53 ¶ And they led Jesus away to the high priest:
and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the
scribes. 54 And Peter followed him afar
off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and
warmed himself at the fire.
Do
you follow Jesus from afar and are you warming your hands over the devil’s
fire? Peter is taking the first steps toward denying Christ and what he had
previously promised. How many times have I kept silent when I should have
proclaimed Christ? Each time you don’t take the opportunity to declare your
faith you get closer and closer to denying it.
55
And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against
Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
Even
the authorities find that Jesus is innocent.
56
For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not
together.
Their
own witnesses can’t agree and can’t keep their lies straight.
Psalm 27:12 Deliver me not over
unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and
such as breathe out cruelty.
Psalm 35:11 False witnesses did
rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
57
And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
58
We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands,
and within three days I will build another made without hands.
59
But neither so did their witness agree together.
60
And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying,
Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
They
obviously didn’t understand what He had said and they lied. Here’s what he
said;
John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him,
What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was
this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
The
operative word is “this” in verse 19 referring to His body and “this” in verse
20 in which they are referring to the physical temple. This same mistake is
made by at least one historical church here;
Matthew 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I
am?
16
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed
art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And
I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
“This”
rock refers to Himself, not to Peter.
1Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink
the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them: and that Rock was Christ.
You
can also say that Peter’s confession that Jesus was Christ is the bedrock of
Christianity and the foundation of our faith.
61
But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked
him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62
And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Now,
He has said it. This is an explosive statement.
Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and
he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me
unto you.
Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one
like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of
days, and they brought him near before him. 14
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which
shall not be destroyed.
He
has claimed to be God and the Messiah. They had to make a choice now. Either
they accept Him as their Messiah or they reject Him. Either Jesus is a liar or
He is God. You have to make a choice.
63
Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any
further witnesses?
64
Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him
to be guilty of death.
65
And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him,
and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms
of their hands.
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