Matthew 26:17
Outline:
I. \\#Matt 1:1-3:17\\ The Presentation of the King
II. \\#4:1-7:29\\ The Person of the King
III. \\#8:1-11:1\\ The Power of the King
IV. \\#Matthew 11:2-14:13\\ Decisions Concerning the King
V. \\#Matt 14:13-16:12\\ Training the Disciples
VI. \\#Matt 16:13-20\\ Decision by the Disciples
VII. \\#Matthew 16:21-20:28\\ Final Instructions of the King
VIII. \\#Matt 21:1-28:15\\ The Holy Week
A. \\#Matt 21:1-11\\ Sunday, Nisan 10-One week before
the resurrection
1. Jesus’ Triumphant Entry
2. Jesus "looks" in the temple.
3. Jesus returns to Bethany in the evening.
B. \\#Matt 21:12-17\\ Monday, Nisan 11
1. Jesus curses the fig tree.
2. Jesus cleanses the temple.
3. Jesus teaches the people.
4. Jesus returns to Bethany for the night.
C. \\#Matt 21:18-26:16\\ Tuesday, Nisan 12
1. Jesus teaches from the cursed fig tree.
\\#Matt 21:18-22, Mark 11:20-25\\
2. Jesus teaches from the temple.
\\#Matt 21:23-23:29\\
\\#Mark 11:27-12:44\\
\\#Luke 20:1-21:4\\
(a) \\#Matt 21:23-27\\ His authority
(b) \\#Matt 21:28-32\\ Parable - It is not too
late to do the right thing.
(c) \\#Matt 21:33-46\\ Parable - Judgment will
come to Israel for what they are about to
do.
(d) \\#Matt 22:1-14\\ Parable - If the Jews will
not come, others will.
(e) \\#Matt 22:15-46\\ The Jews try to trap
Jesus.
(f) \\#Matt 23:1-12\\ Teachings from the wrong
behavior of the Pharisees.
(g) \\#Matt 23:13-33\\ Woes Against the
Pharisees.
(h) \\#Matt 23:34-39\\ A curse against Israel.
3. Olivet Discourses
\\#Matt 24:1-25:46\\
\\#Mark 13:1-37\\
\\#Luke 20:1-21:4\\
(a) \\#Matt 24:1-3\\ The Setting
(b) \\#Matt 24:4-12\\ The Common Signs
(c) \\#24:12-14\\ The Close Signs
(d) \\#Matt 24:15\\ The Countdown Sign
(e) \\#Matt 24:16-31\\ The Afters
(f) \\#Matt 24:32-25:46\\ The Exhortations
(1) \\#Matt 24:32-35\\ Parable of the Fig
Tree
(2) \\Matt 24:36-41\\ Parable of Noe’s Days
(3) \\#Matt 24:42-44\\ Parable of the Thief
(4) \\#Matt 24:45-51\\ Parable of the
Faithful and the Faithless
(5) \\#Matt 25:1-13\\ Parable of the Ten
Virgins
(6) \\#Matt 25:14-30\\ Parable of the
Talents
(7) \\#Matt 25:31-46\\ Parable of the Sheep
and the Goats
4. The Evil Ones
\\#Matt 26:1-5, 14-16\\
\\#Mark 14:1-2, 10-11\\
\\#Luke 22:2-6\\
\\#John 13:2\\
5. Passages not yet discussed
\\#Matt 26:6-13\\
\\#Mark 14:3-9\\
D. \\#Matt 26:17-75\\Wednesday, Nisan 13
1. A New Day
\\#Matt 26:17\\
\\#Luke 21:38-22:1\\
\\#Mark 14:12\\
\\#John 13:1\\
2. Prepare the Passover
\\#Matt 26:17-19\\
3. The Meal - Technically, Thursday began at sunset.
\\#Matt 26:20-30\\
4. The Mount of Olives
\\#Matt 26:31-56\\
5. Caiaphas’ \\#Matt 26:57-75\\
E. \\#Matt 27:1-61\\ Thursday, Nisan 14 (Passover)
F. \\#Matt 27:62-66\\ Friday, Nisan 15 (First day of
Unleavened Bread)
G. \\#Matt 28:1-15\\ Sunday, Nisan 17 (Resurrection and
Feast of First Fruits)
II. \\#Matt 26:17-75\\Wednesday, Nisan 13
A. A New Day \\#Matt 26:17, #Luke 21:38-22:1, Mark 14:12\\
\\#John 13:1\\
1. Is this new day Thursday? or Wednesday?
2. Traditional view says nothing happened on Wednesday
placing the crucifixion on Friday.
