Category: John 18

Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

Pilate might be a lot of things but one of them isn’t stupid. He smells something fishy as soon as the Jewish leaders open their mouths. His response is quick and business-like.

If they had brought him someone who had murdered people, or had stolen from the Romans, or was a known threat to the Romans, he might have been interested. Instead, they brought him a simple carpenter from Galilee. He looked a bit beat up but he didn’t look scary.

Pilate had been around enough to be able to tell who was trouble and who was not just by looking at them. Jesus was mildly interesting to him because he just stood there. He didn’t look scared nor did he look belligerent. He simply stood there. Meanwhile, the Jewish leaders were agitated. They were jumping up and down shaking their fists in the air and pointing at Jesus. They were madder than the proverbial wet hen. Though he couldn’t make out most of the words they were saying, he could see that they were so mad that they were spitting as they angrily spoke over each other.

It was an amazing contrast! The man who was tied up standing calming in the middle of the crowd. The crowd, acting like they should be tied up. Pilate knew right away that he didn’t want any of this situation to get on him.

”Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

Application: For those who know Jesus personally we can take some encouragement from him. In the middle of seemingly hopeless situations, we can look to Jesus, the calm in the middle of the storm. Knowing what he did for us, helps us put what we go through into perspective. Eternal perspective.

Food for Thought: At this point in the story, Pilate could probably see that the Jewish leaders were agitated about something. It was early in the morning. I doubt Pilate had even had his coffee yet, or the Roman version of coffee. He wanted nothing to do with this situation, but God had other plans. How do you respond when God pulls you into his plans and it is not going a direction you want it to go?

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Continue reading “Contrast – John 18: 31”

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.”

The phrase “non sequitur” is Latin and means “it does not follow.” If a parent tells their son to clean up his room and he responds, “It is dark outside!” That is an example of a non sequitur. There is no relationship between the first statement and the one that follows it.

On the surface, the response given to Pilate seems related to his question. After all, criminals are criminals because they have been charged with a crime and found to be guilty. In this case, everything is mixed up. The Jewish leaders are asking Pilate to judge a man that they have already judged. In effect, they are not so much asking Pilate to pass judgment as they are asking (demanding, really…) him to rubber-stamp the judgment they have already rendered. And so their answer to him comes across as a non sequitur.

Pilate: What are the charges against this man (so that I know what kind of judgment I need to make).

Jews: Charges smarges. All you need to know is that he is a criminal because we say so.

The Jews want Jesus dead. If they were in charge of their own country as in the days of old, they would simply kill Jesus as they did to the prophets who came before him. But times have changed, if they kill Jesus, they are the guilty of breaking Roman law and subject to punishment. So the only option open to them is to have the Romans kill Jesus for them.

These opening lines of the conversation between Pilate and the Jews set the stage for what is to come. Pilate is trying to be reasonable. The Jews want nothing to do with reason. They know that they have no rational argument with which to convict him under Roman law. Blinded by their resentment towards Jesus they resort to pure political force. As their opening statement to Pilate suggests, whatever else happens, logic and reason will have nothing to do with it.

Personal Application: We live in a world where the kind of non sequitur we see in this story happens all the time. Political forces seek to manipulate people with fear instead of reason. It is so prevalent these days that it is sometimes difficult to know what or who to believe. Thank God for God! When we need to find our bearings in life, we can always turn to Him. Scripture says, ‘’The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

Food for Thought: When you are confronted by something that doesn’t make sense, how do you respond? What would you advise others to do? What would you have suggested Pilate do?

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Continue reading “Non Sequitur (II) – John 18: 29”

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.

John’s gospel account is moving very quickly now. John spent a great many words describing the last evening Jesus spent with his disciples. He describes the evening in enough detail that we feel we were there. Now that the evening is over and Jesus has been taken captive, John is in a hurry. In a few short sentences, we move from the Mount of Olives to the house of Annas. Then we watch as Peter denies Jesus and Jesus is taken to Caiaphas. From Caiaphas’ house, Jesus is taken to the palace of the Roman governor.

All this is in very near to the Temple. The Mount of Olives is less than half a mile away. The homes of the high priests would not have been far off. Even the governor’s palace would be fairly close by. The evening has been spent eating, washing feet, talking and in prayer. Jesus prays for his disciples and we know from other gospel accounts that he later prayed in the garden for a long time. When Judas finally finds him, the night is mostly gone.

In the last hours of the night, Jesus walks to the house of Annas for a short interview. Then he is led on foot to Caiaphas. Little was probably said. The chief priests are not interested in dialogue at this point. From the house of Caiaphas, the entourage makes its way to the governor’s palace by walking. By now dawn has claimed the sky and the torches are no longer needed to see. The governor is called. The Jews cannot come into the palace because of their religion’s rules so the governor gets dressed and comes out to meet them.

