Monthly Archives: October 2021

PRODUCE THE EVIDENCE

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PRODUCE THE EVIDENCE

“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 the synagogues or 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.’

“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?’ Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.” John 18:19-24.

Annas and Jesus faced off in a pre-trial confrontation. Annas probed to find out Jesus’ hidden agenda; Jesus probed to find out whether the religious hierarchy had any intention of giving Him a fair trial. Annas tried to get Jesus to incriminate Himself. Jesus worked on Annas’ conscience to see whether he would allow the many witnesses to testify to the truth of His teaching. Annas was in league with the Jewish religious hierarchy to get rid of Jesus. Jesus wanted Annas to honour the truth.

As a rabbi, Jesus was familiar with the Torah. He understood how a fair trial was to be conducted. Would He be given His right to a fair trial as the accused, under the Jewish judicial system?

“One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” Deuteronomy 19:15.

False testimony was banned. “The convicted false witness would suffer the punishment inflicted on the accused.” In criminal cases, both witnesses must have witnessed the whole event; “any person able to testify who has seen or learned of the matter who does not come forward to testify is liable for punishment.” (Leviticus 5:1) (1).

Why did the official slap Jesus in the face? Did Jesus say anything impolite or offensive to Annas?

“Since Jesus is still bound, there is no way for Him to defend Himself…This blow is more an insult than it was physically damaging. It highlights Jesus’ dignity and boldness as well as His respect for the truth, rather than for mere office holders. His reply to the servant stresses this issue of truth: “If I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” …In essence, Jesus’ question is a final act of grace extended toward a representative of His opponents. But Annas does not accept the offer to consider the truth of Jesus. Instead, he sends Jesus, still bound, to Caiaphas.” (2)

1. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0021_0_21003.html

2.http://wwwbiblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/John/Jesus-Confronted-Peter-Annas,

Throughout His public ministry Jesus was more concerned about the truth than He was about offending people, sometimes causing His disciples anxiety when He offended the religious leaders. Truth will be the criterion for the final judgment of the nations when the books are opened.

In spite of the grace Jesus extended to him, Annas was too preoccupied with the threat that Jesus posed to his position and that of his fellow religious leaders to realise what a precarious situation he had placed himself in. He chose to sell out truth for power and the lucrative benefits of his connection to Rome to consider his own future.

The real issue was…look at the evidence to uncover the truth. Annas knew that, if he called the many witnesses to Jesus’ words and works, his case would be lost to the truth

What would we have done in a similar situation?

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

THE PLOT THICKENS

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THE PLOT THICKENS

“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.’ It was cold and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter was also standing with them, warming himself.” John 18:15-18 NIV.

Although John did not refer to the scattering of the disciples after Jesus’ arrest, as Jesus had predicted, at this point he and Peter followed as closely as they dared. John mentioned “another disciple” who was “known to the high priest”. As with the “disciple whom Jesus loved”, he was probably referring to himself. He had some sort of connection to the high priest — perhaps he was familiar with a member or members of his household — and gained easy entrance to the courtyard, but Peter had to stay outside the gate until John tipped off one of the servant girls who let him in.

While Jesus was being interrogated by Annas inside the palace, another interrogation was going on in the courtyard – Peter, confronted by a servant girl! What a contrast! Jesus was facing the most powerful man in the Jewish nation and doing it with dignity and control. In spite of being bound and guarded, He was free – free from guilt and fear, free to walk away any time He wanted to as He had done on many occasions in the past; but also, free to remain a prisoner facing death because He chose to obey the Father. He was not the one on trial. Annas was!

Peter was not a prisoner; he was free to walk away from that scene. He had no ropes around his wrists, no soldiers watching his every move, but he might has well have been chained to one of them because he was held captive by his fear. Who was the servant girl anyway? What power or influence did she have? Was Peter on trial before her? Of course not, and yet, in a moment of panic, Peter denied any association with Jesus. 

The girl must have known that John was a disciple of Jesus. Perhaps John had visited some of the servants more than once. They knew who he was and who he was following. He was in no danger of being arrested. Peter was his companion, hence the question, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” Why would Peter think he was in any danger? Yet he weakened and dissociated himself from Jesus rather than risk exposure to any “trigger-happy” soldier!

Perhaps Peter was not as afraid of the servant girl whose bold question was put to him in the company of people John called “officials”, standing around the fire to warm themselves, as he was of the company he was in at that moment. Not a good place to be, Peter! It was difficult for him to remain unnoticed amongst a group who obviously knew each other and were probably talking among themselves about what was going on inside the high priest’s palace. Then the silly servant girl had to go and deliberately draw attention to him.

Just as Jesus had predicted only a few hours before, Peter was being sifted like wheat and he, who thought he had the courage of a lion, crumpled before a servant girl, stung by her contempt in the presence of a few other unnamed people. But John wasn’t finished with Peter yet. There was more to come.