3. I believe Wednesday is the day that the disciples prepared
the Passover dinner, ate with Jesus, and that Jesus was
arrested that night (which would be early on the Jewish
Thursday), to be tried and crucified later that Thursday.
4. The two main reasons for the tradition view:
a. The comments in the Scripture about the day after the
cross being the Sabbath.
Mr 15:42 And now when the even was come,
because it was the preparation, that is,
the day before the sabbath,
Lu 23:54 And that day was the preparation,
and the sabbath drew on.
Joh 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was
the preparation, that the bodies should not
remain upon the cross on the sabbath day,
(for that sabbath day was an high day,)
besought Pilate that their legs might be
broken, and that they might be taken away.
(1) Notice that John 19:31 actually calls that
following Sabbath a "high day."
(2) What some seem to have forgotten is that not only
were Thursday, Nissan 14 (Passover) and
Saturday, Nissan 16 (regular Sabbath) holy days,
but Friday, Nissan 15 was too.
(a) Friday was the Feast of Unleavened Bread
\\#Lev 23:6\\.
(b) While we do not have a Scripture to tell us
that the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a
Sabbath Day, several if not all of the
Jewish feast days were.
i. Rosh Hashanah
Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel,
saying, In the seventh month, in the first day
of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a
memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy
convocation.
ii. Yom Kippur
Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath
of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in
the ninth day of the month at even, from even
unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
iii. These feast days were in the same
Jewish month and always nine days
apart (meaning they could not both
fall on regular Sabbaths), but they
were both called Sabbaths because
they were holy days.
iv. It is thought that a feast day being
called a Sabbath was a "high Sabbath"
\\#John 19:31\\.
(c) At the least, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday
were all holy days and probably all Sabbath
days.
(d) That being the case, Wednesday was a day of
preparation for Thursday, Thursday was a
day of preparation for Friday, and Friday
was a day of preparation for Saturday.
(e) So the remarks of the gospel writers that
the day after the cross was a Sabbath does
not lead us to conclude that Jesus was
crucified on Friday. In fact, the term
that the following day was a "High Sabbath"
would lead us to think it was a feast day
rather than a normal Sabbath day.
b. The fact that Jesus ate the Passover with His
disciples. The Passover was not to be eaten until
Thursday late (which is Friday in the Jewish week).
(1) Some thoughts:
(a) Have you ever noticed that although the
meal the disciples prepared was called the
Passover, there is no mention by any
writer of the Passover being eaten? That
is strange especially since John gave the
events of that night in great detail.
(b) In fact, no one seemed to be eating the
Passover that night. Judas walked out
\\#John 13:30\\, apparently not eating the
Passover. He then found the chief priests
with His officers \\#John 18:3\\ who
apparently were not eating the Passover
either; for all were available to come
arrest, try, and crucify the Lord. In
fact, \\#John 18:28\\ clearly says that on
the day the Lord was crucified, the
religious leaders HAD NOT eaten the
Passover.
(c) \\#Ex 12:3,4, 7, 13\\ all speak of this
being a meal for the "households" or family
and it was to take place in the individual
home. If this is the "real" Passover meal,
these men should have been with their
families not with Jesus.
(2) An observation:
(a) In our culture, we often celebrate holidays
by having meals with friends and distant
family members. We call all of these
gathering by the same holiday name (i.e.
our family ate four Thanksgiving meals and
three Christmas meals this year.) There is
no reason why we cannot suppose that what
Jesus had with His disciples was an early
Passover meal, with each disciple planning
to have the "real" Passover meal with his
family on Friday.
