135. Jesus before Annas & Peter’s Denial

John 18:12–27 
(Mt 26:57,58,69–75; Mk 14:53,54,66–72; Lk 22:54–62)

The Roman soldiers, led by their captain, and the Jewish servants seized Jesus, bound him, and led him first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who held the office of high priest that year. It is pointed out again that it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it would be good that one man should be killed for the people. This word, which God had put on the lips of the high priest, sheds light on the whole Passion story. Annas and Caiaphas lived in the high priest’s palace. This was a large square building, with an open courtyard in the middle. Annas had his residence in one part of it, and Caiaphas opposite him on the other side of the courtyard. Annas had been high priest before Caiaphas and had still retained the title. Out of love and honor for him, and perhaps also at his request, the matter was arranged in such a way that Jesus was first brought before him, giving him the opportunity to see and speak to the famous prisoner. And now Annas asked Jesus all sorts of questions about his teachings and his disciples, probably out of curiosity and perhaps also with the intention of eliciting a speech from him that could then be used as the reason for his condemnation. The Lord did not grant his request. He only reminded the high priest that he had spoken and taught freely before the world in schools and in the temple. There Annas also had the opportunity to hear him. And if he really wanted to learn about Jesus’ teachings, he could ask those who had heard him. With this, the Lord has also given us instruction. Such people who raise religious questions only for entertainment or for improper reasons and who despise the public preaching of the Word, are best served with silence or a short, serious rebuke. A servant of the high priest then gave Jesus a slap on the face because he had neglected the due respect. But Jesus had spoken quite rightly and rebuked that servant for his injustice. The truth, reproach about sin, is owed to everyone, even those who sit in office and honor. This was only a private interrogation that Annas conducted with Jesus. He was kept in custody in Annas’s apartment until the members of the high council had assembled. When this had happened, Annas sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas.

While Jesus was with Annas, what the Lord had said to Simon Peter was fulfilled outside in the courtyard. Two disciples, Simon Peter and another disciple, undoubtedly John, as his Gospel reports, had followed at a distance the hostile band that was taking Jesus away as a prisoner. John, as an acquaintance of the high priest, had gained entry into the high priest’s palace, but Peter had had to remain outside. After he noticed this, John had spoken to the doorkeeper and also got his fellow disciple in. While John followed his Lord and Master into the palace, Peter had gone through the covered gateway of the building into the courtyard and sat down by the charcoal fire that the servants of the high priests had lit in the cool of the night. He wanted to see how Jesus would fare. This was again sinful arrogance. Peter led himself into temptation by forcing himself into the company of the rough servants who had the same Christ-murdering intention as their masters. And so he soon fell. The story of Peter’s denial, if we put together the reports of the four evangelists, took the following course. The doorkeeper, who had deduced from her conversation with John that his companion was also a disciple of Jesus, had already asked Peter at the gate: “Are you not also one of this man’s disciples?” When she then saw Peter at the coal fire, she went up to him and said: “You were also with Jesus of Galilee,” and made him known to the servants standing around with the words: “This man was also with him.” But he denied it before everyone and said: “Woman, it is not I, I do not know him, I do not know what you are saying.” This incident made him somewhat uneasy and he went out of the courtyard into the gate, but soon calmed his conscience again. Even the call of the rooster, which now crowed for the first time, did not bring him to his senses. When he had returned to the coal fire, the first maid, the doorkeeper, began again and said to those who stood by: “This man is also one of them.” Another maid and a servant confirmed this saying: “This man was also with Jesus of Nazareth.” “You are also one of them.” And the whole crowd of servants pressed on him with the question: “Are you not one of his disciples?” Peter only met the intensified attack with even stronger opposition. He denied it again and swore: “I am not.” “I do not know the man.” For a short while he had managed to gain peace. After an hour, however, one of the servants pointed out that he was a Galilean, his language betrayed him, and therefore he was certainly a follower of this Jesus of Galilee. Others agreed. They had all heard the Galilean dialect from Peter’s own mouth. And finally a friend of Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off, confirmed that he had seen Peter with Jesus in the garden.

Simon Peter was now found guilty of being a disciple of Jesus. Nevertheless, he would not admit it, but began to curse and swear: “I do not know the man of whom you speak.” Thus he had completely renounced and separated himself from Jesus, his Lord and Master. Peter had thereby fallen away from Christ, abandoned the faith, fallen from grace. While he was still speaking, the rooster crowed for the second time. At the same moment, Jesus was led across the courtyard from Annas to Caiaphas. Jesus turned and looked at Peter. This look from his Savior, whom he had so deeply grieved, went through Peter’s bones. He now remembered the word of the Lord: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times,” and went out and wept bitterly. This was heartfelt contrition and repentance. But Peter certainly remembered also the other word of Jesus, that he had prayed for him so that his faith would not fail, and at that very hour, trusting in the word and grace of the Lord, he also sighed and cried out for forgiveness of his sins and also found forgiveness.

The Passion history reveals the world’s sin, which has brought all this suffering and woe upon Christ. And the sins of the disciples are also explicitly remembered. Peter’s sin, denying Christ, is a common sin of disciples. Many of the Lord’s disciples, many Christians, have suffered the same fate as Peter here. This story repeats itself every day. First, Christians become lazy and sluggish in their watching and praying. They go about their business confidently and carelessly, perhaps mixing with the company of—with any call to do so—loose, worldly people, and scoffers, and when the mockery of “You are also one of them,” “You also belong to the pious,” comes upon them, yes, often before the world even begins to mock, they are ashamed of their Savior and hide and conceal their Christianity. They make speeches similar to Peter, or act, behave as if they did not know Christ, as if they were not Christians. This may initially be a sin of weakness. But if a Christian repeatedly denies Christ, gets used to denying his Christian faith in dealings with unbelievers, if he numbs his conscience and ignores all warnings, then the sin of weakness becomes a mortal sin. If someone insists on this and confesses with word and deed: I am not a disciple, not a Christian, then he is really no longer a Christian and has lost Christ. And if it has come to this with someone who was once a disciple of Jesus and loved his Lord and Savior with all his heart, then he should follow Simon Peter in the other thing too: in repentance. As soon as God’s Word reminds him of his sin, the Spirit of God reproves him and the Savior looks at him in his Word and calls to him: Turn back. He should quickly get up, confess his sin to the Lord and plead for mercy and grace. If he persists in denial for too long, his faith may end forever. Ultimately, however, it is always the Lord’s grace, goodness and faithfulness that raises up the fallen disciples and gives sinners repentance and life.