THOU ART HOLY, O THOU THAT INHABITEST THE PRAISES OF ISRAEL.-Psa. xxii. 3.

SECTION 89.-(G. 95-.7.)-[Lesson 92.]-JESUS IS TAKEN TO ANNAS, AND AFTER-
WARDS TO CAIAPHAS. PETER FOLLOWETH AFAR OFF. PARTICULARS OF THE
TRANSACTIONS IN THE PALACE OF CAIAPHAS: JESUS BEING EXAMINED ONCE
BY
HAD FORETOLD, THRICE DENIED
PETER;
AND AGAIN; AND, AS
EXAMINED A THIRD TIME, AND LED AWAY TO PILATE. JUDAS REPENTS.-Mart.
xxvi. 57-xxvii. 10. Mark xiv. 53-xv. 1. Luke xxii. 54-xxiii. 1. John xviii. 12-28.

HE

INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS.

IS

Jno. xviii. 12-4. Jesus having been apprehended | jeer of his being a prophet, asking him to tell who in the garden, is led away bound to Annas, father-in- struck him; and they speak blasphemously against law to Caiaphas the high priest, who before, ch. xi. him. 47-53, § 58, p. 132, counselled the Jewish rulers to sacrifice Jesus to expediency.

Mt.xxvi.57. Mk.xiv.53. Lu.xxii.54. Jno.xviii.24.
Jesus is by Annas sent to Caiaphas.
Peter and another disciple follow
palace of the high priest.

-xviii.15,.6. Jesus into the xviii. 19. The high priest, probably in order to find matter of accusation against Jesus, questions him respecting his followers and his teaching.

xviii. 20,.1. Jesus, by implication, condemns this inquisitorial manner of dealing with the accused. He refers to his public teaching, and denies that in secret he has said anything inconsistent therewith. It is not from the accused, but from those who have seen and heard him, that evidence should be sought.

xviii.22.

One of the officers strikes Jesus, for thus defending the right of the accused against the high priest.

xviii. 23.

Jesus asserts the right of the prisoner to have the crime of which he is accused proved before him. No one should be made to suffer for maintaining his right, even against the highest ecclesiastical authority. xxvi.57. - xiv.53.

The scribes, chief priests, and elders, assemble with the high priest.

- xxvi.58. - xiv.54. - xxii.54,.5.

Peter, who at a distance has followed Jesus into the palace of the high priest, sits in the court with the attendants, warming himself at the fire they had kindled; he waits to see the end.

PETER DENIES CHRIST.

Mt.xxvi.69. Mk.xiv.66,.7. Lu.xxii.56. Jno.xviii.17. Peter being beneath in the palace of the high priest, the damsel who had admitted him remarks that he is one of the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, and asks Peter himself if such be not the case.

- xxvi.70. - xiv.68. - xxii.57. - xviii. 17. Peter denies that he is Jesus' disciple, and pretends to know nothing of the matter. He then passes out into the porch, when the cock crows the first time. PETER'S SECOND DENIAL. -xxvi.71,.2.xiv.69,70.- xxii.58. -xviii.18,25. Another maid takes notice of Peter to those that stand by; they question him on the subject, but he again denies any relationship to Jesus, declaring with an oath that he knows not the man.

PETER'S THIRD DENIAL.

- xxvi.73. - xiv.70. - xxii.59. - xviii. 26. A little time after, those that stand by declare their persuasion of his belonging to the company of the Galilæan; and the matter is confirmed by the kinsman of Malchus, who asks Peter whether he did not see him in the garden with Jesus.

xxvi.74,.5. xiv.71,.2. xxii.60-.2.xviii.27. Peter begins to curse and to swear, declaring that he knows not the man of whom they speak. Upon the cock crowing the second time, the Lord turns and looks upon Peter, who remembering the words of Jesus, goes out, and weeps bitterly.

JESUS EXAMINED BY THE JEWISH COUNCIL.

xxii.66,.7. When it is day, Jesus is led into the council, and is asked to say whether he be the Christ.

They reply by asking, What is
that to us? see thou to that.'
5.

temple, and goes and hangs himself.
Judas casts down the money in the

6, 7. The priests, remarking that the money, being the price of blood, cannot be put into the treasury, agree to purchase therewith the potter's field, to bury strangers in.

8-10. Reference to prophecy; the potter's field, and thirty pieces of silver. HOPE THOU IN GOD:-Psa. xlii. 5.

[VOL. II.

Psa. xxii. 11.

BE NOT FAR FROM ME

FOR TROUBLE IS NEAR; FOR THERE IS NONE TO HELP.

