The apostles Peter and Paul are a traitor and a murderer. Denial of the Apostle Peter
The denial of the Apostle Peter is a New Testament episode that tells how the Apostle Peter denied Jesus Christ after his arrest, which was predicted by Jesus during the Last Supper. Peter denied three times in fear that he too would be arrested, and when he heard the rooster crow, he remembered the words of his Teacher and bitterly repented.
Carl Heinrich Bloch. Peter hears a rooster crow.
This story is found in all four Gospels (Matt. 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:15-18, 18:25-27). The episode refers to the Passion of the Christ and follows the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane after the kiss of Judas. According to the chronology of gospel events, this happened on the night from Thursday to Friday.
Vasiliev Dmitry Yurievich. Peter's denial.
James Tissot. Second Denial of Saint Peter. 1886-1994
Jesus Christ told his disciples in advance, during the Last Supper, that Peter would deny him: “He [Peter] answered Him: Lord! with You I am ready to go to prison and to death. But He said, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you do not know Me.” (Matthew 26:34; Mark 14:30; John 13:38).
All four canonical Gospels mark this episode and moment with three renunciations before the rooster crows, with the exception of Mark, who adds that the rooster crows twice.
Robert Leinweber. Peter leaves the high priest's courtyard in tears. Previously 1921.
Georges de La Tour. Peter's denial. 1650
“They took Him and led Him away and brought Him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed from afar. When they had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down between them. One maid, seeing him sitting by the fire and looking at him, said: “This one was with Him too.” But he denied Him, saying to the woman: I do not know Him. Soon after, another, seeing him, said: “You too are one of them.” But Peter said to the man: No! About an hour passed, and someone else insistently said: Surely this one was with Him, for he was a Galilean. But Peter said to the man, “I don’t know what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He said to him: before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And, going out, he wept bitterly.” (Luke 22, 54–62)
Smirnov Alexander. Peter's denial. 2009
Gerard Seghers (Gerard Zegers; Gerard Zeghers). Denial of Saint Peter. First half of the 17th century.
“And those who took Jesus took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders were assembled. Peter followed Him from afar, to the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat down with the servants to see the end. (...) Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a certain maid came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it in front of everyone, saying: I don’t know what you are saying. When he went out of the gate, another saw him, and said to those who were there, “This one too was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And he again denied with an oath that he did not know This Man. A little later those standing there came up and said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for your speech also convicts you.” Then he began to swear and swear that he did not know This Man. And suddenly the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And going out, he wept bitterly.” (Matt. 26:69-75)
Kryukov Valerian Stepanovich. Capture of Christ (sketch). 1860
Valentin de Boulogne. The renunciation of St. Petra.
“And they brought Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests and elders and scribes gathered to him. Peter followed Him from afar, even into the courtyard of the high priest; and sat with the servants and warmed himself by the fire. (...) When Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maids came and, seeing Peter warming himself and looking at him, said: “You too were with Jesus of Nazareth.” But he denied, saying: I don’t know and don’t understand what you are saying. And he went out into the front yard; and the rooster crowed.
The maid, seeing him again, began to say to those standing there: this is one of them. He denied again. After a little, those standing there again began to say to Peter: “You are definitely one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech is similar. He began to swear and swear: I do not know this Man of whom you speak. Then the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times; and started crying." (Mark 14:66-72)
Panov Igor Gennadievich. Peter's denial.
Caravaggio. The Denial of St. Peter. 1610
“Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus; This disciple was known to the high priest and entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. And Peter stood outside the doors. Then another disciple, who was known to the high priest, came out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in. Then the servant servant said to Peter: “Are you not one of this Man’s disciples?” He said no. Meanwhile, the slaves and servants, having lit a fire because it was cold, stood and warmed themselves. Peter also stood with them and warmed himself. (...) Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Then they said to him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied and said: no. One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said: Didn't I see you with Him in the garden? Peter denied again; and immediately the rooster crowed.” (John 18:15-18, 25-27)
Flemish follower of Gerard Seghers. The Denial of Peter. 1628
Lebedev Klavdiy Vasilievich. Abdication of the Ap. Petra.
Gerrit van Honthorst. Denial of the Apostle Peter.
According to the three evangelists, Peter remembered the prophecy as soon as the rooster crowed, and Luke adds that Jesus looked into Peter's eyes at that moment. Peter never forgot his betrayal. Saint Clement, his disciple, says that throughout the rest of his life, at the midnight rooster’s crow, Peter knelt down and, shedding tears, repented of his renunciation, although the Lord Himself, soon after His resurrection, forgave him. An ancient legend has been preserved that the eyes of the Apostle Peter were red from frequent and bitter crying. The rooster became one of its recognizable attributes in Christian art.
Jan Minse Molinar. Peter's denial.