All this time Jesus is allowing himself to be led around like a circus animal. The Author of All Creation has the power to Un-Create as well. One word from him and all his problems are history. Yet it is history that tells us he did not use that power. Instead, he applied godly humility and perfect self-control. Knowing what was going to happen in excruciating detail did not deter him. The time had arrived. Jesus was ready.

Food for Thought: In Jesus’ day walking occupied a great deal of time. While walking a person had time to think, or talk, or simply ponder the moment. How do you spend your time these days and does it allow you time for thinking, talking, and pondering God’s will in the moment?

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Continue reading “Walking – John 18: 28”

Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
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.

Once again John’s story turns back to Peter. Part of what makes this story special is that Peter is apparently by himself. (We don’t know who or where the other disciple who let him in is.) Peter, driven by the cold has put himself at risk of discovery by drawing close to the fire where others are gathered.

His appearance must have been noteworthy. His anxiety over the Lord being bound and called in before the high priest would be written all over his face. When he opens he announces that he is Galilean much the same way as someone from the Deep South cannot hide their southern drawl. He is desperately concerned for Jesus and at the same time deathly afraid of discovery.

He would not have been known to any of the people there, most of whom were likely familiar with each other. They, too, would be on edge. They were also aware that something of unusual importance was going on. Who was this stranger standing with them in the courtyard?

Perhaps they looked at each other in the firelight. Their eyes would point briefly to Peter and then they would stare intensely with the obvious question on their face: Who is that guy? The expression in response would be a blank look and a shrug of the shoulders: “I don’t know. Don’t you?”

Finally, someone turns to Peter. “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

Continue reading “Escape – John 18: 24-27”

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?”

“Why did you strike me?” is a question for our times. The news I read these days is full of reports about people who have lost the ability to dialog and are resorting to physical violence. Spitting on people, hitting them, yelling at them is rationalized by discounting the personhood of the Other. When we define someone else’s speech as hate, it is easy to equate fighting that person with fighting hate itself. The only problem is that the hate is often limited to the person hurting the other. So hate becomes the excuse to hate.

Similarly, the Pharisees and chief priests have defined what Jesus says as “hate speech.” They didn’t call it that, of course, but the effect was the same as it is today. Since what Jesus taught undermined their power and authority, what Jesus said must be bad. If what he said is bad then hurting Jesus himself is just an extension of punishing the bad things they claimed he said. In their minds, hating Jesus was good.

The irony of this juxtaposition of man’s hate against God’s love is almost beyond parody. How do you read this story and not wonder how the chief priests could be so blind?! Yet the sad fact is that they were, and so are we. This blindness is endemic with humans. Jesus taught about this as recorded in Matthew 7: 1-5:

Continue reading “Why Did You Strike Me? – John 18: 22-23”

”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.”

It is late at night. Jesus is in the home of Annas the high priest. In terms of the kind of homes we see today this house would be a McMansion. It is cold outside but inside the light from the oil lamps keep the inside of the stone building warm.

Jesus has been without sleep for a day and a night. His day yesterday was wrapped up in the celebration of the Passover. “Celebration” is probably not the appropriate word here. This particular Passover was more like a funeral. Jesus keeps talking about going away, and the sorrows to come. Judas leaves under a cloud of mystery with hints from Jesus about betrayal. During the night Jesus prays for his disciples and teaches them many things.

Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prays alone. Then Judas arrives with the soldiers, and Jesus is taken captive. His whole life and ministry have been leading up to this moment and like a fighter who has trained all his life for one big fight, Jesus is ready. He allows himself to be taken captive while at the same time protecting his disciples from being harassed.

Peter follows. Outside in the courtyard, he waits, torn between fantasies of rescuing Jesus and the fear of being outed as a disciple of Jesus.

Inside, in the pre-dawn hours of the night, Annas interrogates Jesus. Finally Jesus answers.

Continue reading “Light From God – John 18: 20-21”

Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

How do you read today’s verse? Do you hear, “Meanwhile, the high priest, wanting to better understand who Jesus was and what he was all about, gently questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.” Or, do you hear, “Meanwhile, the high priest grilled Jesus about the whereabouts of his disciples and how many disciples there might be. He also asked leading questions trying to trick Jesus into admitting his subversive teachings.”

John’s writing style is pithy and economical. He doesn’t give us a lot of information about what is going on. Rather, he sketches out his narrative quickly and efficiently. He is focusing on the important parts of his story, and glossing over the bits of the story that connect the meat to the bone.

Was the high priest, Annas, sympathetic to Jesus in any way? Not likely. Given his close association and relationship with Caiaphas, it is very probable that Annas was at least as hostile to Jesus as Caiaphas was. His questions would not be friendly. They would not be questions intended to allow for fair answers.

And what did Annas want to know about the disciples? Was he looking for information on how big Jesus’ “rebellion” might have grown? Was he thinking ahead to a time when the Jewish leaders might have to hunt down these followers of Jesus? Was there some way he could discover who was secretly a disciple?