(b) If this is not the case, then we have a
contradiction in the Bible.
John 19:13 When Pilate therefore heard that
saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down
in the judgment seat in a place that is called
the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 And it was the preparation of the passover,
and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the
Jews, Behold your King!
i. This event occurred the day that Jesus
was crucified.
ii. John said that Jesus’ trail was taking
place at the sixth hour the day
of "the preparation of the passover."
iii. That would be the day the Passover lamb
was slain which was Thursday, meaning
that Jesus would have had to have
eaten with His disciples late
Wednesday or early on the Jewish
Thursday.
iv. There is no way to reconcile this
passage to a Silent Wednesday and a
Friday crucifixion.
v. Jesus had to eat with His disciples on
Wednesday and be tried and crucified
on Thursday.
(c) Consider also John 18:36. If this was Friday
afternoon, the religious leaders would
have already eaten the Passover. They had
not. If they had missed eating the
Passover, they would have to wait to the
next month to eat it \\#Numbers 9:9-11\\.
It is obvious that these men expected to
eat the Passover very soon.
(d) Consider also \\#John 13:1-2, Matt 26:3-5\\
and \\#John 19:21\\.
(2) One last thought in considering what day of the
week the disciples prepared the Passover meal
\\#Matt 26:17\\. It relates to the Feast of
the Unleavened Bread.
(a) As already mentioned, this feast was always
on Nissan 15th and would fall that year on
the day after the Passover, Nissan 14. In
30 AD, that made Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday all holy days.
(b) If Matthew was being strict in his usage
of the "first day of Unleavened Bread,"
the disciples and Jesus would have been
eating the Passover on Friday, which is the
day that the tradition view says Jesus was
crucified on. That is simply not possible
by anyone’s estimation of when Jesus was
crucified. So we know that Matthew was not
being literal and precise in his usage of
term. What could Matthew have meant?
(c) \\#Ex 12:15\\ allowed the Jews to remove
yeast from their homes on the first day of
the feast, but because that day was a
"holy convocation" and no manner of work
could be done on that day
\\#Ex 12:16, Lev 23:7\\, the Jews removed
it before the feast began.
(d) Since the day preceding the Feast of
Unleavened Bread was the Passover that
year, they could not remove the yeast on
that day, the 14th, either. Passover was
also a "holy convocation." \\#Lev 23:4-5\\
(e) So that left the Jews to remove the yeast
on Wednesday, Nissan 13.
(f) In time, the Jews referred to the day that
they removed the yeast as "the day of
preparation."
(g) So to the Jews that year might well have
considered Wednesday as the "first day"
of Unleavened Bread, not officially but in
the practical sense of the preparing for
the feast.
(h) Hence, when Matthew called the day that the
disciples came to Jesus "the first day of
the feast of unleavened bread," he likely
did not mean Friday, Nissan 15th, but
Wednesday, Nissan 13th.
(i) And this becomes even more possible in
light of Luke’s account of the same event.
Luke 22:1 Now the feast of unleavened bread
drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
i. Luke calls the same day that
Matthew spoke of as being a day
when the Feast of Unleavened
Bread was "drawing close," not that
it was already here.
ii. It is far more likely that the
day Matthew called the first day
of Unleavened Bread was actually
Wednesday, the day of preparation and
not literally the first day of the
feast.
B. \\#Matt 26:17-19\\ Prepare the Passover
1. \\#17\\ "Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat
the passover?"
a. This was not a request to prepare the Passover
sacrifice as we have already demonstrated for this
is but Wednesday and the Passover will be slain on
Thursday.
b. This was a request as to where they should prepare
for a early fellowship dinner in honor of the
Passover.
2. \\#18-19\\ Matthew, as was often the case, does not give
give us all the details but only the highlights.
a. \\#Luke 22:7-13\\ tells us that Jesus actually told
John and Peter to follow a certain man to a house
and then tell the owner of the house that they
needed it for the Lord. This they did.
b. While there was no direct miracle performed, it is
obvious that the Lord had insight beyond that of a
normal man.