“Meanwhile the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.” John 18:19.

In the meantime, while Peter’s ordeal was continuing in the courtyard, inside the palace, Annas was squeezing Jesus even tighter, like an anaconda with its coils around its victim. He was probing for clues to His intention. Was He planning an uprising? How many followers did He have? Judging by the crowd that followed Him when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, He might have trained a secret army. The Pharisees had said, “Look how the whole world has gone after Him!” John 12:19b. Were the people loyal enough to support Him in a revolt against Rome? What was He teaching them? Was He secretly instructing them on His strategy when He made His move?

Watch this space!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

WHY ANNAS?

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WHY ANNAS?

“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.” John 18:12-14.

Why Annas? Who was Annas?

“Annas ben Seth was the most powerful and respected of the Jewish authorities of the time. He was appointed high priest by the Roman procurator, Quirinius, when Judea officially became a Roman province in AD 6 and held office until he was deposed by the Roman consul Gratus in 15 AD. He was head of a dynasty of five sons and a son-in-law, Caiaphas, through whom he still wielded power and influence although he was no longer officially high priest.

“Throughout John’s story, the world has been judged by the presence of Jesus and the world has in turn judged Him. The whole Gospel is a thus a description of a trial, a theme that reaches a climax as Jesus is brought before the authorities. As He is put on trial, we see revealed both His own identity as King and His confident trust in His Father.” http://www.biblegateway.com

Jesus was arrested by both Jewish and Roman authorities and brought to trial before representatives of Jew and Gentile. It was clear from the very beginning of this mockery of justice, that the real judge was not Annas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin or Pilate but Jesus, and the accused, the entire Jewish and Gentile worlds, which were on trial for their rejection of Jesus, the Son of God and the true representative of the Father.

Annas and Caiaphas, co-conspirators in the plot to rid God’s people of their Messiah! Annas, the power behind the throne, conducted an interrogation of Jesus. This was not a formal trial. There were no witnesses, no jury and no sentence. Rather, Annas was probably probing Jesus for legitimate reasons for sending Him to Caiaphas for a legal hearing. He was seeking to get Jesus to incriminate Himself.

“Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.” John 18:19.

Why Jesus’ disciples and His teaching? He questioned Jesus about His disciples because the Jewish authorities were concerned about Jesus’ popularity. Only a few days before, He had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey, raising a frenzy of excitement among the common people. They had hailed Him as their king, and probably saw Him, not as the Old Testament prophets had predicted, toas an atoning sacrifice for sin but rather as the deliverer from their oppressors.

This was dangerous because the Jewish religious leaders were in good standing with Rome. They did not want anyone or anything to disturb this relationship which was mutually beneficial. The high priests, from the time of Herod the Great, received their appointment from Rome and were expected to keep the Jewish populace in order. Many Jews resented their close relationship with Rome and some even suspected them of taking bribes or being involved in other forms of corruption.

Annas also questioned Jesus about His teaching because he was probably hoping that Jesus would incriminate Himself as a false prophet or a false teacher. Jesus had already completed His public teaching about Himself so He told Annas to check with those who heard Him because He had taught openly. The fact that Jesus had taught openly and that many people had heard Him would have increased Annas’ anxiety. The last thing he wanted to do was to gather evidence from the common people. Jesus was too popular to risk the people taking sides.

Was Jesus in a subtle way demanding a fair trial? There were plenty of people who could have borne witness to what He had taught and done, but the only ones who were called told a trumped-up story which did not agree anyway (Mark 14:56-59).

As powerful and influential a figure as Annas was, he must have realised that Jesus was a hot potato and decided to get rid of Him by passing Him on to Caiaphas. What would Caiaphas, this puppet of Rome, do with Him?

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

WHO WAS IN CHARGE?

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WHO WAS IN CHARGE?

“Again He asked them, ‘Who do 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 has spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

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: 7-11.

Who is in charge around here?

This is a very strange situation. A mob of soldiers and religious big shots, armed to the teeth, had come to arrest Jesus but they couldn’t. He was protected by the power of His name. The very words, “I AM!” struck terror into these men and they fell backwards to the ground when He spoke. Never had they had dealings with a prisoner like this!

He was fully aware of their purpose.. He had been anticipating their arrival and had actually gone to meet them. What criminal would ever deliberately put himself in the path of the authorities unless he knew he was guilty and wanted to hand himself over? Not only could the men who had come to arrest Him not lay a hand on Him, but they were also afraid of Him. There was something about Him they could not fathom.