What did the high priest’s voice sound like? Was it soft and beguiling? (Come on, Jesus, tell me now… ) Or was his voice sharp and accusatory, angry and spiteful? Regardless of childhood poems that talk about “sticks and stones” and tell us “…names will never hurt me,” words do hurt. How they are said hurts. Especially when they come from someone in authority.

Jesus was already under siege. The forces of evil gather around him and are drawn closer and closer. The Son of God stands quietly, not helplessly, but quietly, submitting to all that is going on.

Food for Thought: Was there a time when you were young, or at school, or this past week where someone attacked you with words? What could Jesus say at this point that would appease the high priest?

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Continue reading “Under Siege – John 18: 19”

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.

The last thing Peter wants at this point in the story is for someone to notice him. He is in a strange place, with the door shut behind him. The other disciple who let him in has apparently left Peter in the courtyard by himself. He is alone, but not alone.

He is alone in the sense that he is separated from the other disciples and his Lord. He is not alone in the sense that the people of the world have closed in around him. The courtyard is probably large. The night is old but darkness still rules. It would be easy to avoid being noticed if only he could stay in the shadows.

He has already denied Jesus once. That would not have felt good. Perhaps he brushed it aside as simply a momentary lapse. It really wasn’t that important because, after all, she was just the servant girl. Probably no one else heard him … maybe.

His thoughts are interrupted by the cold. It is ice cold in the dark of the late-night hour. Perhaps the dew has started to settle and the dampness made the cold even more biting. Brrrrrrrrr.

The fire on the other side of the courtyard calls to Peter. Like a moth, he is drawn to the flame. All he wants is a little warmth to fight off the damp chill of the night. But there is danger by the fire. There are people there, and the fire gives off light. What if someone recognizes him?

At the thought of being recognized as a disciple of Jesus, Peter may have balked for a moment. At that moment, he is balanced between the bitterness of the ice-cold night and the warmth of the fire’s flame. The call for warmth wins out and Peter sidles up to the fire, trying to get warm without being noticed. But the trap has been sprung. The fire’s light will catch Peter out. Satan is sifting Peter with fire and with ice. (Luke 22: 31-32)

Food for Thought: Can you relate to Peter’s situation? How would you advise another person to recognize the slippery slope of temptation?

Bonus Question: What advice would you have given Peter?

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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.
“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”

This passage has long fascinated me because the disciple known to the high priest was probably also known as a disciple of Jesus. Maybe not, but given the interest in Jesus, it seems likely. In spite of this, he is allowed into the courtyard. Then he comes back and tells the servant girl to let Peter in. So Peter is allowed in as well. Then the servant girl asks, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” The “too” is another indication that the first disciple was known as a disciple of Jesus.

Instead of acknowledging the obvious, that he, Peter, was “with” the other disciple, he denies it. Why? Who did he think he was fooling? And who was he trying to impress?

In this account, we are not told how Peter and the other disciple get to the house of Annas. Did they follow Jesus? Did they come later? John does not tell us. Is Peter still carrying the sword he used to cut off Malchus’ ear? If so, that might have seemed awkward.

Without the Holy Spirit in him, and the Lord by his side, Peter falls apart. He is, after all, only a simple fisherman. Three years earlier he had been working in the fishing boats making a living catching and selling fish. He had probably never been near a house like the one Jesus was in. Strange environments and strange people are disorienting. Even the lowest of the low, the servant girl, can seem dangerous and intimidating.

Food for Thought: How does having the Holy Spirit in us make the impressive places of the world seem more ordinary?

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Continue reading “Falling Apart – John 18: 15-17”

Then the detachment of 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.

If the Serpent had a human face during this entire episode when Jesus is killed, that face would be found among these priests of God’s temple. Caiaphas plotted the death of Jesus long before it happened. Somehow it seems appropriate that Jesus would first be brought to Caiaphas when he is finally taken by the soldiers.

What did Caiaphas think and feel when he saw Jesus brought before him? Jesus was someone who had given sight to the blind, cured lepers of their horrible lingering disease, fed thousands of people with virtually nothing, and raised people from the dead. Perhaps all Caiaphas could see was the threat Jesus’ message represented to the established Jewish religion of legalistic righteousness.

Now that he had Jesus within his power, perhaps Caiaphas felt he could relax again safe in the knowledge that the historic authority of his priestly tribe would remain unchallenged. This upstart who claimed God as his own father would be swept under the rug of history never to be heard from again. Ahhh… it will be so nice not to have to deal with challenges to the Sabbath laws!

As events unfold from this point forward Caiaphas is seen pulling the strings of the Roman governor and using his position of power to maneuver the Jews into condemning Jesus. He had plenty of work ahead of him before this would be over. Even then, the Rug of History would prove to be inadequate for covering up the murder of God’s Son.

Food for Thought: Caiaphas, the High Priest, found himself in the position of literally fighting against God. How do you suppose he felt in the months and years following this moment in history and what can we learn from Caiaphas?

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Continue reading “The Rug of History – John 18: 12-14”