In verses 57 through 68 the Lord was judged by the Sanhedrin. He was accused unjustly with false testimonies, but He did not say a word to vindicate Himself (vv. 59-63). The Lord, standing before the Sanhedrin like a sheep before its shearers, would not say a word to vindicate Himself. By remaining silent, He was fulfilling Isaiah 53:7.
Then the high priest said to Him, “I adjure you by the living God that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (v. 63). This was the same question the Devil used in tempting the Lord (4:3, 6). Verse 64 says, “Jesus says to him, You said it! Moreover, I say to you, Henceforth you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest asked the Lord if He was the Son of God, but He answered with “the Son of Man.” He answered the Devil in the same way in His temptation (4:4). The Lord is the Son of Man, not only on the earth before His crucifixion, but also in the heavens on the right hand of God after His resurrection (Acts 7:56), and even at His coming back on the clouds. To accomplish God’s purpose and to establish the kingdom of the heavens, the Lord had to be a man. Without man, God’s purpose could not be carried out on earth and the kingdom of the heavens could not be constituted on earth.
The Lord seemed to be saying to the high priest, “You asked Me whether or not I am the Son of God. I am the Son of Man. Even after you have crucified Me and I have been resurrected from the dead, I will be in the third heaven as a man. And when I come back on the clouds to take the earth, I will still be the Son of Man.”
When the Devil in the wilderness tested the Lord regarding His being the Son of God, the Lord answered by saying, “Man.” The Lord seemed to say to the Devil, “I’m not here as the Son of God to be tempted by you. If I were the Son of God, I could not be tempted. I am standing here as a man.” The high priest, Caiaphas, was the same as the Devil, and his question was the same as the Devil’s temptation in the wilderness. The Lord also answered him in the same way.
When the high priest heard the Lord’s answer, he tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy” (v. 65). After the others said that the Lord was liable to death, they spit in His face, beat Him with their fists, slapped Him, and mocked Him (vv. 67-68). When the Lord was treated this way, He was victoriously silent. Thus, He was victorious not only before the Sanhedrin, but also before Peter, who had followed Him afar off to the courthouse of the high priest and had sat down with the deputies to see the end (v. 58). Again we see here that only the life of Jesus is good for the kingdom. Even the life of a man as strong and as bold as Peter is not fit for the kingdom.
Verses 69 and 70 say, “Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard; and a maid came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied before all, saying, I do not know what you are saying!” Peter could not withstand even one fragile little female. Peter’s denial of the Lord was an exposure. It seems to me that this one test was sufficient to expose Peter. But under God’s sovereignty, the environment would not let Peter go until he was tested to the uttermost, that he might realize he was absolutely not trustworthy and should no longer have any confidence in himself. Thus, verses 71 and 72 say that another maid came to him and said, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man!” Finally, those standing by said, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech also makes you known” (v. 73). Then Peter “began to curse and to swear, I do not know the man!” (v. 74). In his first denial, Peter said only the word; in his second denial, he replied with an oath; and in his third denial, he cursed and swore. After denying the Lord the third time and hearing the cock crow, Peter remembered the word of the Lord, and he went out and wept bitterly (v. 75). As the Lord was suffering an evil and unjust judgment, Peter denied Him. By denying Him, Peter was exposed to the uttermost.
We should not read this account merely as a story about Peter, for it reveals that it is impossible for our natural life to enter into the kingdom. Because we all are the same as Peter, we should not try to follow the pathway into the kingdom by our natural life. No matter what kind of mind or will we may have, we cannot succeed. The test will come that will fully expose us. Sooner or later, all of us on the pathway to the kingdom will face the same tests. Praise the Lord that there is still the way of repentance, weeping, and confessing that brings in the Lord’s forgiveness and His further visitation. For the kingdom, we must have another life and be another person. Only after we have passed through all the tests and have suffered all the defeats and failures will we realize our need for another life.
Praise the Lord for the strong contrast presented in this chapter! In Peter we see the black, and in the Lord Jesus we see the white. All the way from the garden to the cross, Peter and the other disciples were defeated. Only one man, Jesus, was victorious. Actually, He was not even arrested; He handed Himself over to those who came for Him. Thus, His death was not a matter of compulsion, but a voluntary fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning His crucifixion. Truly, only the life of Jesus is good for the kingdom.