C. \\#Matt 26:20-30\\ The Meal
1. \\#20\\ "Now when even was come" - This would be a
reference to sunset, making the day now the Jewish
Thursday.
2. "he sat down with the twelve" - Specifically telling us
that that all twelve disciples, including Judas, were
with Jesus,
3. Matthew only recorded two things that happened in the
Upper Room, but John gave much more detail in his gospel
\\#John 13:1-17:26\\.
a. \\#21-25\\ Exposing the Betrayer
(1) \\#21\\ While eating their meal, Jesus told His
disciples that one of THEM would betray Him.
This was a first. While Jesus had told the
disciples on several occasions that He would
be betrayed, He had never told them that it
would be by one of the twelve.
(2) \\#22\\ Jesus statement brought doubt to each of
the disciples. Each wondered if they might be
the one who would do this terrible deed.
(3) \\#25\\ Tells us that even Judas himself asked
the Lord if it were he that should betray Him.
(a) Since Judas had already been paid to do
this evil deed, his action shows that his
heart was cold and calloused. It was as if
he were toying with Jesus.
(b) His action also demonstrates that Judas
had completely lost confidence in the
Jesus as Messiah. Perhaps it was because
Jesus had not overthrown the Romans,
perhaps it was because Jesus had not
exalted Himself as King, but for whatever
the reason, Judas did not think that Jesus
would know what was in his heart and mind.
(4) \\#23\\ To answer the question the disciples
asked, Jesus gave them a sign.
(a) \\#John 13:26-30\\ Basically, the man that
Jesus would pass the sop to would be the
betrayer.
(b) The fact that none of the disciples had any
notion who the betrayer was to be
indicates that Judas fit in just like any
other disciple.
(c) The fact that they still not think Judas
was the betrayer even after Jesus gave
him the sop suggests they had no clue at
all what was in Judas’ heart.
(5) \\#John 13:30\\
(a) This verse tells us that having received
the sop, Judas left the dinner. Matthew
makes it clear that it was after exposing
Judas that Jesus instituted the Lord’s
Supper; hence, Judas was present for the
Last Supper but not for the Lord’s Supper.
It would take time to gather the chief
priests and religious rulers. This will
be taking place while Jesus gave the
teaching recorded in John’s gospel.
(b) This verse also makes the comment that as
Judas left, "it was night." Many have made
the spiritual connection that Judas left
Jesus to go back into a world of darkness.
But even more, this time indicator means
that the sun had set and, according to the
Jewish day, it was officially Thursday.
b. \\#26-30\\ Instituting the Lord’s Supper
(1) While the disciples had asked Jesus about
preparing the Passover dinner, there is no
record that Jesus or the disciples actually ate
the Passover that night.
(2) Instead, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper.
a. \\#26\\ In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus
compared the broken bread to His body,
which was to be broken for the redemption
of mankind.
b. \\#27-28\\ He also compared the wine which
they drank to His blood which purchased our
salvation.
(3) \\#29\\ Jesus then promises the disciples that
He will not drink wine with them again until
they do so together in the kingdom.
a. What kingdom was Jesus speaking of? the
millennium kingdom or the kingdom in which
the Lord rules in our hearts\\#Lu 17:21\\?
b. Most likely this is a reference to the
millennial kingdom since there is no record
Jesus drank from the fruit of the vine
after His resurrection, although there were
several opportunities when He could have
\\#Luke 24:30, 42-43\\ John 21:9\\.
(4) \\#30\\ This is all of the Upper Room fellowship
that Matthew shares with us, except to say that
when it was time to leave, they sang a hymn
together and went to the Mount of Olives.
D. \\#Matt 26:31-56\\ The Mount of Olives
1. \\#31-35\\ Jesus’ prophecy of the disciples failing
a. \\#31\\ Jesus warns the disciples that that very
night, each one of them will count following Him as
an offense. Jesus then quotes an Old Testament
Scripture which He applies to Himself.