O MY GOD, I TRUST IN THEE: LET ME NOT BE ASHAMED, LET NOT MINE ENEMIES TRIUMPH OVER ME.-Psa. xxv. 2.

(No. 89.)—Jesus is led to Annas and Caiaphas.* Jerusalem. MATT. xxvi. 57.

15

MARK xiv. 53.

53 And they

led-'Jesus'-away

to

the high-priest:

LUKE Xxii. 54.

JOHN Xviii. 12-.4. (Ver. 11, 1xxxviii. p. 420.) "Then the band and the captain 12 and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, and led-him- 13 away to Annas first; for he-was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the-high-priest that-same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which-gave- 14 counsel to-the Jews, that it-wasexpedient that- one man'-shoulddie amocolat for the people.b Then took-they 54

him,
and-led hom,

and brought him into

the high-priest's house.

Peter followeth afar off.John xviii. 15, 6.

And Simon Peter followed Jesus and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto-the high-priest, and went-in-with Jesus into the palace of-the high-priest. 16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went-out that other disciple, which was known unto-the high-priest, and spake unto-her that-kept-the-door, and-brought-in Peter. [Ver. 17, .8, p. 430.] SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS.

Jno. xviii. 12. band-who had come to take Jesussee on ch. xviii. 3, § 88, p. 417. bound This had been represented in the types, Ge. xxii. 9; Ps. cxviii. 27.

Lu. xxii. 54. brought him into the high priest's-Is. liii. 7, He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,' &c. Jno. xviii. 15. Simon Peter ..... and... another disciple-Beside James, who was an early martyr for 13. Annas-He and Caiaphas were high priests the truth, Ac. xii. 2, Peter and John had been chosen when the word of God came to John the son of Za- to behold Christ in his kingly glory, Mt. xvii. 1, 2, charias in the wilderness, Lu. iii. 2, NOTE, §7, p. 49-§ 51, p. 52-and also to be with him during his agony. He is again mentioned with Caiaphas, as having in the garden, xxvi. 37, § 88, p. 413-Peter and John Peter and John brought before him, Ac. iv. 6. appear to have been witnesses of his sufferings throughout; and, after the women, were the first at the sepulchre, Jno. xx. 2-4, § 93, p. 489-and they were afterwards the most forward in declaring the truth respecting the crucified and ascended Redeemer, Ac. ii., iii., iv.-see also their epistles.

14. Caiaphas-By him Jesus had been already appointed to death, upon the principle of expediency, Caiaphas interpreting according to the liking of his own darkened mind, the Divine utterance through himself, ch. xi. 47-53, § 58, p. 132.

NOTES.

13. To Annas first. He had been himself a long time high priest; he had had five sons who successively enjoyed the office of high priest; and that office was now filled by his son-in-law. It was of importance, therefore, to obtain his sanction and counsel in their work of evil.-Ver. 24 comes in properly after ver. 13.

Mt.xxvi. 57. Led him away to Caiaphas. arfiyayov πpòs K., i.e., 'after having been first taken to Annas,' as we learn from Jno. xviii. 13, in order, it should seem, to do him honour, and while the sanhedrim was collecting. 'ATáyer is a term appropriate to leading any one to trial or execution.'-Bloomf. Jno. xviii. 15. Another disciple. This disciple has generally been considered to have been John himself. Adam Clarke quotes Grotius, that most likely it was the person at whose house Jesus had supped."

Pulace. Rather, the hall.'-Lonsdale. 16. Her that kept the door. To evpapa. This office, though it was among the Greeks and Romans con14. Now Caiaphas was he, &c. See on ch. xi. 49, fined to men, was, in the greater simplicity of Jewish § 58, p. 132, and on Mt. xxvi. 3, § 86, p. 356. manners, chiefly exercised by maidservants.

PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS.

Jno. xviii. 12, .3. Let us ever admire the gracious condescension of our Saviour in giving himself up into the hands of wicked men: the Lamb of God suffered himself to be bound that we might go free.

