DAY #176: John 18:28-19:15

Peter was still in the courtyard of Annas’s house and was standing beside a fire with several other people. Again Peter was asked: “Aren’t you one of his disciples?” Peter denied it saying, “I am not.” The vehemence of Peter’s denial may have caught the attention of several others who were gathered around the fire. To at least one of them, Peter looked very familiar.

This, the third denial, happened exactly as Jesus had predicted. The other three Gospels say that Peter’s three denials happened near a fire in the courtyard outside Caiaphas’s palace. John places the three denials outside Annas’s home. This was very likely the same courtyard. The high priest’s residence was large, and Annas and Caiaphas undoubtedly lived near each other. This time a household servant who happened to be a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” But for the third time, Peter denied it. A crowing rooster and the piercing look of Jesus made Peter realize how quickly he had abandoned his Lord.

By now it was the early hours of Friday morning. This headquarters was also called the Praetorium, where the Roman governor resided when he was in Jerusalem. By Jewish law, entering the house of a Gentile would cause a Jewish person to be ceremonially defiled. As a result, a Jew could not take part in worship at the Temple or celebrate the feasts until he or she was restored to a state of “cleanness.” Afraid of being defiled, Jesus’ accusers stayed outside the house where they had taken Jesus for trial. They kept the ceremonial requirements of their religion while harboring murder and treachery in their hearts. Because the Jews were outside, Pilate went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”

Pilate realized that something wasn’t normal about this case. He must have sensed the jealousy of the Jewish leaders who brought this popular teacher to him. Pilate certainly had seen or at least had heard about Jesus’ glorious entry into Jerusalem only a few days earlier, so he understood the motives of these religious leaders. Therefore, Pilate demanded that they provide a bona fide legal charge against Jesus.

The Jews needed Pilate to give Jesus a trial because only the Romans were permitted to execute someone. Being under Roman rule, the Jews were not permitted to carry out the kind of execution they were planning without the sanction of the Roman government. It seems that “spontaneous” executions like the stoning of Stephen or the woman taken in adultery were overlooked by the Romans. But in the eyes of the Jewish leaders, Jesus needed to be executed publicly. Thus, the Jews needed the Romans to execute Jesus for them.

Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be flogged. This was another attempt by Pilate to set Jesus free. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent of any crime, and he desperately wanted Jesus freed to quiet his own conscience. So Pilate thought the flogging would appease the Jews. This was ruthless but not intended to kill him. Nevertheless, it was not uncommon for prisoners to die of floggings. Some of the whips used for flogging were designed to inflict terrible damage to the human body. The leather thongs that formed the striking surfaces were lead-tipped so that victims were both bruised and cut severely. Punishment was applied to the bared upper body of a bound prisoner. Apparently, Pilate thought this flogging was a humane alternative to crucifixion. He was avoiding condemning Jesus to death.






SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

For the fourth time, in this the fourth Gospel, we read of the horrific punishment that Jesus endured for us. Not once did He respond like I could see myself doing - in the flesh.

"Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:18-23 (NIV)


Lord, build into me a peace and understanding that I don't always have to be right. I don't always have to have my pound of flesh. I don't always have to win and prove my point.
Today, I commit myself and my future and my family and my flock to you anew.