360 Reflections on Christ's being betrayed and apprehended. SECT. IMPROVEMENT. THE heroic behaviour of the blessed Jesus, in the whole period elxxx of his sufferings, will easily make itself observed by every atJohn tentive eye, though the sacred historians, according to their usual xviii. 4. but wonderful simplicity, make no encomiums upon it. With Mat. what does he go composure forth to meet the traitor! with what calmness does he receive that malignant kiss! With what dignity does he deliver himself into the hands of his enemies, yet plainly 2, 53 shewing his superiority over them, and leading as it were even then captivity captive! xxvi. 50. 9, 11 xxii. 51 xxvi. 56 John We see him generously capitulating for the safety of his friends, xviii. 8, while he neglected his own; and afterwards, not only forbidding all the defence they attempted to make, but curing that wound which one of his enemies had received in this assault on him. With what meek majesty did he say, Suffer ye at least thus far! Luke, And he touched his ear, and healed him. We hear his words, we behold his actions with astonishment: but surely our indignation must rise within us when we see so amiable and excellent a Person 47, 48 thus injured and abused; when we see the Son of man betrayed with a kiss: betrayed by his intimate friend, who had eaten of Mat. his bread, and yet lifted up his heel against him, (John xiii. 18.) and at the same time forsaken by all his disciples, even by him whom he most tenderly loved, and who had so often leant on his bosom. Let us not wonder if some of our friends prove false ; and others seem to forget us when we have the greatest need of their assistance. When we deserve so much less friendship than Christ did, let us not think it strange if we find but little more. Nor can we reasonably be so much amazed, as we might otherwise have been, to see sinners going on under the most awful rebukes of providence; when we consider that these wretches, who had been struck down to the ground by one word of Christ's mouth, should immediately rise up and stretch forth their impious hands against him, to seize and bind him; though they might well have known that they lived only by his indulgence and forbearance, and that the same word that struck them down to the ground could have laid them dead there. Touch our hearts, O Lord, by thy grace; or it will be in vain that we are smitten with thy rod! John xviii. 6, 12 In all the remainder of this story let us remember that Jesus voluntarily gave himself up to sufferings which he circumstantially foreknew; even though he could have commanded to his assistMat. ance whole legions of angels. His Father's will was an answer to xxi. 53 all that nature could plead in its own cause; and the good hand xviii. 11 from which this cup of his severest sufferings came, reconciled John him to all the bitterest ingredients it contained. How reasonable then Christ is led away first to Annas. then is it that we who, having had fathers of our flesh that corrected us, submitted to the rod, and gave them reverence, should, much rather, after the example of our innocent and holy Redeemer, be in subjection to the Father of our spirits, and live! (Heb. xii. 9.) 861 SFCT. clxxxiii. SECT. CLXXXIV. Jesus is conducted to the palace of Caiaphas: Peter follows him thither, and denies him thrice, Mat. XXVI. 57, 58, 69, to the end. Mark XIV. 53, 51, 66, to the end. Luke XXII. 54-62. John XVIII. 13-13, 24-27. JOHN XVIII. 13. AND they led him away to THE first, (for he was fa ther-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the high-priest that same year.) JOHN XVIII. 13. HE officers and people having thus appre- SECT. hended Jesus, in the manner described clxxxiv. above, they led him away from the garden of Gethsemane to those who had employed them, XVIII. John and brought him first to the house of Annas; for 13 he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was highpriest that year, or bore the office at that time: And Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high- 24 priest, as judging it most proper that the rest of the council should upon this occasion be con14 Now Caiaphas vened at his palace. Now this Caiaphas was 14 was he which gave he whom we mentioned above (John xi. 49–51, counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient sect. cxli.) who gave it as his advice to the Jews, that one man should that it was fit that one man, though innocent, die for the people. 24 (Now Annas sent him bound unto Caiaphas the highpriest.) should die for the preservation of the people: a Led him away first to Annas, &c.] It appears from Josephus (Antiq. lib. xviii. cap. 2 [al. 3], § 2, p. 873, Havercamp.) that Annas, whom he calls Ananus, had been high-priest before his son-in-law Caiaphas; and it seems to have been by his interest, that first Eleazer his own son, and then Caiaphas, who married his daughter, and probably had been his deputy, obtained that dignity: so that though he had resigned that office himself, yet the people paid so much regard to his experience, that they brought Jesus first to him; who, no doubt, took all necessary care to prepare Caiaphas for receiving him, as he could not but know that this was a most critical juncture. We do not read of any thing remarkable which passed at the house of Annas; for which And reason his being carried thither is omited Followed 262 SECT. clxxxiv. Mat. John Thence he is sent to Caiaphas, whither Peter follows him. MAT. XXVI. 57. And they that had laid hold or Jesus the elders were assem JOHN XVIII. 