Tuesday, December 18, 2012

If I tell you, you will by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God


Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?"  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council. saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."

- Luke 22:54-69

In yesterday's reading, Jesus had finished the Last Supper, the Passover supper at which the Eucharist was introduced, with His disciples.  He has warned Peter of the denial to come.  Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."   One can imagine what a frightening time this was -- a secret council held in the night (in violation of the rules that governed it), and in the home of the high priest.  Peter is remembered for his denial here in the face of a servant girl.  I can't imagine this was in any way other than humiliating for Peter, and yet we have the story given to us in the Gospels, handed down for all generations.  Peter swore he would face imprisonment and death for Christ, and yet here he is, cowed in the face of a servant girl's question.  It is to his great humility and grace that we have the story given to us.  Peter, eventually, would die the same death of crucifixion for following Christ; Tradition tells us that in his humility and courage, he requested to be crucified upside down so as not to make himself equal to his Lord.

And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.  My study bible says, "That the Lord turned and looked at Peter is an intimate detail reported only by Luke.  One can imagine the profound meaning of their mutual glance."   There are several details in Luke concerning Peter that may lead us to conclude Luke may have had access - perhaps at Rome - to details only Peter could give.  At any rate, all four Gospels give us the story of Jesus' warning that Peter would deny Him.  It is a testimony to the importance of this story to our faith.

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?"  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.  Luke gives us more of the atmosphere of lawlessness and cruelty at this time, where no laws or decency apply, simply the use of pure power to humiliate and to destroy.   The ignorance of those who mock Christ speaks for itself.


As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council. saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."  My study bible points out that the official sessions of the council could take place only by daylight.  But Jesus' truth rings out here:  He will not acknowledge a phony attempt to pretend they aim at the truth, but acknowledges the truth of where their hearts are.  They won't believe when He tells them the truth.  They will not allow Him to ask question in legitimate defense -- nor answer nor let Him go if He is innocent of their charges.  It is not a legitimate trial at all.

In Jesus' story here in these verses today, we see the elements of justice gone awry and all the familiar elements of what it is to live outside the laws meant to protect the innocent.  Even at this time, the laws established for fair trial and hearing are being violated.  The session is held in the home of the high priest rather than in the council's appropriate meeting place.  It is held at night, illegally.  Skirting the requirements of the law, they come together into the council in the morning.  Jesus is mocked and humiliated by those who work for the high priest.  And in His own words, the trial is not an honest one.  No one is going to allow Him to honestly question His accusers, nor will they let Him go if He is proven innocent -- and neither will they believe the truth from Him.  All the elements of injustice are here, and they must be clear to us all, because we still suffer from injustice in the world and the afflictions of the "power of darkness" as Jesus has named it in yesterday's reading.  The power of darkness is the power we associate with Satan, as Jesus has named him in recent verses, the power of evil.  Throughout Scripture and especially in the Gospels, evil is portrayed as a kingdom which afflicts mankind.  Its affliction is always unjust.  Human beings suffer, and Christ is here in His mercy to bring us back from this place of suffering and isolation from God, to take us to Himself and His Kingdom -- to bind the strong man as He is the stronger.   In our understanding of the evil that afflicts our world, perhaps nothing can be stronger or more potent than this trial, this unjust hearing at which a man is condemned who came out of love for the world and to save the world.  He is God's anointed; He is the Christ, and we worship Him in His spirit of love and saving truth.  Let us understand the affliction of evil in the world and its injustice -- its lies and its denial of truth and what is true about the heart of each person.  Let us reside and rest in the "heart-knower" who is Christ as our antidote and guide to healing what ails us in this world.  He is here to show us His Way, and His trial and death serve to show us that which is not His way at all.   The abuse of power is evil affliction.  In Christ's kingdom righteousness and mercy rule.