[14 ver. How dangerous it is to interpret prophecy according to the will of man!-to give counsel upon the words of the Spirit of grace, without the counsellor being himself possessed of a gracious spirit!]

of

of

The first thing done with our Lord, as we learn from St. John, was to conduct him to the house Annas; partly, perhaps, because in proceeding to the palace of the high priest, it might be necessary to pass by the house of Annas: for that palace, being somewhere contiguous to the temple, would probably be situated in the northern division of the city; whereas the mount of Olives lay to the east; (the exact site the temple, according to Josephus' account, b. v., iv. 3, and v., seems to have been the north-eastern angle of the city wall, standing in that situation opposite to the Psephine tower on the north-west. The palace of the high priest was most probably somewhere in the same division between these two; though the modern delineations of Jerusalem exhibit it in a much different situation, viz., in the quarter called mount Sion, to the south-west;) partly because he was the father-in-law of the high priest himself: and partly and principally because he was also his vicar, the next in dignity to him, and the vice-president of the sanhedrim. In doing this, however, from whatsoever motive, it seems certain that the band acted of their own accord, and not in obedience to any orders before received: for, according to Jno. xviii. 21 (a notice parenthetically inserted, and to be taken in conjunction with ver. 13, in order to explain what follows from VOL. II.]

MY TIMES ARE IN THY HAND:-Psa. xxxi. 15.

[425

YEA, LET NONE THAT WAIT ON THEE BE ASHAMED: LET THEM BE ASHAMED WHICH TRANSGRESS WITHOUT CAUSE.-Psa. xxv. 3.

MAY OUR PUBLIC WALK AND PRIVATE CONVERSATION BE, LIKE OUR LORD'S, THOROUGHLY CONSISTENT AND ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF HIS KINGDOM.

Jesus before Caiaphas.-John xviii. 19-24.

19 The high-priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. 20, Jesus answered him, I spake openly to-the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the 21 temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have-I-said nothing. Why askest-thou me? ask them which-heard me, what I-have-said unto-them: behold, they 22 know what I said. And when-he-had-thus-spoken, one of-the officers which-stoodby struck Jesus with-the-palm-of-his-hand edwke paπioμa, saying, Answerest-thou the 23 high-priest so? Jesus answered him, If I-have-spoken evil, bear-witness of the evil: 24 but if well, why smitest-thou me? Now Annas had-sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high-priest. MATT. XXVI. 57, .8.

where

the scribes

and the elders were-assembled.

58 But Peter followed him

afar off

[Ver. 25, p. 431.]

MARK xiv. 53, .4. " and with-himwere-assembled all the chief-priests and the elders and the scribes.

54 And Peter followed him

afar-off,

SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS.

Jno. xviii. 20. openly to the world-so he had commanded his apostles, Mt. x. 27, § 39, p. 300, What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.' I ever taught in the synagogue-Lu. iv. 16, § 15, p. 102,As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day,'-Mt. iv. 23, § 18, p. 115, Teaching in their synagogues,'

and in the temple-ch. viii. 2, § 55, p. 99, 'And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.'-Mt. xxvi. 55, § 88, p. 421 daily with you teaching in the temple,'

I sat

in secret--He had said much to his disciples privately, in explanation of his public teaching, Mk. iv. 34, § 32, p. 249, but nothing that he did not wish made public (see above on openly), nothing inconsistent with his public teaching, nothing to disturb the public peace, but rather the better to prepare his followers for patient continuance in well-doing-see Jno. xiii.-xvii., § 87, pp. 365-405.

LUKE Xxii. 54, .5.

And Peter followed
afar-off.

21. ask them which heard-see Paul's defence before Felix, Ac. xxiv. 12, .3. 22. struck Jesus-This was a preparation for that farther smiting the Teacher and Judge of Israel, which had been predicted, Is. 1. 6; Mi. v. 1–Pashur sinote Jeremiah the prophet, Je. xx. 2-The like affliction was afterward accomplished in Paul, by order of the high priest Ananias, Ac. xxiii. 2. Answerest thou, &c.-Ac. xxiii. 4, Revilest thou God's high priest?" 23. If I have spoken evil, &c.-2 Co. x. 1, The meekness and gentleness of Christ,'-1 Pe. ii. 22, .3, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again ;' but if well, &c.-He had spoken well according to the law, which required that every word should be established, De. xvii. 6, At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses,'-xix. 15; 2 Co. xiii. 1. 24. Annas had sent-Jesus had been first taken to Annas, ver. 13, supra.

NOTES.

Jno. xviii. 19. Of his disciples. The charge on which they wished to arraign him was that of sedition, or of rebellion against Cæsar.

And of his doctrine. He probably asked him by what authority, or in virtue of what right, he collected disciples, formed a different sect, preached a new doctrine, and set himself up for a public reformer? As religion was interested in these things, the high priest was considered as being the proper judge.-A. C.

20. I spake openly-as to the manner; continually as to the time; in the synagogue and in the temple-as to the place; in secret have I said nothing-no point of doctrine which I have not taught in public. Whatsoever I have taught has been with all openness,

PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS.

