arrogance of evil. First, Jesus knew He was innocent. When you are innocent, it doesn’t matter how important you accusers think they are. Position and pride have no ability to intimidate the innocent. In other words, if you are living a life of integrity, those who think they can intimidate you will have no real power over you. Secondly, Jesus shows us the importance of knowing the truth: Jesus knew the truth. I can’t think of a better example for us to be a people who fill out lives with the truth of God’s Word – to be a people who pursue the truth, hold fast to the truth, and live the truth. For when you know the truth, the truth doesn’t just set you free from those who arrogantly think they know what is right, you will always be able to rest secure in the truth in the face of intimidation, and no one will ever be able to provoke you or intimidate you into denying the truth.
And of course, when Annas’ attempt to find some incriminating evidence against Jesus failed we read, Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. John 18:24
These secret and illegal proceedings are not recorded here by John but are recorded in all three other gospels. So, let me take a moment to share the depth of evil at work in that trial. There were at least five violations of Jewish law that took place under the shroud of darkness: First, the Sanhedrin convened in the house of Caiaphas rather than at its regular meeting place near the temple. Second, the Sanhedrin met at night rather than the prescribed time during the day. Third, contrary to official procedure, the Sanhedrin convened on the eve of a Sabbath and during a festival. Fourth, special formalities required in cases involving a capital crime were not followed. Fifth, the sentence of condemnation was pronounced on the same day as the morning trial. According to official policy, before pronouncing a verdict of guilty and imposing a sentence, the court must recess until the following day when it would reconvene to reexamine the evidence.
And all this led to what we see next: The Rejection of Jesus Follow along as I read what took place next: Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So, Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. John 18:28-32
Jesus knew the religious leaders had no power to execute him. So, he knew they would have to convince Rome to do their dirty work for them. Notice the hypocrisy of the Jews at this point: They are intent on breaking the sixth commandment and get a guy killed for no good reason and are willing to break all of the laws of the court in the process, but let’s make sure we’re not defiled by Pilate so we can go ahead and celebrate the Passover.
But at this point Pilate is ready to dismiss this case. But they won’t have it, saying, “But we have no right to execute anyone,” saying that Pilate does. That convinces Pilate to take the case and so he takes Jesus into his palace and begins to question him: “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. John 18:33-37a
This is a remarkable exchange. Jesus testifies to the truth that his kingdom is not of this earth – which tells Pilate, Jesus is really no threat to Rome. To which Pilate replies: “You are a king them!” And immediately we see the irony of this statement. Pilate recognizes what the Jews refuse to believe – that Jesus is indeed a King.
But with this revelation by Pilate, Jesus takes it one step further and invites Pilate to see him for who He truly is: “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37 At this moment Jesus speaks right to Pilate’s identity. As governor, it was his job to judge what is true. And his job at this moment was to determine truth and render a judgment about Jesus. So, Jesus words are pointed directly at Pilate:” Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Jesus is claiming to be the source of truth. He is saying to Pilate, “I am truth. What are you going to do with me?
How does Pilate’s respond? He utters these famous words: “What is truth?” and abruptly turns away. He refuses to deal with the claims of Jesus. He is so consumed with his own way of thinking that he refuses to listen to the truth. Out of callous indifference to the truth, Pilate rejects Jesus, and puts his fate in the hands of the people. And so, we read: With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising. John 18:38-40
So, the path to the cross is now complete. Pilate has rejected Jesus. The Jews have rejected Jesus. Evil it seems has won the day. But none of this surprised Jesus. He predicted his betrayal, He controlled the events of His arrest, He told Peter he would deny Him three times. He never stood humbly in the face of His arrogant accusers, and spoke truth to Pilate, proclaiming,” Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
But as we’ve seen today evil never listens to the truth. And Jesus knew this too, for this evil led him to be completely rejected by the very people He came to love, the very people he came to lay down His life for.
So, the good news today is this: Jesus was never a victim of evil. Rather he used every evil thrown at Him to overcome evil for us. For when He lay down His life for us on that cruel cross, He defeated sin and death, and freed us from the realm of darkness. So that now, if you believe in Jesus, you no longer need to fear evil. For you have Jesus. Let’s pray.