Gerard Seghers (Gerard Zegers; Gerard Zeghers). Denial of the Apostle Peter. First half of the 17th century.
Wall painting. USA.
Inga pants. Denial of the Apostle Peter.
Roerich Nikolai Konstantinovich. Peter's denial.
Duccio di Buoninsegna. Peter's denial. OK. 1255–1319
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld. Illustration for the Bible. 1852-1860
Petrov-Vodkin Kuzma Sergeevich. Peter's denial. 1919
Count Harrach. Peter's Denial of Christ.
Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn. Peter's denial. 1660
Kozlov Gabriel Ignatievich. The Apostle Peter denies Christ. 1762
Georges de La Tour. Peter's tears. 1645
Duccio di Buoninsegna. Peter's denial. Fragment. OK. 1255–1319
Paul Gustave Dore. Illustration for the Bible. Peter's denial.
Georges De Latour. Denial of the Apostle Peter. Fragment.
James Tissot. The first renunciation of Saint Peter. 1886-1994
Simon Bening. Peter and the maid. 1525 - 1530
Scripture on its pages reveals to us amazing subtleties of the spiritual world. Our life only seems simple. In reality, each person is a complex interweaving of thoughts, emotions, assessments, desires, motivations and decisions. Once upon a time, the inner world of man was harmonious and beautiful. Absolutely everything inside him was filled with peace and satisfaction. But this picture changed dramatically after the Fall.
The inner world of a person seemed to be mixed up, order turned into chaos, harmony into dissonance. Feelings of peace and satisfaction were replaced by uncertainty, fears and expectations of attacks and tricks from people. These are the consequences of sin. Conversion to Christ radically changes this situation. When a person accepts Christ as his Lord and Savior, his inner peace acquires a solid foundation, making it possible to build a new, harmonious and confident life in Him. This construction does not happen overnight. It is a gradual process of spiritual growth involving serious work, discipline, perseverance and dedication. In the process of this construction, or creation, quite a lot of difficulties arise. Often the pressures turn out to be heavier than we expected: unfavorable circumstances, difficult people...
But perhaps the greatest difficulties in the life of Christians are associated with crises that suddenly reveal the weakness and poverty of our inner world. Scripture does not hide this reality, describing in detail the crises that arose in the lives of almost all the spiritual leaders mentioned in it. There was also a crisis in the life of the Apostle Peter. We are talking about his renunciation. This sad event in the life of the great apostle was perhaps the most difficult and painful point in the process of his spiritual growth. Yet, despite the severity of what happened that night in the Garden of Gethsemane and later in the courtyard of Caiaphas’s house, this profound crisis did not destroy Peter’s life and ministry, but, on the contrary, made him stronger. This is how true children of God endure crises, unlike those who believe only formally.
The story of Peter's denial teaches an important lesson to anyone who is honest about their lives and who is serious about following Christ. This story is like this. After an unsuccessful attempt to defend his Teacher in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter was one of the few disciples who decided to follow Christ to the house of Caiaphas.
Matthew 26:57-58
And those who took Jesus took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. Peter followed Him from afar, to the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat down with the servants to see the end.
Looking at what was happening, Peter did not believe his eyes and therefore, despite the danger, he decided to follow the crowd from afar to see how it would all end. At that moment, he did not think about the danger, did not remember Christ’s warning that that night he would deny Him. He simply could not reconcile the facts of what was happening in his mind. Why did the One in whom he believed as the Messiah allow Himself to be arrested?
Could it be that the idea of restoring the Kingdom of God, which was close to being realized there, and on which he had such great hopes, collapsed at one moment? Taking advantage of John’s acquaintance with someone who lived in the house of Caiaphas, the Apostle Peter, emotionally crushed and in a state of complete confusion, finally came to where the first trial of his Teacher took place. Mixed with numerous servants and soldiers, Peter warmed himself with them by the fire, awaiting the end in depression and confusion. At this moment a little trouble arose. One of the maids casually noted that she thought Peter might be one of the followers of the Galilean on trial.
Matthew 26:69
Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a certain maid came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”
Evangelist Luke talks about this in a little more detail, painting a picture of a fire that was lit in the middle of the yard, and a group of people around it.
Luke 22:55-56
When they had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down between them. One maid, seeing him sitting by the fire and looking at him, said: “This one was with Him too.”
Apparently, this maid once witnessed the preaching of Jesus Christ, and drew attention to Peter, who was among the disciples. Peter's reaction to such an unexpected question was fussy and completely atypical for this man, brave by nature.
Matthew 26:70
But he denied it in front of everyone, saying: I don’t know what you are saying.
It is unknown what thoughts were running through Peter’s head at that moment, but he clearly realized that it was better for him to leave and began to move towards the exit. But failures followed him. Now the doorkeeper sees him as a student of the Defendant.