Zec 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
and against the man that is my fellow, saith
the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the
sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine
hand upon the little ones.
b. \\#32\\ Then Jesus appoints a post-resurrection
rendezvous. At the time, their is not doubt that
the disciples did not understand what Jesus meant
by any of these things, but they were accustomed to
Jesus speaking in parables and probably did not
think much of it. The angel at the resurrection
would remind them of this command.
Mr 16:7 But go your way, tell his disciples and
Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee:
there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
c. \\#33-35\\ Peter’s boast
(1) \\#33\\ It would be Peter who would boast of his
faithfulness to Jesus, even if it cost him his
life.
(2) To which Jesus prophesied that Peter would deny
Jesus three times before the cock crow. Once
Peter made such a boast, the other ten joined
in with him.
(3) What of the explanation of the differences in
this prophecy? Matthew along with Luke and John
indicate that the roaster would crow once, while
Mark states that the roaster would crow twice.
Matt 26:34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say
unto thee, That this night, before the cock
crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Mr 14:30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily
I say unto thee, That this day, even in this
night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt
deny me thrice.
Lu 22:34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the
cock shall not crow this day, before that thou
shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
Joh 13:38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay
down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till
thou hast denied me thrice.
(a) Several have written to explain why Jesus’
prophecy of the roasters crowing,
regardless of whether it was once or twice,
mean the same thing.
i. Contrary to the city dwellers’ concept,
roasters actually crow more than at
sun up.
ii. Typically, roasters start with an
early crow, several hours before sun
up. Most farmers do not notice that
crowing as they are asleep and
accustomed to it. Then, roasters
crow again at or around sun up.
iii. Jesus’ use of the term "cock crowing,"
obviously meant that before the sun
rose, Peter would deny Him three
times.
iv. Mark, to be more specific,
acknowledged that Jesus actually said
"before the cock crowed twice" to
refer to sun up while the other
gospel writers shortened Jesus’
statement to just "before the cock
crow."
(b) Along the same line of reasoning but
slightly different is the thought that the
cock would crow twice at the same time.
i. While this still leaves us asking the
question, "What exactly did Jesus
say?" it does narrow the time frame
between the two crowings, meaning that
although the records of what Jesus
spoke are different, all of the gospel
writers wrote of the same event.
ii. However, in recording the fulfillment
of this prophecy, Mark tells us that
the cock crowed first after his first
denial \\#Mark 14:68\\ and the second
crowing was after the third denial
\\#Mark 14:72\\. Luke tell us that
there was at least an hour between
Peter’s second and third denial
\\#Luke 22:59\\ and the way John wrote
his account \\#John 18:16-27\\
indicates there may have been some
time between the first and second
denials.
iii. That being the case, this theory must
be rejected.
(c) However neither of these resolve the two
critical issues, "What did Jesus actually
SAY?" and "Why didn’t all of the writers
record it exactly as Jesus said it?"
i. It is easy enough to agree on what
Jesus meant in His statement. He
meant that before the day dawns, Peter
would deny Him three times.
ii. But the thought that Mark recorded
Jesus saying something different than
the other writers, even if it could be
interpreted as having the same
meaning, would mean that the writers
did not record the WORDS of Jesus but
what they THOUGHT HE MEANT. If that is
the case, the Bible is no longer the
Word of God but the interpretations of
His disciples.
iii. So, did Jesus say the cock would crow
TWICE or He did He say the cock
would crow ONCE and how do we
reconcile the two?
(d) My own belief at present is that Jesus said
BOTH.
i. Jesus probably made the initial
prophecy that before the cock crows,
Peter will deny Him three times,
meaning that before the sun rises,
Peter would deny Him three times.
ii. When He did, as the text tells us,
Peter first, and then the disciples
objected.
iii. After they did so, it is likely that
Jesus repeated the prophecy a second
time, using the more detailed
statement that Mark recorded, namely
that the denial would occur before the
cock crowed twice, thus giving the
doubters more specifics.
iv. While this theory cannot be proved, it
is the only explanation to date that
actually deals with all the more
critical issues.