. Rather, as we’ll soon see, Jesus handled the evil with such composure and grace, that He models for us how we are to handle evil when it comes our way.
So, if you have your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to open it to John 18 – where we’re going to see how Jesus handled the schemes of evil that confronted him on his path to the cross, starting with the first evil: the arrest of Jesus:
The Arrest of Jesus When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So, Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. John 18:1-3 The first thing we see is that Jesus purposely went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. Why does John want us to see this? It’s because Jesus actually did control all the events that would lead Him to the cross. Jesus told us this truth much earlier. Let me repeat it now: “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:17-18
So, the first step on his path to the cross, Jesus makes it easy for His betrayer to find him. And it is there that the first evil to confront Jesus arrives with Judas as an intimidating show of force. For with Judas is a detachment of soldiers. A Roman “cohort.” Did you know that Roman cohort was made up of 600 soldiers. Now, that’s a show of force. Not only that, but we’re also told that with them are officers of the chief priests and the Pharisees. These guys were leaving nothing to chance. They come with both a religious and physical show of force, so that Jesus would give in to their scheme to arrest him.
However, their intimidating presence did not surprise Jesus. Instead, Jesus knew what was coming. In fact, Jesus knew everything that was coming his way this night. As we read, Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” John 18:4 So rather than cower at their power, Jesus takes the initiative. Rather, than allow them to intimidate him he comes out to them, asks them a question – not to gather information, but to show them who’s really in charge.
So, they answer his question: “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. They’ve come to arrest Jesus of Nazareth. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. John 18:5-6 Talk about a show of force. Jesus uses the very words God spoke to Moses when God revealed His name to him at the burning bush. He utters the eternal name of God, “I am.” And at that utterance every soldier and religious officer falls to the ground. They came with a show of force to arrest Jesus, but Jesus spoke His name and the power of His name put them on their backs. Round one goes to Jesus.
Now, they’re a bit shaken, so Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” John 18:7-9 Jesus has just revealed to these soldiers who’s really in charge. And they may have run away at this. So now, Jesus reminds them of what they are there to do. But as He does, He’s also thinking of his disciples. And He uses this opportunity to advocate on their behalf to make sure they’re not arrested along with him. And this seems to work.
But then there’s Peter. Apparently, Peter didn’t trust that Jesus had everything under control. So, we read: Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” John 18:11-12 But Jesus did have everything under control. He even put Malchus’ ear back and healed him. And as noble as Peter’s intentions were, nothing was going to deter Jesus from his appointment with the cross. So, this first encounter with evil ends as John tells us that Then the detachmentof soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people. John 18:12-14
Now, before we move on to Jesus’ next confrontation with evil, let me make three observations about the character of Jesus in face of evil: First, Jesus had great composure in the face of evil. He wasn’t manipulated by a worldly show of force. He wasn’t afraid. We need to learn from Jesus here. The reason Jesus had such poise in the face of evil, is that he knew who was really in control. He knew God was sovereign. He believed the Father was in control even when things seemed to be spiraling out of control. In fact, he had such confidence in the Father’s plan, he even initiated His own arrest. And even had to ask them a second time, so he could help them arrest him. We need to have the same kind of composure today, so we don’t go through this life and let evil throw us off our game.
Second, Jesus had great compassion in the face of evil. He knew he was about to be arrested. But that didn’t stop him from stepping up and advocating for his friends. Again, there needs to be more of this today. It seems like whenever evil rears its ugly head, everyone seems to think only of themselves. But that’s not the way of Christ, and it’s not the way of His followers. His followers have always been the ones who put others first, even in the midst of crisis.
Third, Jesus had great conviction to do the Father’s will. Even though Peter thought he was doing good thing by drawing a sword, the better thing is what Jesus was about to do by laying down His life for the world. And he would not allow Peter to stop the Father’s plan. We would do well to learn from this example, because far too often we try to fight evil with the weapons of evil, rather than the love of God.