Matthew 26:71
When he went out of the gate, another saw him and said to those who were there, “This one too was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
Peter, reacting to him with even greater panic, began to do more than just refuse. To be more convincing, he recanted with an oath, perhaps even mentioning the name of God, which, however, was common at that time.
Matthew 26:72
And he again denied with an oath that he did not know This Man.
Unfortunately, his ordeal did not end there. Mixed with the crowd of servants and slaves at the gate, after a while Peter again heard the question:
Matthew 26:73
A little later those standing there came up and said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for your speech also convicts you.” This time Peter was suspected of having connections with Christ based on his speech.
The people who lived in Galilee apparently spoke with a slight accent, different from those who lived in Judea. This was the last straw in the growing pressure on Peter. The apostle refuses Jesus Christ even more actively. At that moment, something happened that suddenly reminded Peter of the words of his Teacher.
Matthew 26:74-75
Then he began to swear and swear that he did not know This Man. And suddenly the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And going out, he wept bitterly.
A very sad story. Peter is crushed not only by the fact that all his plans collapsed, not only by the fact that his beloved Teacher was reproached and unjustly condemned, but, most of all, by the fact that at that moment he himself turned out to be so weak and cowardly that he could not openly stand on His side. side. “I cried bitterly...” - Peter cries from hopelessness, from pity for his Teacher and from self-hatred. Reading these lines, it is difficult to believe that we are talking about one of the most prominent apostles of Jesus Christ. It is noteworthy that Peter was a leader among the apostles not only before this moment, but also after that. Literally a few weeks after this, Jesus Christ entrusted Peter with his most precious possessions, telling him, “Feed My sheep.” Peter truly became one of the great founders of the Church. The story of the Apostle Peter's denial can teach us a lot. It reveals to us how crises arise, why God allows crises, and how to properly approach crises so that they turn into blessings. Read more about this in future blogs.
Peter denied three times in fear that he too would be arrested, and when he heard the rooster crow, he remembered the words of his Teacher and bitterly repented.
This story is found in all four Gospels (Matt. 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:15-18, 18:25-27).
The episode refers to the Passion of the Christ and follows the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane after the kiss of Judas. According to the chronology of gospel events, this happened on the night from Thursday to Friday.
In the New Testament
Prediction
Jesus Christ told his disciples in advance, during the Last Supper, that Peter would deny him:
anonymus, Public Domain“He answered Him: Lord! with You I am ready to go to prison and to death. But He said, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you do not know Me.” (Matthew 26:34; Mark 14:30; John 13:38).
All four canonical Gospels mark this episode and moment with three renunciations before the rooster crows, with the exception of Mark, who adds that the rooster crows twice.
Three Renunciations
- After Jesus was arrested, he was brought to the court of the high priest Caiaphas. Peter followed him, but remained outside in the courtyard, sitting with the servants (according to Mark and Luke - by the fire). Then one maid came up to him (according to Mark - the maid of the high priest) and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” (According to John, Peter was still outside, not entering the courtyard, and his servant was recognized by the doorkeeper, past whom an apostle familiar to Caiaphas tried to lead him, as is commonly believed - the narrator, the Apostle John). Here Peter denied the Teacher in front of everyone for the first time. According to Mark (but not in all copies of the manuscript), the rooster crowed here for the first time.
- Then he was again identified by a maid (according to Matthew - another, who saw him after he went out of the gate; according to Mark - the same) or a certain man (according to Luke and John, according to the latter, they stood together by the fire). Here Peter denies for the second time.
- Then they approached Peter and said that he was definitely with Jesus, because he spoke like a Galilean (according to Matthew, Mark and Luke). John does not mention the accent, but says that one of the high priest’s servants, who was a relative of Malchus, whose ear the apostle cut off in the Garden of Gethsemane, approached him and identified him. Peter denied for the third time and then the rooster crowed (according to Mark - for the second time).