[Jno. xviii. 19-23. A prisoner should not be required to witness against himself. Whatever our suspicions, his trial should proceed upon the fair report of his conduct as witnessed to by others. What thanks do we owe the Saviour for even the civil liberty the poorest among us enjoy! The claim for just judgment made by the Judge of all, when standing in the place of the oppressed, has even in a temporal respect been for the salvation of many.]

20, .1 ver. See margin. Our Saviour occupied the place of a poor and friendless man, when brought before human judges: a warning to these to deal out justice to all, and especially to those for whom no man seems to care, and an encouragement to the oppressed to commit their cause into the hands of Him who judgeth righteously, and who has himself had experience of their

case.

ver. 15, where the scene is evidently placed in the palace of Caiaphas itself), our Lord was directly consigned, still bound and without any examination, to the high priest as the proper authority before whom his trial was to take place. With the arrival at the palace of the high priest St. John's account begins to be so far joined by the rest; but the history of our Lord's examinations is still distinct in each: and if St. Matthew's and St. Mark's be both reckoned on account of one and the same examination, there are three such examinations on record in all. The first was an examination before Caiaphas, and Caiaphas alone, when Jesus was first brought in, and the assembling of any part of the sanhedrim besides had not yet taken place; and is peculiar to St. John:.. probably not later than two in the morning: ... our Lord answers the questions of the high priest now, but declines to answer them on the next occasion; which may justly imply that he knew himself not to be put formally on his trial now, as he certainly was then. This examination was purely preliminary, turning upon two points only, our Lord's doctrine and his disciples.... In this part of the narrative, nothing is recorded in detail by John which had not been passed over by the other evangelists. The insult also now offered to our Saviour, as related at ver. 22, though it might be the first of its kind, was yet a different incident from anything like it which transpired afterwards.'-Greswell, Vol. III. Diss. xlii. p. 200.

426]

LET THE WICKED BE ASHAMED,-Psa. xxxi. 17.

[VOL. II.

CHRISTIANS SHOULD SO SPEAK AND ACT, THAT THEY CAN APPEAL TO THOSE WHO BEST KNOW THEM AS WITNESSES OF THEIR TRUTH AND RECTITUDE.

FOR THE INDULGENCE OF CURIOSITY, OR EVEN FROM A BETTER MOTIVE, IT IS DANGEROUS

NOTES.

Mt. xxvi. 61. I am able. dúvaμaι-avтóv. This was (as appears from Mk. xiv. 58, and Jno. ii. 19) in effect a falsity, by the suppression of some words of Christ, together with the action which explained them, and adding others. Hence the witnesses are justly termed sudoμáprupes. By this temple our Lord plainly meant his body.'-Bloomf.

• PRACTICAL REFLECTION.-Mt. xxvi. 58. See margin.

*This was a second examination, about one hour, if not somewhat more, later than the former, recorded by St. Matthew and St. Mark; whose account of it is in every circumstance the same. This was an examination before the sanhedrim; as might be inferred even from the circumstance that it is the only VOL. II.] A POOR MAN IS BETTER THAN A LIAR.-Prov. xix. 22.

WHOSO KEEPETH HIS MOUTH AND HIS TONGUE KEEPETH HIS SOUL FROM TROUBLES.-Prov. xxi. 23.

MARK XIV. 59-61.
fthat is-made-with-hands,
and within three days I-will-build
another made-without-hands.

59 But neither so did their
witness agree-together.
60 And the high-priest stood-up
in the midst,

and-asked Jesus, saying,
Answerest-thou nothing?
what is it which these witness-
against thee?

61 But he held-his-peace,

and answered nothing. Again the high-priest asked him, and said unto-him,"

Art thou the Christ, the Son of-the Blessed? SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS.

Mk. xiv. 58. without hands-Ac. vii. 48, 'The most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands;'2 Co. v. 1, A building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.'

60. Answerest thou nothing?-He had before been struck when he did answer, Jno. xviii. 22, p. 426, supra. 61. held his peace-Ps. xxxviii. 13, As a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.'-Is. liii. 7, 'He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:' &c.-1 Pe. ii, 23.

LUKE.

the Christ, the Son of God-acknowledged by the Father, at Jesus' baptism, ch. iii. 17, § 8, p. 60, and on the holy mount, 2 Pe. i. 17, .8-Confessed by devils, at the commencement of our Lord's ministry, Lu. iv. 41, § 17, p. 112-The importance of this confession, xvi. 16, .7, § 50, p. 36. as made by Peter, recognised by our Lord, Mt.