Now, this just one confrontation with evil Jesus faced that night. The next he didn’t face directly, but it still effected on him. So, what was that? The denial of Jesus: Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in. John 18:15-16
“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself. John 18:17-18 Now, Peter often gets a bad rap here. And I tend to agree. For after Jesus was arrested, the rest of the disciples abandoned Jesus. They ran away. But not Peter. He had told Jesus he would die for him, just an hour earlier. He even tried to defend him in the garden. The least he could do was stay close by. So, Peter goes with John to the high priest’s residence. John could go in, but Peter had to wait outside. That’s a key detail. Why? Because now Peter was alone. He’d been separated from Jesus. He’d been separated from John, and that made him vulnerable. And so, when he was asked if he was Jesus’ disciple, it shouldn’t surprise us that he denied Jesus. It didn’t surprise Jesus. He knew that’s exactly what he would do.
Here’s where I want to draw our attention to the evil behind Peter’s denials. It wasn’t the evil in Peter. But the scheme of the evil one. One of the schemes of the evil one is to divide us or isolate us. If he can get you to go it alone, if he can separate you from others who know Jesus, he can make you deny your relationship with Jesus.
Peter never intentionally set out to deny Jesus. But once he was separated from John and left alone to deal with all his fears, my best guess is that his fears got the best of him. He’s like us. Let alone, he starts thinking of the worst-case scenario. If Jesus was arrested, he could be next. After all, he did cut off Malchus’ ear. He could be arrested for that. In fact, when we listen to the second and third denials of Peter, we see that his worst fears materialized: Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So, they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again, Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. John 18:25-27
Now, here’s the truth I want us to take away from this: Jesus isn’t surprised when fear gets the best of us. Jesus knew Peter would deny him three times. He knew he would be isolated and overtaken by fear. Fear can make you run, hide or avoid. Fear can make you defensive and over- protective. And when fear gets the best of you, it can make you do things you never thought you would do. That’s what happened to Peter. At the moment he was at his most vulnerable he denied knowing Jesus.
Now, let me encourage you here. Jesus never denied Peter. In fact, later on we will see how Jesus loves Peter and restores him. But before we move on to Jesus’ next confrontation with evil, let me leave you with two things that can protect you from letting fear get the best of you:
First, stay close to Jesus. Jesus promises to never leave nor forsake you. When you are cultivating your relationship with Jesus, learning his word, staying connected to him in prayer and in fellowship with other believers, you will protect yourself from Satan’s scheme to isolate you and attack you. You will keep yourself in the presence of God’s love. And when you keep yourself in God’s love, His Word promises us that His perfect love that drives out fear.
Second, stay close to God’s people. If the evil one can isolate Peter, he can do the same with you. That’s why when Jesus saved you, he connected you with His body. You were never meant to go it alone. You need to love, the encouragement, the prayers other believers, and they need the same from you. So, when you stay close to God’s people, you’ll have someone there to stand with you to protect you from the schemes of the evil one. Peter didn’t have that protect that night and it caused him to do the unthinkable. Don’t let that happen to you. Stay close to Jesus and stay close to God’s people.
Jesus’ denial was one of the steps Jesus had to endure on his path to the cross. Now, let’s look at the third one: The illegal trials of Jesus. Jesus knew he would be falsely tried. Jesus knew when the religious authorities wanted to arrest him, they were going to have to come with some kind of evidence against him, so they could kill him. So, it didn’t surprise him that He would be dragged into not one, but two illegal trials. The first one is recorded here, where we pick it up in verse 19: Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely, they know what I said.” John 18:19-20
Now Jesus immediately knew that this trial was rigged, because Jesus knew the law. He knew the high priest can never directly question a defendant. For there were laws protecting against self-incrimination, much like our laws today. And Jesus also knew that bringing him directly to Annas was a ploy meant to intimidate him. But Jesus didn’t fall for it. That’s why Jesus said what He did. He knew that they were trying to intimidate him in to saying something that would incriminate him, that’s why he responded by telling Annas to question those who heard him. Any worthy student of the law would know this is the proper approach to acquiring evidence against Jesus; so, this was Jesus’ way of throwing the law back in the face of Annas.
Of course, when Jesus said this, it hit a nerve: When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded. “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” There was nothing improper about Jesus’ response. But those around Annas were so drunk with power, they couldn’t handle Annas’ being challenged. So, one of them struck Jesus. He wanted to put Jesus in his place. All I can say, is that the arrogance of evil will make you do foolish things. But striking Jesus wasn’t going to intimidate Jesus either.