Description of renunciations among the evangelists
| First renunciation | Second renunciation | Third renunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Matthew (Matt. 26:69-75)  | And those who took Jesus took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. Peter followed Him from afar, to the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat down with the servants to see the end. (...) Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a certain maid came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it in front of everyone, saying: I don’t know what you are saying. | When he went out of the gate, another saw him, and said to those who were there, “This one too was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And he again denied with an oath that he did not know This Man. | A little later those standing there came up and said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for your speech also convicts you.” Then he began to swear and swear that he did not know This Man. And suddenly the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And going out, he wept bitterly. |
| From Mark (Mark 14:66-72)  | And they brought Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests and elders and scribes gathered to him. Peter followed Him from afar, even into the courtyard of the high priest; and sat with the servants and warmed himself by the fire. (...) When Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maids came and, seeing Peter warming himself and looking at him, said: “You too were with Jesus of Nazareth.” But he denied, saying: I don’t know and don’t understand what you are saying. And he went out into the front yard; and the rooster crowed. | The maid, seeing him again, began to say to those standing there: this is one of them. He denied again. | After a little, those standing there again began to say to Peter: “You are definitely one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech is similar. He began to swear and swear: I do not know this Man of whom you speak. Then the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times; and started crying. |
| From Luke (Luke 22:55-62)  | They took Him and led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest. Peter followed from afar. When they had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down between them. One maid, seeing him sitting by the fire and looking at him, said: “This one was with Him too.” But he denied Him, saying to the woman: I do not know Him. | Soon after, another, seeing him, said: “You too are one of them.” But Peter said to the man: No! | About an hour passed, and someone else insistently said: Surely this one was with Him, for he was a Galilean. But Peter said to the man, “I don’t know what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He said to him: before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. And, going out, he wept bitterly. |
| From John (John 18:15-18, 25-27)  | Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus; This disciple was known to the high priest and entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. And Peter stood outside the doors. Then another disciple, who was known to the high priest, came out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in. Then the servant servant said to Peter: “Are you not one of this Man’s disciples?” He said no. | Meanwhile, the slaves and servants, having lit a fire because it was cold, stood and warmed themselves. Peter also stood with them and warmed himself. (...) Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Then they said to him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied and said: no. | One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said: Didn't I see you with Him in the garden? Peter denied again; and immediately the rooster crowed. |
Peter's repentance
According to the three evangelists, Peter remembered the prophecy as soon as the rooster crowed, and Luke adds that Jesus looked into Peter's eyes at that moment.
anonymous, Public Domain It is curious that the Gospel of John ends with the fact that Jesus Christ, who posthumously appeared to his disciples, demands three times from the Apostle Peter to confirm his love for himself:
“When they were dining, Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon the Jonah! Do you love Me more than they? says to Him: Yes, Lord! You know that I love You. saith unto him, Feed my lambs. Another time he says to him: Simon the Jonah! do you love me? says to Him: Yes, Lord! You know that I love You. He says to him: Feed My sheep. He says to him for the third time: Simon the Jonah! do you love me? Peter was saddened that he asked him for the third time: Do you love Me? and said to Him: Lord! You know everything; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:15-17)
Russian theologian Pavel Florensky criticizes the Catholic interpretation of this fragment as the restoration of Peter to the apostleship or as the granting of extraordinary powers to him among the other apostles. Turning to the original text, he notes that the Russian word “love” is translated into two different Greek words:
- agape- “universal love”, in the first two questions of Christ;
- filiya- “personal, friendly love”, only in the last question.
From this, Florensky concludes that the passage concerns a purely interpersonal relationship between Christ and Peter, who by his renunciation betrayed His friendly love, but was ultimately forgiven.
Anton Robert Leinweber (1845–1921), Public Domain Peter never forgot his betrayal. Saint Clement, his disciple, says that throughout the rest of his life, Peter, at the midnight crow of the rooster, knelt down and, shedding tears, repented of his renunciation, although the Lord Himself, soon after His resurrection, forgave him.
An ancient legend has been preserved that the eyes of the Apostle Peter were red from frequent and bitter crying. The rooster became one of its recognizable attributes in Christian art.
Photo gallery
Theological interpretations
Peter's denial and his associated mental anguish are reflected in theological interpretations. Describing Peter’s arrival at the house of the high priest, Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible, even before the start of consideration of the event of abdication, raises the question of the apostle’s state of mind:
“What was happening inside, in Peter’s soul, was not noticeable to anyone; and outside it was only visible that he was warming himself by the fire! Naturally, if, being near a material flame, Peter had to strenuously extinguish and restrain all internal flames, simply so as not to give away himself and his intentions. He was in the position of a man who sees a drowning man from the shore and has neither the strength nor the means to help him in any way. This is generally one of the most painful states of all kind and loving people. What mental anguish Peter experienced while warming himself by the fire is hidden from people’s eyes.”
Theophylact of Bulgaria dwells in detail on the interpretation of the image of the servant who tried to incriminate Peter: “Peter is exposed as a servant, that is, by human weakness, a base thing and befitting slaves.” The rooster that brought the apostle to his senses, according to Theophylact, is “the word of Christ, which does not allow us to relax and sleep, but says: “Wake” and “Rise to sleep.”
Evangelists place the scene of Peter's denial in different ways in the context of the events of the Sanhedrin court. Forecasters put the story about all three renunciations without intervals (only Luke says that about an hour passed between the second and third renunciation - Luke 22:59). At the same time, the Evangelist Luke places the renunciation before the condemnation of Christ at the trial of the high priest, and Mark - after the condemnation. Luke's version is stated to be more reliable:
“It is likely that Peter’s denial followed first, and then the condemnation of Christ, since such a condemnation could hardly have been pronounced earlier in the morning: the members of the Sanhedrin needed some time to gather in sufficient numbers to properly discuss such an important matter.” .
