After He had healed Malchus, Jesus said unto Peter, "Put up again thy
sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish
with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and
he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how
then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? The cup
which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" Here Jesus
plainly declares that He _gave_ Himself to fulfil the Scriptures,
which declared, that in no other way could man be redeemed from the
curse of the Law. His sufferings and death were the means appointed by
the Father for the redemption of man; but His sufferings and death
were voluntary--no man could _take_ His life unless He chose to give
it. He _could_ have saved Himself, but then His work would have been
unfinished, and mankind for ever lost. Therefore was He willing to
drink the cup which His father had given Him. "In that same hour Jesus
answered and said unto the Chief Priests and captains of the temple,
and to the multitudes, and to the elders, which were come to him, Are
ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me?
I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on
me: ye stretched forth no hands against me: but the Scriptures must be
fulfilled; this is your hour and the power of darkness."
Here, again, Jesus showed that those who came against Him, could only
succeed because the time was now come, when they were allowed to
execute their wicked purposes, "that the Scriptures of the prophets
might be fulfilled."
Jesus Christ had now given Himself into the hands of His enemies: the
disciples seeing this, and being perhaps afraid of sharing His fate,
did the very thing they had lately thought impossible when their Lord
had warned them of it. "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled."
"Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus,
and bound him, and led him away to Annas first; for he was
father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the High Priest that same year."
It has already been said that the Romans had made Caiaphas High Priest
instead of Annas. Annas had filled that office for eleven years, and
ought to have continued in it as long as he lived: but the Romans, who
had no regard to the Jewish Law, had made this change.
The Jews, however, had a great respect for Annas as their rightful
High Priest; and in spite of the Romans they still considered and
treated him as such; and therefore, in the first place, they took
Jesus before him, that he might advise them as to what was next to be
done.
As they were on their way, leading their prisoner, "there followed him
a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body":
this young man felt sufficient interest in Jesus to follow Him; "but
when," for some reason which we are not told, "the young men" who
guarded the Lord, "laid hold on him," he gave a further proof of the
fear which now prevailed amongst all the disciples and followers of
Jesus; for "he left the linen cloth" upon which they had laid hold,
"in their hands," and so escaping, "fled from them naked."
This young man seems to have been clothed in the manner common to the
poorer sort of people in those days. Even in later times travellers
tell us, that in some places the Arabs only wear a large blanket or
sheet, wrapped round them in a peculiar manner; and that the same
thing is done in some parts of Palestine also. Annas, it would seem,
sent Jesus at once to Caiaphas; no doubt fear of the Romans who had
unlawfully deprived him of his dignity, prevented his exercising that
authority, which by the law of God still belonged to him, and to him
only: so he sent Jesus away at once. "Then they took him, and led him
away to Caiaphas the High Priest. (Now Caiaphas was he, which gave
counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for
the people)." Jesus was then brought into the High Priest's house,
where were assembled with him all the Chief Priests and Scribes;
evidently waiting for the return of those whom they had sent out,
under the guidance of Judas Iscariot, to take Jesus. Mean time, Peter
and John had so far recovered themselves, as to venture to follow
Jesus at a distance: for they really loved their Master, and were
anxious to learn what would become of Him. "And Simon Peter followed
Jesus afar off, unto the High Priest's palace, and so did another
disciple: that disciple was known unto the High Priest, and went in
with Jesus into the palace of the High Priest." "That disciple" here
spoken of, was John, who himself gives us the account of the matter.
He was in some way known to Caiaphas, and was therefore allowed to go
into the palace. "But Peter stood at the door without." John, who had
been admitted into the High Priest's palace, was not one of those
selfish people who care only for their own comfort: he thought of
Peter standing outside, and went out and spake unto the young woman,
who, according to the custom of the Hebrews, kept the door or acted as
porter; and in consequence she "brought in Peter," who joined the
servants and attendants: "and when they had kindled a fire in the
midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among
them, and warmed himself at the fire; and sat with the servants to see
the end."
Though the month Abib, which answers to our April, is very much warmer
in Palestine than it is here, still the nights are often very cold;
and a gentleman who travelled in Galilee tells us, that even in the
month of May, an Arab chief who entertained him, had a fire lighted in
a ruined building for them to sit by, because it was cold.
The fire now kindled by the attendants, though in the same hall, was
no doubt at some distance from that part where Jesus was standing
before the High Priest; whilst John, being known to Caiaphas, was
probably standing much nearer to his beloved Master.
"The High Priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his
doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever
taught in the synagogue and in the temple, whither the Jews always
resort; and in secret have I said nothing"; that is, He had said
nothing in secret contrary to what He had taught in public, and
therefore instead of now answering such questions, Jesus referred
Caiaphas to those who, having heard Him, were able to bear witness as
to what He had said. "Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me,
what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. When he had
thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the
palm of his hand (or with a rod which he held in his hand), saying,
Answerest thou the High Priest so?" Jesus quietly rebuked this man,
showing that if he had said or done what was wrong, the officer should
have accused Him of it in a proper way, and not have struck Him,
contrary to the law, which forbids any one to be treated as guilty
until proved to be so. "Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil,
bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me?"
The Jews knew very well that they could not ask the Romans to put
Jesus to death, unless they could find some fault to lay to His
charge: they must get persons to witness or declare, that He had done
things for which He deserved to die; and they well knew that no one
could with truth do this. Therefore, "the Chief Priests, and elders,
and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus to put him to
death; but found none" to answer their purpose: "yea, though many
false witnesses came, yet found they none," whose testimony would be
sufficient: "for many bear false witness against him, but their
witness agreed not together." No man could be put to death unless two
witnesses gave testimony as to his guilt: if witnesses speak the
truth, their testimony must be the same: but naturally when witnesses
tell lies, one will say one thing and one another, and therefore the
words of these men who spake against Jesus, "agreed not together."
The sin of the Chief Priests and elders was very great; they _sought_
for false witnesses: unhappily, there never is any difficulty in
finding men who care so little for what is right, that for a bribe or
reward they are ready to tell lies; but if liars are the children of
the Devil, what must those be who _encourage_ them, and almost force
them to speak untruly? "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour," is one of the commandments: let us be very careful not to
break this commandment, even unintentionally. We may not _mean_ to say
what is _not_ true, and we may not _mean_ to make mischief; but we
shall certainly do both, unless we are very careful always to repeat
_exactly_ what we see or hear, _adding_ nothing, and _leaving out
nothing_. Even the manner or tone of voice in which anything is said
or done, makes a difference. For instance, things may be done or said
in fun, and there may be no harm in them; but if you repeat them, as
if they were done or said in earnest, they may appear very wrong; and
so you will cause people to be blamed, and thought ill of, when they
do not deserve it.
There is, perhaps, no commandment which we all break more frequently
than the ninth--not wilfully; few, it is to be hoped, would act so
wickedly as to do that; but from carelessness: by chattering about
other peoples' concerns; repeating things when we are not _sure_ they
are true; telling tales; and so on. Our God is a God of truth: we are
told that He loves truth in the inward parts, that is, in the heart;
and therefore if we love Him, we shall always speak the truth from the
heart, and be very careful to tell the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth, even in the smallest matters. The perfect truth that God
requires, forbids deceit of all kinds. We may deceive others by our
actions, and even by our silence; but let us ever remember, that all
deception is in the eyes of God as the sin of lying, that sin which is
an abomination to the Lord.