So once, again, Jesus shows us to handle the arrogance of evil. First, Jesus knew He was innocent. When you are innocent, it doesn’t matter how important you accusers think they are. Position and pride have no ability to intimidate the innocent. In other words, if you are living a life of integrity, those who think they can intimidate you will have no real power over you. Secondly, Jesus shows us the importance of knowing the truth: Jesus knew the truth. I can’t think of a better example for us to be a people who fill out lives with the truth of God’s Word – to be a people who pursue the truth, hold fast to the truth, and live the truth. For when you know the truth, the truth doesn’t just set you free from those who arrogantly think they know what is right, you will always be able to rest secure in the truth in the face of intimidation, and no one will ever be able to provoke you or intimidate you into denying the truth.
And of course, when Annas’ attempt to find some incriminating evidence against Jesus failed we read, Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. John 18:24
These secret and illegal proceedings are not recorded here by John but are recorded in all three other gospels. So, let me take a moment to share the depth of evil at work in that trial. There were at least five violations of Jewish law that took place under the shroud of darkness: First, the Sanhedrin convened in the house of Caiaphas rather than at its regular meeting place near the temple. Second, the Sanhedrin met at night rather than the prescribed time during the day. Third, contrary to official procedure, the Sanhedrin convened on the eve of a Sabbath and during a festival. Fourth, special formalities required in cases involving a capital crime were not followed. Fifth, the sentence of condemnation was pronounced on the same day as the morning trial. According to official policy, before pronouncing a verdict of guilty and imposing a sentence, the court must recess until the following day when it would reconvene to reexamine the evidence.
And all this led to what we see next: The Rejection of Jesus Follow along as I read what took place next: Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So, Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. John 18:28-32
Jesus knew the religious leaders had no power to execute him. So, he knew they would have to convince Rome to do their dirty work for them. Notice the hypocrisy of the Jews at this point: They are intent on breaking the sixth commandment and get a guy killed for no good reason and are willing to break all of the laws of the court in the process, but let’s make sure we’re not defiled by Pilate so we can go ahead and celebrate the Passover.
But at this point Pilate is ready to dismiss this case. But they won’t have it, saying, “But we have no right to execute anyone,” saying that Pilate does. That convinces Pilate to take the case and so he takes Jesus into his palace and begins to question him: “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. John 18:33-37a
This is a remarkable exchange. Jesus testifies to the truth that his kingdom is not of this earth – which tells Pilate, Jesus is really no threat to Rome. To which Pilate replies: “You are a king them!” And immediately we see the irony of this statement. Pilate recognizes what the Jews refuse to believe – that Jesus is indeed a King.
But with this revelation by Pilate, Jesus takes it one step further and invites Pilate to see him for who He truly is: “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37 At this moment Jesus speaks right to Pilate’s identity. As governor, it was his job to judge what is true. And his job at this moment was to determine truth and render a judgment about Jesus. So, Jesus words are pointed directly at Pilate:” Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Jesus is claiming to be the source of truth. He is saying to Pilate, “I am truth. What are you going to do with me?
How does Pilate’s respond? He utters these famous words: “What is truth?” and abruptly turns away. He refuses to deal with the claims of Jesus. He is so consumed with his own way of thinking that he refuses to listen to the truth. Out of callous indifference to the truth, Pilate rejects Jesus, and puts his fate in the hands of the people. And so, we read: With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising. John 18:38-40
So, the path to the cross is now complete. Pilate has rejected Jesus. The Jews have rejected Jesus. Evil it seems has won the day. But none of this surprised Jesus. He predicted his betrayal, He controlled the events of His arrest, He told Peter he would deny Him three times. He never stood humbly in the face of His arrogant accusers, and spoke truth to Pilate, proclaiming,” Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
But as we’ve seen today evil never listens to the truth. And Jesus knew this too, for this evil led him to be completely rejected by the very people He came to love, the very people he came to lay down His life for.
So, the good news today is this: Jesus was never a victim of evil. Rather he used every evil thrown at Him to overcome evil for us. For when He lay down His life for us on that cruel cross, He defeated sin and death, and freed us from the realm of darkness. So that now, if you believe in Jesus, you no longer need to fear evil. For you have Jesus. Let’s pray.
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