15. And Simon Peter fol was known unto the And they who had apprehended Jesus took and led him away from Aunas like a criminal in bonds, and, according to the directions which [LUKE, took him, and] XXVI. Annas had given them, brought him to the pa- led him away, [LUke, 57 and brought his into lace of Caiaphas the high priest; where, though the house of] Caiaphas it was now the dead time of the night, all the the high-priest; where chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, or [all the chief priests, the chief persons of the sanhedrim, with their and the scribes, and proper officers, met together on a summons from bled [with him].Caiaphas, and were assembled with him, waiting [MARK XIV. 53LUKE XXII. 54.-] for Jesus to be brought before them. And though Simon Peter had at first forsaken XVIII. Christ, and shifted for himself, as the rest of lowed Jesus [afar off], 15 his companions did, yet afterwards he and an- and so did another disother disciple, even the evangelist John, be- ciple. That disciple thought themselves, and determined to return; high-priest, and went and accordingly they followed Jesus afar off, in with Jesus into the desiring to see what would become of him: and palace of the highas that other disciple was known to the high- 58.-MARK XIV. 54. priest. (MAT. XXVI, priest, he was admitted without any objection -LUKE XXII.—54.) or impediment, and went into the palace of the high-priest with Jesus and the guard that at16 tended him. But Peter, who had no interest or acquaintance there, stood waiting without at Then went out that the door that other disciple therefore, who was other disciple which known to the high priest, went out of the inner- was known unto the room, into which Jesus was then carried in unto her that kept order to his examination, and spake to her that the door, and brought kept the door to open it; and so by her consent Luke brought in Peter. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the large hall, and were set down together, Peter, hoping to pass undisco- midst of the hall, vered by mingling with the rest of the company, and were set down sate down among them with the servants, that he together, Peter sat down among them might be at hand to see the end of this affair, [with the servants to and warmed himself at the fire, while they were see the end,] [MARK, examining Jesus with circumstances which we shall afterwards mention, XXII.55 : b Followed Jesus afar off] It appears from hence that Peter and John recovered themselves quickly after their flight, or else they could not have followed him at some distance, and yet be so near as to be ready to go into Caiaphas's house with him. c That disciple was known to the high priest.] We cannot imagine the acquaintance was very intimate, considering the great diversity of their rank and station in life; but a thousand occurrences occasjon some knowledge of each other, between persons whose conditions are as unequal, 16 But Peter stood at the door without. high-priest, and spake in Peter. LUKE XXII. 55. And when they had kindled a fire in the and warmed himself at the fire]. [MAT. XXVI. 58. MARK And, XIV.-54.] And warmed himself at the fire, while they were examining Jesus, &c.] It is remarkable that all the evangelists record the fall of Peter, and none with circumstances of greater aggravation than Mark, whose gospel is said to have been review. ed by Peter himself, and indeed written from his preaching. (See note d on Mark xiv. 31, p. 344.)—Though Christ's examination happened during this interval (which occasions Matthew, Mark, and John, to interrupt this story to recount that), I rather chose, as Luke has done, to take the whole of it together, as best suiting the design of this work. Peter is challenged by a maid, as belonging to Jesus. 363 clxxxiv. MARK XIV. 66. And, during the time that this important event SECT. And as Peter [sat was depending, as Peter was sitting among the without] beneath in the palace, there com- servants without the room where Jesus was exa- Mark eth [unto him one mined, and thought to have continued unsuspect- XIV.66. of the maids of the ed in the hall below, there came to him one of the high-priest, [JOHN, XXVI. 69.-JOHN XVIII-17.] the damsel that kept maid servants belonging to the family of the the door.] [MAT. high-priest, who was indeed the same damsel that 67 (as we just now said) ha i kept the door: And 67 And when she seeing Peter as he sat warming himself by the fire saw Peter [LUKE, as she fixed her eyes earnestly upon him, and, obhe sat by the fire] warming himself, she scrying in his countenance the appearance of looked, [LUKE, ear- great concern, she said to some that stood near nestly] upon him, and her, I cannot but think that this man is a folsaid, [LUKE, This man lower of Jesus, and was also one that used to be [JOHN, Art not thou with him and upon this presumption she also one of this man's charged him directly with it, and said, Tell us also wast with Jesus truly, Art not thou thyself also [one] of this of Nazareth [of Gali- man's disciples? There is a great deal of room lec.] [MAT. XXVI. to think it; yea, I am fully satisfied that thou wast also with him, even with this Jesus the Na- Luke zarene of Galilee, who is now on his trial. was also with him :] disciples?] And thou -69. LUKE XXII 56. JOHN XVIII17.