2. \\#36-46\\ Jesus’ prayers
a. \\#36\\ Gethsemane is a small garden at the base of
the Mount of Olives. \\#John 18:2\\ tells us that
this was a place to which Jesus often resorted .
b. \\#37-46\\ Jesus takes Peter, James, and John, His
inner circle, apart and asks them to pray with Him.
(1) \\#38\\ "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even
until death." How heavy the spirit of the
Lord must have been.
(2) "Watch with me." This is the only record we
have of Jesus making a request for Himself.
(3) \\#39\\ "let this cup pass from me"
(a) Some debate what Jesus meant by these
words.
(b) It seems obvious to me that He was praying
for a way to produce salvation beside
the cross, yet if there was not, He was
prepared to pay that price.
(c) There is no lack of resolve or divinity in
this statement. Quite the opposite. Our
Lord was divinely determined to accomplish
that which the Godhead had set out to do.
(d) What we do see in His statement is the
human desire to avoid excessive and
unimaginable pain. Being exposed to such
things, our Lord did not show rebellion
or weakness. Rather, He demonstrated how
we are to submit to whatever the Father
desires, regardless of how much the flesh
might dread it.
(e) These examples of Jesus being both God and
man show that Jesus was not just a Divine
Being shrouded in a thin veil of flesh for
then His temptations and His victories
over them would have no relationship to
our battles in this life. Jesus was not
merely IN flesh. He was human, with all
of the weaknesses that come with being
human, and He fought His battles wearing
in the same conditions as we must, only
without sin \\#Heb 4:15\\.
(4) \\#40\\ "What, could you not watch with me one
hour?"
(a) The disciples, on the other hand, not only
show humanity’s weaknesses but also its
failures, for they could not pray for
their Lord’s burden for even a single
hour.
(b) Their flesh, the hour being late and they
being tired, was weak and failed them.
(c) The one thing that the Lord asked of them
and they were not able to give it to him.
(d) \\#Luke 22:43-44\\ adds two details.
i. That Jesus prayed so hard that blood
beaded upon His forehead as sweat,
dripping down the ground.
ii. That although the disciples failed in
encouraging their Lord, God did not;
for He sent the angels to do so.
(5) \\#41\\ "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation"
(a) As it turned out, Jesus was not asking them
to pray for HIM alone, but also for
themselves.
(b) Jesus was not just heavy for Himself, but
knowing what that they would soon be
fearful and flee, He was burdened for them
as well. Oh, what a Savior!
(6) \\#44\\ "the third time" - This went on until
Judas had time to gather his soldiers, perhaps
about three hours.
(a) \\#John 18:3\\ describes the scene of the
approaching band of solders with their
lanterns, torches, and weapons.
(b) Such a sight must have provided an ominous
sight in those late night/early morning
hours.
3. \\#47-56\\ Jesus’ betrayal and arrest
a. \\#47-50\\ Betrayed with a kiss - What would prompt
Judas to use a symbol of love for his wicked
betrayal? No doubt it was common in that culture
to kiss the cheek with a greeting, but somehow this
demonstration of love and respect seems to make
Judas’ crime even worse.
b. \\#51-54\\ The attempted rescue by a disciple
(1) All of the gospel writers recorded this earthly
attempt to rescue Jesus but only John gave us
the name of the disciple and his victim.
Joh 18:10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew
it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and
cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was
Malchus.
(2) So Peter, the man who made the boast to die with
Jesus, did attempt to live up to his words.
Somehow, this is forgotten. Peter was a man of
his word and, pulling one of the two swords
the disciples had found for this type of
occasion \\#Luke 22:38\\, would have died for
Jesus in a battle.
(3) \\#51-54\\ Yet, there was no battle.
(a) \\#51\\ First, because Peter was a terrible
swordsman. He aimed for Marcus’ head but
only hit his ear.
