The First Trial. John 18:15-24 There were two trials Jesus had to face: one religious and the other political. The religious trial by the Jewish leaders was a distortion of their own laws, yet they were determined to push it as far as they could. It was there that Peter and John observed what would happen. John was known and entered the palace first, while Peter stayed outside.
Whether we want to or not, true believers cannot hide in plain sight among the world and its people for long. Light and dark don't mix. Moral and spiritual differences will be obvious. They are bound to be revealed. The issue arises when we seek our satisfaction and comfort in the same places as unbelievers.
In the upper room, Peter boasted that he would stay loyal to the Lord even if others didn’t. He slept three times in the garden when the Lord told them to watch and pray. At the high priest's palace, he gave in to the pressures of the people and denied the Lord three times.
The cords that bound the Savior likely made Peter realize he couldn't keep Jesus captive. He knew who Jesus was and what He had the power to do. He probably expected a miraculous deliverance and wanted to see it happen. When pressured to identify himself, he was afraid because Jesus was still restrained. There are costs to discipleship that we might not recognize until we face very difficult situations. That's when we're tested on how committed we are to our Lord Jesus Christ. In those moments, our faith in Christ is truly put to the test.
The fulfillment of scripture was one of the key pieces of evidence of who the Lord Jesus was. There was no mistaking the fulfillment of Isaiah 53. He, who had every source of power in the universe within Himself, was led as an animal would be led. Two aspects of the nature of a sheep are contrasted in Isaiah 53. In verse 6, the stubborn ignorance of a sheep that demands its own way is described concerning us. In verse 7, the uncomplaining submission that overcomes suffering by absorbing it is shown in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He was led from the garden to where the ancient priest sat, waiting for Him. Annas had left the office of the high priest in AD 15, but apparently still wielded great influence over the tenure of his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who served as high priest until AD 36. Annas would have been aware of the impact of the work and life of the Lord Jesus. His question about the disciples and his doctrine would not have been one of honest inquiry but of seeking to find discrepancies in His life and testimony. For the Lord to have been following behind the basest of men was evidence of His humility and willingness to do His Father’s will and fulfill the scripture.
He was led to the high priest's palace in the dark of night, against laws that protected the innocent victim of man’s envy. Yet bound and walking behind those who took the place of leading, guiding, and walking in silence came Him who holds the breath of every man in His hand. He who can create or destroy with the word of His power was led to the high priest. Before Caiaphas came, false witnesses testified against Him who was led there; even their testimony didn’t agree. The priest who led the nation put Him under oath before the living God to publicly declare whether He was the Christ, the Son of God. Without any hesitation, the Lord Jesus declares who He is and what is yet to take place in the future. The priest tears his garments that never should have been torn. He who was led to the priest is condemned by the priest who should have taken the moral high ground as the spiritual leader of a nation.
He was led to the hall of judgment, where the Roman governor came out to pass his judgment. He, to whom the nations are as a “drop in a bucket,” stands quietly before this man as he seeks some reason for His arrest. “Are You the King of the Jews?” The following dialogue makes it unmistakably clear that an innocent Man had been brought before the judge. But to please the people and because of his friendship with Caesar, this man condemned Jesus to die. He was taken to prison and judgment and led to the cross to die.
He was led to the place of a skull. Why did He submit Himself to the frail ropes of man’s leading? Why would He, who can burn the ropes on prisoners’ hands in a furnace of fire without injury, follow so unresistingly? The scriptures of truth had to be fulfilled. The Substitute had to go this way. The evidence had to be there for all generations to see that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Lamb chosen to bear away the sin of the world. And so, He was “led” by His own creatures to follow the path to the cross.