Intro to John 18:12-27

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/12/2017 10:53 AM

My Worship Time                                                                            Focus:  Intro to John 18:12-27

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  John 18:12-27

            Message of the verses:  “12  So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, 13 and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people. 15 Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, 16 but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." 18 Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself. 19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. 21 “Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said." 22 When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, "Is that the way You answer the high priest?" 23 Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?" 24 So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it, and said, "I am not." 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" 27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.”

            We see the highlighted portion: “a charcoal fire” and I ask you a question in our last SD of what were the two significant things that happened by a charcoal fire, which by the way is the only two times a charcoal fire is seen in the Bible.  We see that by this charcoal Peter is denying he knows the Lord and then we will see in the last chapter of John that Jesus is cooking fish on a charcoal and He restores Peter to ministry.  We can also see that Peter is sinning as we look at this passage, and Jesus is about to go to the cross to pay for the sins that Peter is doing.  Jesus knew all of this was going to happen, knew that Peter would deny knowing Him, knew that He would later restore him, knew that Judas would deny Him, knew that Judas would then go out and kill himself.  He knew one would be saved and one would be lost.

            John MacArthur writes the following paragraph in his introductory comments to this section:  “Even in his account of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest, John portrays Jesus’ dignity, courage, and complete mastery of the situation…The present passage finds the Lord in the custody of His enemies, on trial for His life.  But even in such seemingly degrading circumstances, John still managed to exalt Him.  The apostle did so by juxtaposing [place or deal with close together for contrasting effect], the accounts of the Lord’s initial hearing before Annas and Peter’s denials.  Both scenes took place at the same time and John, under the Spirit’s inspiration, wove them into one dramatic narrative.

            “The interplay of the two dramas brings into sharp focus opposite truths that are foundational to all of Christian doctrine:  the glory of Christ and the sinfulness of man.  Those truths are evident from the contrast between Christ’s faithfulness and Peter’s faithlessness; His courage and Peter’s cowardice; His sacrificial love and Peter’s self-preserving lies.

            “The drama unfolds in four acts:  it opens with the first act of Jesus’ trial, followed by act one of Peter’s denial.  The scene then shifts to the second act of Jesus’ trial, and then concludes with the second and final act of Peter’s denial.”

            I suppose that it is always nice to learn a new word and “Juxtaposing” is the new word that I learned today, and once I understood it I understand why MacArthur used it in this section.

            As we are following MacArthur’s commentary outline we will begin to look at “Jesus’ Trial: Act One” in our next SD.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Enoch” (Gen. 5:24).

Today’s Bible question:  “What does the name Genesis mean?

Answer in our next SD.

4/12/2017 11:46 AM