Arriving in Jerusalem, the guards did not bring Jesus to the high priest Caiaphas, who had already proven his hatred of the Prophet of Galilee by saying in the Sanhedrin that it was better for one person to die than for the whole people to perish; Jesus was not brought to him, but to his father-in-law Anna (whom Josephus calls Ananus), a retired high priest who served in this rank for eleven years.
Peter and John, who were following nearby, wanted to follow Jesus into Anna’s courtyard. John was known to Anna and therefore fearlessly entered the courtyard, but Peter stood at the entrance, not daring to enter. Then John, noticing that Peter was not near him, went to the gate, told the gatekeeper to let Peter in, and after that he brought him into the courtyard with him.
It was a cold night; the slaves and servants lit a fire in the courtyard, and everyone warmed themselves around it. Peter also stood and warmed himself with them. The gatekeeper, who had let Peter in, also came up to them to warm up, and since at that time Anna was interrogating Jesus (the servants immediately reported the details of the interrogation to those standing in the courtyard), those who were warming themselves by the fire began to talk about the disciples of Jesus, and then the gatekeeper, looking closely to Peter, asked: and are you not one of this Man’s disciples?? Peter became timid and answered: No ().
Meanwhile, Anna, gloating at the sight of the bound Jesus, began to question Him about His teaching and His disciples. These questions were asked out of idle curiosity, since Anna should have known the teachings of Jesus; He also knew that He also had disciples.
Not wanting to satisfy the idle curiosity of the cunning Sadducee. The Savior said: I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where Jews always meet, and I did not say anything in secret. Why are you asking Me? ask those who heard what I said to them; behold, they know that I have spoken.
Insulting Jesus by Anna's Servant
Anna realized that no other answer could have been expected and would probably have stopped the interrogation, but his servant, who was standing right there, found in this answer something disrespectful to such an important person as the former high priest, and, wanting to show special zeal for his master, he struck Jesus on the cheek and said boldly: So-That You answer the high priest?
If Jesus had suffered this insult in silence, they might have thought that He would have recognized it as deserved; An overly zealous servant would have been especially proud of such tacit approval of his action. Therefore, in order to stop evil at its very beginning, in order to make the servant feel the full weight of his sin, Jesus conquers evil with a good word. " If I said something bad, - He says, turning to His offender, - then show me what's bad, indicate what exactly in my answer to the high priest you consider bad; what if I said Fine, then for What same you beat me? ()".
Finding it useless to continue interrogating Jesus, Annas sent Him bound to the real high priest, his son-in-law Caiaphas.
Jesus before the court of the Sanhedrin in the house of Caiaphas
Meanwhile, while Jesus was with Annas, all the so-called high priests, elders of the people and scribes, in a word, almost the entire Sanhedrin, gathered in the house of the high priest Caiaphas. Despite the deep night, everyone hurried to the trial in order to quickly put an end to the Prophet of Galilee. All the present members of the Sanhedrin had previously conspired to kill Jesus, since they fully shared the opinion of Caiaphas that it was better for one Man to die than for the whole people to perish; but still they considered it necessary to carry out a formal investigation into the guilt of Jesus, support the accusation with testimony and then finally pronounce the death sentence. Therefore, now the whole stop is up to the witnesses. And so the high priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin began to look for such witnesses, they began to remember which of the persons known to them could do them a service with their false testimony; and were sent throughout the city to collect suitable witnesses.
There were a lot of people willing to please the authorities. Their interrogation began. What exactly they said is unknown, but they must have been unable to say anything that the judges wanted, since even such an obviously biased court found their evidence insufficient to pronounce a death sentence. Finally two witnesses appeared and said: He said: I can destroy the temple of God and build it in three days(). Some of those present stood up and began to say that they also heard Him say: I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will erect another, not made with hands.().
The latter testimony could give the Sanhedrin a reason to pronounce the death sentence. Word man-made used to mean an idol, and when applied to a temple it could mean an idol temple. Such obvious disrespect for the Jerusalem Temple, in which God Himself dwells, could be considered blasphemy against God and the culprit subjected to the death penalty established by law (). But this testimony was in clear contradiction with another testimony about the destruction of the temple - I can destroy the temple of God and build it in three days. Therefore, the testimony of all witnesses about the destruction of the temple was considered insufficient to condemn Jesus to death.