(b) \\#52-54\\ Second, because Jesus stopped
it. Jesus…
i. \\#52\\ Rebuked Peter, telling him to
put away his sword.
ii. \\#53\\ And even in the midst of His
arrest He taught the disciples of His
omnipotence, for even the angels of
heaven wait on His command.
iii. \\#54\\ And lastly, Jesus reminded them
that this was the reason He had come
into the world, namely, to die as the
Scriptures had foretold.
(4) \\#John 18:4-9\\ tells us that in the moments
between the band appearing and Peter pulling
out his sword, Jesus actually converses with
the soldiers.
(a) \\#John 18:4\\ Jesus plainly asked them who
it was they came to find. \\#John 18:5\\
they answer, "Jesus of Nazareth."
(b) \\#John 18:5-6\\ When Jesus answered, "I am
He," the power of His words literally
knocked the men backwards to the ground.
i. In that statement, "he" is italicized
meaning it is not in the original
language but added by the translators
for our understanding.
ii. Hence, what Jesus actually spoke was
"I am," that Old Testament equivalent
for the name of God \\#Ex 3:14\\, and
upon that announcement, the power of
Jesus’ words knocked those men to the
ground.
iii. One would think that such a display of
power would have caused the men to
rethink their plans; but if they did,
no indication is given. Rather, the
whole conversation is repeated only
the second time, the men are not
knocked backwards and Jesus asked
that the men who were with Him be
let go \\#John 18:9\\.
(5) \\#Mark 14:50-52\\ portrays the pandemonium that
broke out once the disciples realized that
Jesus was to be taken and their lives were in
peril as well.
(a) While many a man will die in battle,
fighting for what he believes, it takes
another kind of courage to be lead as a
lamb to the slaughter.
(b) It seems that some, if not all, of these
men would have died fighting to rescue
their Lord, none was willing to merely lay
down their life and die with Him.
(c) \\#Mark 14:51\\ One whom Mark described as
"a certain young man," was so intent on
fleeing, that when his outer robe was
grabbed by a soldier, he left it in the
soldier’s hand and fled away, as Mark
called it, "naked."
(d) As John is thought to have been the
youngest disciple, it is possible that he
was that man.
(6) \\#55\\ Before the Lord went with the crowd that
had come to arrest Him, He does rebuke them by
asking why they did not arrest Him when He was
among the people.
E. \\#Matt 26:57-75\\ Jesus’ Trials - With Jesus’ arrest, a
series of interrogations or trails were conducted.
1. \\#57-68\\ The Jewish trial - Matthew again omits some of
the details, giving only the highlights.
a. Several Jewish laws were broken during these trials.
A few are….
(1) These interrogations were not to be conducted in
homes by individuals but by the Sanhedrin in the
Hall of Hewn Stone, a area of the temple.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanhedrin
(2) These interrogations were not to be conducted at
night.
(3) Jesus had no defender.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Jewish_Laws_where_broken_during_
the_trial_of_Jesus
b. \\#John 18:13, 19-23\\ John tells us that Jesus was
taken to Annas’ house first.
(1) Annas was the former high priest, although it
appears Annas still had considerable power.
Caiaphas is Annas son-in-law and was just one
of Annas’ family that filled the High Priest’s
office after Annas.
(2) \\#John 18:19\\ Some mistaken John’s reference
to Jesus being questioned by the "High Priest"
as being a reference to Annas; however, John
made enough references to Caiaphas in the
preceding verses to let us know that Caiaphas
was present by this time in Jesus’ questioning.
c. \\#Mark 14:53-65\\ Matthew and Mark give the most
details about Jesus before Caiaphas, their accounts
being almost identical.
(1) Both point out that although Peter fled with the
other disciples, he came back and followed
Jesus to see what would happen
\\#Matt 26:58, Mark 14:54\\.
(2) Both tell us that the "trial" was being conducted
to justify the pre-determined death penalty
\\#Matt 26:57-59, Mark 14:55\\.
(3) Both describe how the religious leaders attempted
to suborn witnesses and both point out that
their false testimonies did not agree
\\#Matt 26:60-61, Mark 14:55-59\\.
