Luke 22:54

The Bible says concerning Jesus in Luke 22:54-62, “Then they took him and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what you are saying. And immediately while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me three times. And Peter went out and wept bitterly.”

Why were we given such great detail about Peter’s denial of the Lord? For one thing perhaps to warn us not to make the same mistake. Peter denied because previously he had boasted of his own faithfulness. Peter denied the Lord because he had failed to pray the night before and seek God’s help in avoiding temptation. And we see in this passage that Peter also denied the Lord because Peter got too close to the people of the world at a time when he should have been close to Christ. Luke 22:54 says that “Peter followed afar off.”

Luke 22:61 says that “Peter remembered the Word of the Lord.” And then Luke 22:62 says that “Peter went out and wept bitterly.” The Word of the Lord should normally be like honey to your soul, but if you have sin in your life, it will be as bitter as wormword. “The Word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.”

There can be some very terrible consequences to sin, and one of the worst for a believer is to have a bad conscience. Peter suffered horribly once he had hurt his own conscience, and so did David. David said in Psalm 51:12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” There may be no greater chastisement for the believer than to lose the peace of God or the joy of salvation. But thank God there is a remedy: confession and forgiveness. One of the reasons that we are shown the failure of Peter in such detail is because Peter’s relationship with Christ was restored, and Peter went on to do great work in the rest of his life as one of the Apostles.

Remember that we are on this earth in order to be witnesses for Christ. If you have denied the Lord in the presence of the people of the world, then you have failed your Master greatly. But you can be restored just as Peter was, if you repent and ask for forgiveness. You can find new opportunities to be a witness for Christ. Our relationship with the Lord is not based upon how faithful or how good we are, but it’s always based upon His mercy towards us. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The reason that the Lord can forgive us our sins is because He suffered and died for our sins. From the time that Jesus was arrested until He was crucified, many hours passed and during that time Jesus was mocked and tortured. Concerning some of that torture and mockery the Bible says in Luke 22:63-65, “And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spoke they against him.” How could this have happened? How could these brutal and gross men have gotten their hands upon Jesus Christ the Son of God? For three years He had passed through the midst of those who hated Him, and they were powerless to put a hand on Him. But now there were no restrictions to their brutality against Him. What changed? In Luke 22:53 Jesus said to the unbelievers, “But this is your hour and the power of darkness.”

There was a time in the ministry of Christ that evil was restrained. It was held back from doing its violent deeds. But now the power of evil was released. Of course, God permitted it in order to fulfill the eternal purposes of God. That’s a very comforting thought, knowing that somehow the almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing God is in control no matter what happens. Something similar to this will happen when the antichrist comes into power. Second Thessalonians 2:7-8 says, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”

The Bible says in Luke 22:66-71, “And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, you will not believe: And if I also ask you, you will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, You say that I am. And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.” Notice that the chief priests and the scribes and the elders were actually having a trial of Jesus. In so doing they were showing the real reason that they opposed Him. They thought of Jesus as a rival in the world of religious politics, and they feared the popularity that Jesus had gained. When they asked the question, “Art thou the Christ,” they were not trying to find out the truth about Jesus. They were simply trying to gain evidence to accuse Him. When they finally took Jesus to Pontius Pilate, they knew that they had to have another accusation against Him and therefore they came up with the idea of treason, saying that Jesus wanted to oppose Caesar.

This passage is another place in the gospels where Jesus very clearly claims to be the Son of God. When Jesus replied to the priests, “You say that I am,” He was claiming to be the Son of God based upon their statement. It was the same as saying in our language, “You say that I am, and so I am.” The priests knew what Jesus meant and so they said, “What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.”

The Bible says in Luke 23:1-4, “And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.“ When they brought Jesus to Pilate, they lied. Their accusations against Jesus were lies. Pilate was the judge. It was his responsibility to determine if someone was guilty of a crime, and if so to give out the deserved punishment. As all judges must do, Pilate listened to both sides and he determined that the priests were lying. He said concerning Jesus, “I find no fault in this man.” Such a statement could not be made of you or me, but it could be made of Jesus because He was the spotless Son of God who takes away the sin of the world.

As we are seeing, Jesus was actually tried several times on this day. Each time He was shown to be innocent of any wrong doing. The Bible says in Luke 23:5-7, “And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.” Pilate was a judge, but he was also a politician. Every politician who tries to please the people may be in great danger of making the wrong kind of compromises. That’s exactly what happened to Pilate. Some compromises are good because they help to build a consensus and can create a spirit of teamwork. Other compromises will lead to the greatest of evil and the selling of your soul. Only God can give you the wisdom to know the difference. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, but Pilate kept looking to pass the buck to someone else and somehow appease the Jewish leaders. But these men could not do the right thing. They were of the world, and this was the hour of darkness.

The Bible says in Luke 23:8-12, “And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.” No matter how much they differ in philosophy of life or in their background, there is one thing that the unsaved can always agree upon: to oppose God and Christ. So it was when Herod and Pilate both decided to compromise in the trial of Jesus, and so it is today when people go along with the crowd in their opposition to the teaching of the truth. In America a strange and widespread opposition to free speech started in the 1960s when the Supreme Court ruled that prayer could not take place in schools. But now not only do they not allow prayer, they forbid all reference to the Bible and God and Christ. People who believe in God and speak freely of their belief are considered evil doers by many in our society. Of course, we who believe understand that this growing opposition to the truth will have disastrous consequences for those who persecute us and who take away our right to speak our ideas. Good people will be driven away from organizations in which they otherwise would have been great assets. Other people who would have become better citizens by hearing the ethical teachings of the Bible, will not hear them and will not become better. The free expression of ideas should always be permitted, if you agree or not.

Pilate and Herod sat in judgment on Jesus Christ. They were driven to this place of judgment by those who feverishly opposed the person of Jesus Christ. The very same thing is happening in our day. The judges of our day are making the same compromises that Pilate and Herod made, and the consequences will be just as tragic for society. History repeats itself. Every generation must evaluate the claims of Christ and make a decision: to permit the free expression of truth or to oppose it and persecute it. May God have mercy on the souls that make the wrong decision. May God have mercy on the society where such decisions are made.

Notice that when Herod questioned Jesus, the Bible says about Jesus in Luke 23:9 that Jesus “answered him nothing.” It was remarkable how Jesus did not defend Himself even though He was innocent. Of course, He could have defended Himself and the opposition would have been carried away by the power of His words. But Jesus said nothing because He knew that He must die for the sins of the world. Perhaps we should try to be more like Jesus when we suffer some kind of injustice.

The Bible says in Luke 23:13-23, “And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, You have brought this man unto me, as one that perverts the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.”

When people consciously and purposely turn away from Christ, they start a downward spiral that has no limits. Instead of the Christ and all the benefits that He could have given to them, they chose a murderer. The Jewish leaders were now murderers. They used the Roman legal system to get rid of Jesus, but they were guilty of murder. Of course, they could not get rid of Jesus because He rose from the dead. Today, people turn away from Christ also, but they still must stand before Him at the judgment. They have accomplished nothing except to condemn their own soul. If you are not saved, you do not have to be condemned. You can turn to Christ while there is still time. He loves you. That’s why He suffered the unjust murder and the horrible death of the cross: so that you could turn to Him and find forgiveness of your sins.

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