Thus, the hastily collected false witnesses, despite their significant number, did not provide the Sanhedrin with the evidence they desired of Jesus’ guilt. All witnesses have already been questioned, no new ones are appearing. What to do? Where can I get them? And is it possible to postpone the trial because of this? Time is running out; We must hurry so that the people who wake up in the morning do not interfere with the condemnation. And so, Caiaphas gets up from his presiding seat, goes out into the middle of the judgment seat and turns to Jesus, who had been silent all the time, with the question: “ What same You don't answer anything? Can't you hear that they testify against you? (). 26 Jesus was silent. And what could be said against such false witnesses who caught themselves and each other in lies? But this silence irritated the high priest. He began to interrogate Jesus, hoping to force Him to make a confession that would free the court from demanding further evidence of His guilt. But Jesus was silent. Then Caiaphas resorted to a decisive remedy. He, as the high priest, was given the right to interrogate the accused under oath. And so, he turns to Jesus with a demand, under an oath, to answer him the question that will be proposed. I conjure You by the living God, he says, tell us, are you the Christ, the Son of God?().
If Jesus did not answer, that is, did not object to the testimony of false witnesses, then to the question directly put to Him by Caiaphas, He would have answered without an incantation, since He had no intention of hiding His divine, messianic significance even before such an ungodly court as it was now Sanhedrin. This is exactly what Caiaphas was counting on; With Jesus’ own answer, he intended to convict Him of blasphemy against God.
So, to the direct question: Are you the Christ, the Son of God?? that is, “Are you the Messiah promised to us?” - Jesus answered: I; and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven ().
Caiaphas and other members of the Sanhedrin knew that in such expressions the prophet Daniel described his vision of the Son of Man walking on the clouds of heaven and brought to the Ancient of Days, that is, Jehovah God ().
Caiaphas expected this answer; In order to achieve it, he proposed his question. Therefore, the answer Jesus desired by him should have pleased him, and indeed he did, since it freed the Sanhedrin from further legal proceedings. But to reveal this joy in front of everyone would be indecent to his rank. The servant of God had to be indignant when he heard the blasphemy against God, and with something special to express his indignation at the blasphemer and zeal for the glory of God. And so, the cunning high priest pretended to be outraged by such audacity of Jesus, who dared to call Himself Christ, the Son of God; in a fit of feigned indignation, he tore the front of his robe, imitating Joshua and other forefathers, and exclaimed: He is blaspheming! What more need do we need witnesses? here you are now themselves heard His blasphemy!().
What was this blasphemy? Is it not that Jesus has now confirmed what He said earlier, that He is indeed the Messiah? Why, the Jews were expecting the coming of the Messiah; for the Messiah was to come; the Jews as a people had no doubt about this; The Pharisees also believed in this. It is impossible to judge the Messiah Himself for the fact that He is the Messiah? Consequently, it would not be appropriate for the court to condemn Jesus if it were an impartial court, but to investigate whether it is possible, without contradicting the prophecies, to recognize in Jesus the Messiah who is to come? But this question was no longer on the minds of the wicked judges, who had long since ceased to understand the true meaning of the prophecies and had lost the key to understanding them. They were so accustomed to believing in their own invented Messiah as the invincible king of the earth, the conqueror of the Jews of the whole world, that they could not even think that the Messiah could be the poor and meek Galilean Teacher.
Having obtained the confession of the Accused, Caiaphas, turning to the members of the Sanhedrin, asked: “Well, what do you think? Has His guilt been sufficiently revealed, and what punishment is He subject to?”
Everyone answered: guilty of death ().
The verdict has been pronounced; but Caiaphas wanted to clothe it in the form of legality that established custom required. The Talmud states that in criminal cases the final pronouncement of the verdict should not occur earlier than the day after the start of the trial. Neither Caiaphas nor the Sanhedrin wanted to postpone the final condemnation of Jesus for a long time, that is, until the end of the Passover holidays, since such a delay could cause confusion among the people, and all their plans could be upset. But the form of the secondary court had to be observed. And so, the members of the Sanhedrin decided to go home, but gather again at dawn.
Peter's denial
Meanwhile, while the trial of Jesus was taking place, Peter, having probably come with John from the house of Annas to the house of Caiaphas, sat in the courtyard of this house, trying to give himself the appearance of a stranger who had come to the noise out of sheer curiosity. Caiaphas' servants often entered and left the courtroom, reporting to those sitting in the courtyard everything that was happening there. Peter was probably very worried, listening to their stories, and thus discovered that it was not just idle curiosity that attracted him here. Noticing his concern, one of the maids came up to him and asked: “It must be and you were with Jesus the Galilean(), Why do you listen so much to everything they say about Him?” Before Peter had time to answer, one of the high priest’s servants, a relative of Malchus, whose ear Peter cut off, peering at Peter, said: wasn't it I who saw you with Him in the garden?
Peter was embarrassed and said: I don’t know and don’t understand what you’re saying ( Mk . 14, 68). With these words, he stood up and headed towards the exit, into the front yard; and as he approached the gate, the rooster crowed.