Jesus, the felon, was actually in charge. He gave the orders; He called the shots and they obeyed Him. How crazy was that! ‘You can take me,’ He instructed them, ‘but leave these men alone.’ And even when they took Him and roughed Him up, He was still in charge. Everyone who had dealings with Him, soldiers, Sanhedrin, Herod, Pilate, Jewish mob, lost their cool while He remained calm and serene throughout the entire debacle.

Peter lost it too; Peter, the big, brave fisherman, pulled out his sword and lashed out wildly at the nearest guy — what a way to handle the crisis! Did he think he was going to pick them all off, one by one, while they waited in line to be taken out? Did he really think that Jesus would stand by and allow him to do that? No, Peter acted brainlessly and instinctively, so unlike his Master whose response was deliberate and carefully controlled.

Jesus’ response to Peter’s reaction was typically Jesus. Never for a moment did He lose focus. He had come for this reason and He was not about to allow Peter’s panic to side-track Him or cause Him to deviate from His purpose. Listen to His response! ‘Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’ Iwonder what the soldiers and the rest of the mob made of that!

How did the military men react to Jesus? What did they think when He allowed them to arrest Him? How many of them would gladly have walked away rather than take a man prisoner who literally invited them to do so? I would not like to have been in their shoes. What went through their minds when they lay in bed that night?

John did not record the sequel to Peter’s cowardly act, not that it didn’t happen or that it was unimportant but that it was just not a part of his purpose. He probably did not want to deviate from what he intended to convey. He was presenting Jesus as the Son of God and, at this moment Jesus was behaving as perfectly obedient to His Father, a true Son of the Father, doing the Father’s will without question because He had chosen to submit and become the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world.

Jesus was fully aware of the “cup” which His Father had given Him to drink and the baptism of suffering He was about to undergo and He faced it without flinching because the reward that lay beyond His suffering far outweighed the agony of the next few hours. However, His suffering was to be His alone. The time would come when His disciples would have their own cup to drink. But not now. For the moment they were only spectators.

His words of command protected them from any thoughtless action by the soldiers. They would, in the future, be guilty by association but, for now they would be unmolested and free to follow, watch and try to process what was happening to their Master until He returned from the grave to shake their lives to the core and to send them on their way as witnesses of all these events.

Who was in charge in those tension-filled moments? You decide!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

THE POWER OF “I AM”

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THE POWER OF “I AM”

“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.  John 18:1-2.

Gethsemane! It was almost as though Jesus and Judas had arranged to meet there.

No doubt Jesus had not discussed His next move with His disciples. He gravitated to the olive grove after the Passover meal almost from habit. Perhaps He felt claustrophobic after sitting for hours in the smoky Upper Room. He felt the stuffy heat of the enclosed room and the events of the next few hours closing in on Him. He needed the space and the cool, refreshing night air of the garden.

Judas had made a calculated guess as to where Jesus would go. He had slipped away from the group around the supper table to buy supplies, so John thought, or even to pop something into the offering box for the poor. But why at this hour of the night? No one suspected that he had left to commit a deed so heinous that no one would credit a human being for doing it to a fellow human being, least of all to one’s own rabbi.

Judas’ real reason for leaving was to tip the high priest off about Jesus’ whereabouts. Perhaps he was lurking in the shadows when the little group made its way through the darkened streets towards the outskirts of the city. He may have followed at a distance until he was sure of Jesus’ intention and then hurried off to Caiaphas to offer his services as a guide for the arresting party.

“So Judas came into the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

“Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went out and asked them, ‘Who is it you want?’ ‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘I am He,’ Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing with them). When Jesus said, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” John 18:3-6.

Only John recorded this remarkable incident. Why was it important to him? The purpose of his gospel was to present Jesus as the Son of God. During the course of His disputes with the religious leaders, Jesus had already made it clear to them that it was He who had interacted with His people during the Old Testament era, revealing Himself to Abraham on many occasions and to Moses at the burning bush as the “I AM” and claiming the title, “I AM” in His “I Am” sayings.

But, according to John, He not only claimed the title but He also showed His enemies the power of that name. He was not merely saying, ‘I am the one you are looking for,’ but “I AM”, Yahweh, the God of Israel.’ This was important because Jesus had made it clear that His crucifixion was not the choice of the religious hierarchy or the Roman government but a voluntary sacrifice planned by both the Father and the Son before the foundation of the world.

“‘I AM the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep… 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 10:14, 17-18.

Not only were His enemies to know who they were dealing with but also that they had no power to arrest Him. He would voluntarily hand Himself over to them and submit to everything they did to Him because He chose to submit, not because they had power over Him.  He could free Himself from their clutches at any time, but He didn’t because He chose to lay down His life for His sheep.

The utterance of His divine and eternal name sent them spinning to the ground. Did they not understand who this man was whom they were so determinedly arresting? Only by the Father’s sovereign permission could they carry out their dastardly deed.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.