-] And XXII.57 LUKE XXII. 57. Peter was so surprised at this unexpected disAnd he denied him [before them all], saycovery, that he roundly and confidently denied ing, Woman, JOHN, him before them all, and said, Woman, I proI am not ;] I know him fess that I am not his disciple; nav, that I do not, [MARK, neither not so much as know him; nor do I understand sayest.][MAT. XXVI. what thou meanest in charging me with being 70. MARK XIV. 68.- one of his associates; for I am sure thou mightJOHN XVIII.-17.] est as well have fixed on any other person in understand I what thou Her • This man was also with him.] ser, and perhaps we may add, her office, will not permit us to suppose that she had been in the garden with the multitude that apprehended Jesus: she therefore must guess by Peter's countenance, that he was one of his friends; unless possibly she had seen them together in the temple or elsewhere. Art not thou also one of this man's disciples?] One would imagine from the word [also], when it is read in the connection John has placed it in, that in this question she referred to John; as if she had said, Art not thou one, as well as thy companion? And, if this were admitted, it would be a plain intimation that John acknowledged himself a disciple of Christ. But it must be owned that the other evangelists used the same word [also], though they say nothing of Joim's being with Peter. He denied him before them all.] How must these people be surprized when they saw (as, no doubt, some of them did) this timorous disciple within the compass VOL. VII. the of a few weeks, when he was brought h I do not know him.] Jesus was so pub- Z z 364 18 MARK XIV.-68. the porch, and the cock crew. officers stood there, ed themselves: and Peter denies his knowing him; and the cock crows. SECT. the company. And upon this, turning away clxxxiv. as one who was affronted at the charge, he went And he went out into out into the portico; and while he was there the Mark XIV.68. cock crew *. John And the servants and officers who had brought JOHN XVIII. 18. XVIII. Jesus thither, and were now waiting for the issue And the servants and of his trial, still stood there in the hall, having who had made a fire (as was before observed) made a large fire of of coals (for it was coals; for they had been abroad in the night, cold), and they warmand it was cold', and they were warming them- [Simon] Peter stood selves at the fire. And Simon Peter, having staid with them, and warma while in the portico, where he not only must ed himself. [JOHN XVIII. 25.-] have been incommoded by the sharpness of the air, but was, no doubt, in a restless commotion of mind on account of what had passed, came in again, and, having mingled with the servants, stood at the fire-side to warm himself amongst Mat. them. And when he had thus been gone out XXVI. into the portico, and was returned into the hall, And when he was gone after a little while another maid saw him again, [LUKE, after a little and said to them that were there (as her fellow- while] another [maid] servant had done just before), Whatever he pre- saw him [again], and tends, I verily believe this man was also with said unto them that Jesus of Nazareth: and presently she began to say was also with Jesus of openly to them that stood by, Surely this is [one] Nazareth: [and she beof them that have endeavoured to bring all the gan to say to them that nation into confusion, and while he would pass of them.] [MARK John for a friend is crept in hither as a spy. They therefore, taking notice of what both these women had spoken, began to tax him with it, and said to him, What, have we a rebel so near us? Let us know plainly who thou art art not thou also, who pretendest to enter these doors as a friend, [one] of his disciples who has been doLuke ing so much mischief? And, as he seemed 71 XVIII. 25 MAT. XXVI. 71. out into the porch were there, This fellow stood by, This is one XIV. 69. XXII. 58.-] LUKE JOHN XVIII.—25. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? LUKE XXII.-58. -And another saw XXII.58 in great confusion, another man that stood by him, and said, Thou saw him perplexed, and therefore charged it art also of them. home upon him, and said, It is certainly so; thou art also [one] of them, and deservest to suf He went out into the portico.] 1 apprehend that the word #cahov most exactly answers to the Latin word vestibulum, by which many good interpreters render it. And, considering the magnificence of the Jewish buildings at this time, it is reasonable to conclude, that this, which belonged to the high-priests palace, was some stately piazza or colonnade; and therefore I chose rather to render it portico, than porch, a word equally applicable to the meanest buildings of that kind. fer The cock crew.] It is strange this circumstance did not remind him of our Lord's prediction, and bring him to some sense of his sin: perhaps it did; and he might return persuaded that he should be more courageous if he met with a second attack. 1 For it was cold.] It is well known that the coldness of the nights is generally more sensible in those hotter countries than among us. |