The prediction of Jesus about the denial of Peter is conveyed by all the Evangelists in complete agreement; but Matthew, Luke and John say nothing about how many times the rooster crowed when Peter denied Jesus three times; Mark, who wrote his Gospel from the words of Peter and, therefore, knew the details of this sad event better than other Evangelists, conveys Jesus’ prediction in these words: Truly I tell you that today, this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.(). Therefore, Evangelist Mark, narrating about Peter’s renunciation, notes the detail that after the first renunciation in the courtyard of Caiaphas, the rooster crowed for the first time, and after the third, for the second time. Of course, this detail, which is of significant importance, could not be forgotten by Peter.
So, Peter has already denied Christ once; and immediately, as if to remind him of Jesus’ prediction and to warn him of further denials, the first midnight crow of a rooster was heard. But Peter, apparently, did not pay attention to this warning, since immediately, as he left the gate, another maid approached him and, drawing the attention of the people standing at the gate to him, said: and this one was with Jesus of Nazareth(). All those present turned to Peter with searching gazes; he could not stand them; fear overwhelmed him, and he not only denied Jesus a second time, but even began to assure everyone with an oath that doesn't know This Man(); he didn't even call Him by name.
Probably, Peter’s oaths had an effect on his accusers: they left him alone, and after some time, carried away by a passionate desire to know what was happening to his Teacher, he again entered the courtyard and sat down by the fire. According to the legend of the Evangelist Luke, an hour has passed() after the second renunciation; according to the Evangelists Matthew () and Mark (), A little later his third renunciation began.
Peter, as a native and resident of Galilee, spoke the Galilean dialect, which differed sharply in its rudeness and incorrect pronunciation of some sounds and even entire words from the Aramaic dialect in which the inhabitants of Judea spoke at that time.
All the servants of the high priest who were sitting around the fire were talking, of course, about Jesus and probably repeating the opinion instilled in them earlier by their master that the Messiah should come from Bethlehem, and not from Nazareth of Galilee, and that Jesus, as a Galilean, could not even be a prophet. Speaking about Galilee, they could not help but pay attention to Peter, who with his dialect clearly presented himself as a Galilean; They remembered the previously excited suspicion that he was not a disciple of Jesus, and began to say to him: “Although you swore that you did not know this Man, now we guess that you are one of His disciples, for by your speech it is clear that you are a Galilean.”
Fear again attacked Peter, and he began to swear and swear, saying: I don’t know this Man you are talking about ().
By this time, the trial of Jesus had already ended, and He was taken out of the judgment seat into the courtyard. Immediately the rooster crowed a second time, and Christ looked at Peter. It was then that Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to Him: Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times(); he went out and wept bitterly.
Saint Clement, a disciple of the Apostle Peter, testifies that throughout his entire subsequent life, Peter fell on his face at the crow of the rooster at night, tearfully repented of his renunciation and asked for forgiveness, although he had already received it from Jesus Christ Himself shortly after His Resurrection.
Peter shed tears in repentance; but how hard it was for Jesus to see the best of the remaining eleven disciples swearing that he did not know This Man who are afraid to even mention His name! The cup of mental anguish overflowed.
Mockery of Jesus
The embittered world now begins to torture the body of the divine Sufferer. While the members of the Sanhedrin were resting in their homes awaiting the morning meeting, Jesus was kept in the courtyard of Caiaphas, guarded by guards and bound. He did not arouse in anyone any compassion or even pity for Himself; these feelings were alien to the petrified hearts of the slaves and servants of the high priest. A bad feeling nests in the corrupted human heart: the desire to insult, and more powerfully, someone who was once strong, but has now become defenseless. Driven by this feeling, the crowd that now surrounded Jesus began to mock Him. The authorities declared Him a false messiah, guilty of death, and probably hinted to their servants that they could not be shy with such a Man. This was enough to give free rein to the feelings of the brutal crowd. They began to beat Jesus; They covered His face with a veil and, hitting His cheek, asked: “Find out who hit You?” The Messiah had to know everything, and if Jesus is the Messiah, then, according to His torturers, He must know every time who hit Him. But Christ was silent, and this silence gave some reason to treat Him as a false messiah, with the usual expression of extreme contempt among Jews: they began to spit in His face. And many other blasphemies were uttered against Him(). Christ resignedly endured all these insults and tortures and, perhaps, silently prayed for those around Him now, as He would pray for His crucifiers: Father! forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing().
Secondary meeting of the Sanhedrin at dawn
Until the morning, Christ remained in the courtyard of Caiaphas, all the time being subjected to insults and beatings. When morning came, the high priests, elders and scribes again gathered for the final trial, but not in the house of Caiaphas, but in the premises of the Sanhedrin, where Jesus was also taken.