(4) Both describe how the High Priest eventually just
asks Jesus if He is the Son of God, and that
Jesus, in time, told him that He was. Once the
High Priest got his "confession of blasphemy,"
he and the those present condemn Jesus to death
\\#Matt 26:62-66, Mark 14:60-64\\.
(5) Both detail how Jesus was then beaten and abused
by those who were supposed to be His judges
\\#Mt 26:67-68, Mk 14:65, Lk 22:63-65\\
\\#John 18:22-23\\.
2. \\#69-75\\ Peter’s denials
a. Throughout the night, while Jesus was being questioned,
Peter denies the Lord as was prophesied.
b. All four of the gospel writers give record of the
three denials \\#Mk 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62\\
\\#John 18:16-17, 25-27\\.
c. These denials did not happen at the same time.
(1) \\#John 18:16-27\\ The way John wrote his
account, giving details of Jesus’ interrogation
in between the first and second denials, gives
the impression that some time lapsed between
the first denial and the last two.
(a) \\#John 18:16-19\\ - First denial
(b) \\#John 18:20-24\\ - Details of the
interrogation
(c) \\#John 18:25-27\\ 2nd and 3rd denials
(2) Matthew also gives the impression that time
passed between the second denial and the last.
(a) \\#Matt 26:69-71\\ First two denials
(b) \\#Matt 26:73\\ "after a while"
(3) \\#Luke 22:59\\ specifically states approximately
an hour lapses between the second and third
denials.
d. There are some minor differences.
(1) Mark records the cock crowing twice, while none
of the other writers do. The fact that the
other writers only mention one crowing, what I
believe to be the "last" one, does not mean the
cock did not crow twice, once earlier in the
night and once closer to sunrise. See the
previous notes dealing with the prophecy.
(2) Luke indicates that the second person who accused
Peter of being a disciple of Jesus was a man.
(a) Matthew and Mark are very specific
concerning the gender of the first two
accusers. They both say they were females
\\#Matt 26:69, 71; Mark 14:66, 69\\.
(b) Luke and John, however, only note that the
gender of the first accuser was female
\\#Luke 22:56, John 18:17\\ and then refer
to the other two accusers in generic terms
that could be either male or female.
(c) However, Luke records that when Peter
answered the second accuser, he called the
accuser "Man."
Luke 22:58 And after a little while another
saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And
Peter said, Man, I am not.
(d) Possible explanations:
i. Most likely, since this second
accusation takes place near the fire
where many of the servants of the
High Priest were gathered, that one
of the maids accuses Peter but in
answering her, Peter turns to the men
around the first to make his denial.
After all, if Peter was fearful for
his life, he would not be concerned
about what the woman thought but the
men.
ii. It is possible, although not so much
probable, that Peter denied the Lord
more than three times and that Luke
is recording a different second
accusation than the others.
e. Some additional facts:
(1) \\#John 18:16\\ alludes to "that other disciple"
who "was known unto the high priest" getting
Peter into the courtyard of the High Priest.
Since John does not mention himself, it is
believed that the disciple who had connections
was John. It is theorized that John may have
been some relative to the High Priest, thus
being known well enough to gain Peter’s
entrance.
(2) \\#Matt 26:74\\ tells us that Peter, to convince
his accusers that he was not a follower of
Jesus, began to "curse and to swear." Jesus
not only denied the Lord but did so with foul
language.
(a) This tells me that Jesus’ disciples did not
use such language; for when, Peter wanted
to distance himself from Jesus in the most
notable way, he cursed.
(b) Peter’s behavior tells me that he was
extremely fearful for his life. All of his
courage was now gone; not that he would not
have died in battle for His Lord earlier;
but he did not have the courage at this
time to simply lay down his life.
(3) \\#Luke 22:61\\ tells us that after Peter’s
vulgar, last denial, the Lord turned to look at
Peter. When Peter’s eyes meet His Lord’s and he
heard the roaster crow, Peter knew what he had
done. He remembered the words of Jesus and fled
broken hearted to weep as three of the writers
tell us \\#Luke 22:62, Matt 27:75, Mark 14:72\\.
http://www.godlygames.com/biblebread/jctrials.htm
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