Mk. xiv. 61. Son of the Blessed-The Son so much spoken of in the Psalms of David; each of the five books of which concludes with a psalm making distinct reference to the Son; while each of these psalms ends with declaring the Lord God of Israel blessed,' NOTES.

Mt. xxvi. 63. I adjure thee-The prophet Micaiah was adjured by the wicked king Ahab, 1 Ki. xxii. 16, .7.

[Mt. xxvi. 62. What is it which these. Ti is sometimes put for dearl, why,' as ch. viii. 26, § 34, p. 266; Lu. ii. 48, § 6, p. 41; Jno. i. 25, § 10, p. 68; Mk. ii. 16, § 22, p. 168. Then the sense may be-Why do these witness against thee, if it were not true? Or, it is perhaps a very probable conjecture, if we suppose the passage to be elliptical. The high priest finding our Saviour make no reply to the accusations brought against him, might address him as follows-Hearest thou what it is which these, &c.]

63. I adjure thee. In thus addressing our Lord, the high priest acted according to the provisions of the Jewish law, which required oaths to be put to accused persons and witnesses in certain cases.

of adjuration brought an obligation, under the curse of the law, it imperatively claimed a reply, when the adjuration accompanied an interrogation; and the answer thus returned was regarded as an answer on oath; in which case falsity was accounted perjury. Thus, our Lord, who had before disdained to reply to an unfounded, and even absurd charge (especially before judges who had predetermined to find him guilty), now thought himself bound to answer, as an example to others of reverence towards so solemn a form.'-Bloomf.]

The living God. God is called in scripture the living God, both that he may be thus distinguished from the lifeless idols of the heathen, and also because he alone, of all beings, hath life in himself (see Jno. v. 26, § 23, p. 178; vi. 57, § 43, p. 332), without beginning and without end.-See SCRIP. ILLUS., Mt. xvi. 16, § 50, p. 37. Hence the expression so often met with in the Old Testament, "As I live, saith the LORD," and "As the LORD liveth."-Lonsdale and Hale.

[The Christ, the Son of God. Among the Hebrews it was customary to consecrate kings, priests, and prophets to their offices by anointing their heads. REFLECTIONS.

[This seems to have been the most solemn form of administering an oath. 'Opkite and op. are used in the LXX. to express the Heb. yawn, to make to swear, to swear in, to put to one's oath. The syntax is an accus. of the person sworn (whether witness or criminal), and a genit. with xarà, or sometimes an accus., without a preposition, of the deity sworn by. The denotes the exaction of the oath; and Kara has reference to the stretching of the hand upon or towards the person or object sworn by. As this oath PRACTICAL [Mk. xiv. 58. We may cease to wonder at such a perversion of the words of the Redeemer, when we think of the manner in which many who call themselves his disciples, have perverted such expressions of his, as that recorded, Mt. xvi. 18, § 50. p. 38, Upon this rock I will build my church. There can be little doubt but that the infatuated blindness of multitudes professing Christianity is even greater than that of these Jews. The more so, when we consider that following out the same system of inexamination which these two evangelists record, before the delivery up of our Saviour to Pilate for our law, say the Jews to the high priest Hyrcanus, Jos. Ant. Jud. xiv. ix. 3, forbids even a malefactor to be put to death, who has not been previously condemned by the sanhedrim. Some examination, then, of our Lord by the sanhedrim, before his condemnation and much more his execution, was necessarily to be expected: which examination, as far as regards St. Matthew or St. Mark, must be either this present one or none. It is strongly implied by Mark xiv. 53, that the council had been convoked and come together posterior to the arrival of Jesus; and the place in which they assembled was certainly the palace of the high priest, whither Jesus had been first conducted. Nor is this at variance with Mt. xxvi. 57: for though they were not actually collected when our Lord first came in, the assertion would still be true if they were got together before the ensuing examination itself. The interval of an hour, or somewhat more, would be abundantly sufficient for that purpose....

428]

terpretation, upon the words, 'This is my body,' they
have exalted into the place of worship, the veriest
creature of man's formation, a wafer! a little piece
of biscuit and which is no sooner worshipped, than
it is swallowed by the worshipper !]
[59, 60 ver. Let us be thankful that we are not
under the power of rulers bound to obey the doctrine
practically held by these Jewish priests, and still
more openly avowed in the church of Rome that the
end justifies the means.]

SAFETY IS OF THE LORD.-Prov. xxi. 31.

[VOL. II.

PROUD AND HAUGHTY SCORNER 18 HIS NAME, WHO DEALETH IN PROUD WRATH.- Prov. xxi. 24.