John 18:12-18

John 18:12-18

Therefore the cohort of soldiers and the commanding officer and the assistants of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him and brought Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the chief priest in that year.  And Caiaphas was advising to the Jews that it was an advantage for one man to die on behalf of the people.  And Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus.  And that disciple was being known by the high priest and he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter had stood by the outside door.  Therefore the other disciple, who was known by the high priest, went out and spoke to the woman who kept the door and he brought Peter in.  Therefore the slave girl who kept the door said to Peter, “Are you also not out of the disciples of this man?”  That one says, “I am not.”  And the slaves and servants had stood by a charcoal fire having made it, because it was cold.  And they were being warmed.  And Peter was also with them, having stood and while being warmed.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

At the beginning of Jesus’ trial, let’s pause here for a moment and take a good look at the Jewish leadership.  There was a time when a high priest was chosen for lifetime.  Remember Aaron, the first high priest?  He served in that role until he died.  That’s the way that the high priesthood got its start.  But here we have a note that says, “Caiaphas was high priest that year.”  Annas had been high priest from 6 AD to 15 AD, but he’s clearly still alive.  Annas had four sons, and each of them was a high priest at some point in their life.  Caiaphas is Annas’ son-in-law.  What we can see is instead of a consistent leadership under one solid man of God we see leadership bouncing around from person to person.  Historically we know that the high priest role at this time was largely determined by the Roman governor and it as usually given to the priest with the biggest bank account who could impress the governor the most.  Yet even with all this, clearly Annas remains the power behind it all.  That is the context of leadership into which Jesus surrenders Himself.  Keep that in mind as we read further.  There is no godly leadership among the high priests of the Jews of Jesus’ day.

What happens when leadership follows money and human influence?  Why might this be an important lesson for us to notice in our own culture?

Second Thought:

Because it is a matter of curiosity, I’m going to devote this second point to the identity of the disciple with Peter.  It is unlikely that this disciple is one of the Twelve – except possibly Judas – because certainly none of them would be known by the high priest or accepted into the household.  It could have been Judas, but John has been quick to name Judas in the parts that he played and I also find it highly unlikely that Peter would associate with Judas after what Judas did in the garden.  If it isn’t Judas, then the next two likely candidates would either be Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea.  Both were Sanhedrin, so they would be known to the high priest.  I find it most likely that the unnamed disciple is one of these two.  However, this is pure speculation.

Does the identity truly matter?  Why might it be interesting to ponder this thought even if it is ultimately a penultimate conversation?

Third Thought:

We also begin to get a good look at Peter’s denial of Christ.  Yes, Peter denies Christ.  There is no doubting that.  We’ll see more of it in the days to come.  But before we become too judgmental over Peter, let’s remember something.  Peter is in a place of denial because he’s operating out of a place of loyalty.  All the other disciples fled.  Peter is hanging close to Christ.  All the other disciples ran away; Peter follows.  It could be that Peter is just curious – like someone driving by a horrible accident – but I think there is more to it than that.  I think Peter trying to stick with Jesus and simply unable to muster up the full strength needed to actually do the right thing.  Yes, he denies his Lord.  Yes, he’s clearly human.  But here we can see a bit of why Jesus picked Peter in spite of his human failings.

Why can this be an important point to remember about Jesus’ own disciples?  Have you ever been in a place where you could have stood up for Christ and couldn’t find the inner strength?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 18:19-24