18:12-14
Jesus is then arrested and bound. The “bounding” could be the equivalent of modern day handcuffs. He was taken to Annas, the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas. Although Annas was not the high priest, he had been so until 15 AD when the Romans deposed him, and may well have been regarded by many as the real high priest. In John 11:49-50 John mentions Caiphas saying it would be better for one man to die for the sake of the nation. There are two points in this. One is the prophetic nature, though of course Caiaphas was in no way a man of God. The other is the highly irregular nature of the “trial”. Caiaphas had already made his mind up about what was to happen. Under Jewish law a trial and sentencing could not take place on the same day, hence the rush to get the trial under way.
18:15-18
The other disciple mentioned here is elsewhere referred to as the one Jesus loved and is probably John. Whoever this other disciple was, he was known to the high priest and so could gain access to the courtyard. In those days there was not an enormous social gulf between the priests and the “ordinary” people. Peter had to wait outside, and then was allowed in. The servant girl who let them in asked Peter if he was a disciple of Jesus too.
Why did Peter reply “I am not”? He was not under direct threat at that point. Maybe it was the suddenness of the question and the whole tenseness of the situation. Many of us have had the experience of saying things in reply to a question and then wonder why we said that, or wish we had said something else. In 1 Peter 1:13 Peter urges us to prepare our minds for action, perhaps this incident motivated him to do this, knowing how easily we can slip up. Peter stood with the servants and officials around a fire to keep warm.
No comments:
Post a Comment