When all the judges had gathered, Jesus was brought in. Chairman Caiaphas began the analysis of the case from where he left off at the night meeting, that is, from listening to the Accused’s own confession, and, turning to Him, asked: Are you Christ?
What was the answer to such a question? If you say - yes, I am Christ - as was said during the first interrogation, then it will be useless, since the biased judges, who long ago decided to kill Jesus, will not believe in Him because of such an answer; if you ask them themselves about what prevents them from recognizing Him as the Messiah, then, of course, they will not answer; and if they decided to answer and thus enter into the investigation of the question of whether He really is the Messiah, and if He clearly proved to them that He is the Christ, then even in that case they would not let Him go. Therefore, to the question - Are you Christ? Jesus answered: “ If I tell you, you won’t believe it; even if I ask you, you will not answer Me and will not let Me go(). But know that after all that must happen, you will see Me no other way than in the glory of My Father. From now on the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the power of God ()".
Wanting to achieve a more accurate, direct answer to the proposed question, all members of the Sanhedrin, as if with one voice, asked: so you are the Son of God?
You themselves say that I am the Son of God, said Jesus; and this answer was accepted as yes to the proposed question ().
And then all the members of the Sanhedrin said: What more evidence do we need? for we ourselves have heard from His mouth.
Having found Jesus guilty of impersonating Himself as the Messiah, the Sanhedrin sentenced Him to death, the legal death sentence of Moses. But the false messiah could also be dangerous for the Roman government, he could cause indignation among the people and rebel against Caesar; therefore, according to the Sanhedrin, Jesus was subject to death according to Roman laws. Be that as it may, the Sanhedrin, while still retaining the right to judge those guilty of religious crimes, was already deprived of the right to carry out death sentences without the permission or approval of the Roman authorities. That is why the Sanhedrin, having found Jesus guilty of death, had to submit its verdict for approval by the Roman governor, Pilate. The Sanhedrin considered it dangerous to postpone this matter until the end of the Easter holiday, which began in the evening of that day, and therefore decided to immediately, in its entirety, go to Pilate and demand approval and immediate execution of the sentence. And the whole multitude of them rose up to go to Pilate.
The appearance of Judas, his repentance and death
But before they had time to leave the courtroom, Judas the traitor entered. At the sight of Jesus condemned and bound, repentance began to torment him, and he solemnly declared to the high priests and elders: I sinned by betraying innocent blood ().
It would seem that Judas' repentance should have touched the judges and proved to them their miscarriage of justice in the sentence just pronounced; in fact, they fully agree with Judas that they intend to shed blood innocent, they hurried to spill it as quickly as possible; and therefore, having overcome the involuntary embarrassment of such an unexpected declaration by a traitor of the innocence of the One whom they unanimously condemned, they answered Judas with cold contempt: “What do we care about your sin? you have sinned, you will have to answer. What do we care about that? see for yourself()".
Judas could have thrown himself at the feet of Jesus and with tears begged for forgiveness of his grave sin, and probably the All-Forgiving One would have forgiven the sincerely repentant one. But either Jesus had already been taken away from the trial before the arrival of Judas, or Judas did not dare to ask for forgiveness from the One Whom he had treacherously handed over to his enemies - be that as it may, Judas limited himself to offering repentance only to the high priests and other members of the Sanhedrin. He hoped to receive from them at least the slightest relief from his despair and to influence the judicial conscience in the sense of immediately canceling the sentence just announced; but he did not achieve his goal: he did not shake the force of the sentence at all, but he himself was contemptuously and coldly rejected. Not knowing what to do, what to decide on, he remembers the thirty pieces of silver he received and throws them to the high priests, while he himself runs away from the court, finds no peace anywhere from remorse and commits suicide: he hanged himself, hanged himself. From the book of the Acts of the Apostles, written by the Evangelist Luke, we know that the dead body of Judas fell and fell, and his belly was split open and all his entrails fell out ().
Evangelist Matthew does not explain exactly where Judas entered to express his repentance; but since he begins the story of this after the story of the end of the trial of Jesus, and begins with his words - then Judas.... - then with high probability we can believe that Judas entered the very court and at that very time when the Sanhedrin was still there. At other times, when the chief priests and elders were distracted by the trial of Pilate and Herod, as well as the crucifixion of Jesus, Judas could hardly bring his repentance to them.
But where did Judas throw the silver pieces? Evangelist Matthew says that in the temple(). There is no doubt that he had to abandon them in the same place where his repentance was so coldly rejected; It wasn’t in the temple that he repented? After all, there was no one there at that time, except for the regular priests; all the high priests were busy with the trial, and he repented precisely before the high priests. And since the Sanhedrin met in one of the temple buildings, and all the temple buildings, porches and courtyards were called by the common name temple, then we can assume that throwing the pieces of silver in one of the temple buildings meant the same thing as throwing them in the temple. On the other hand, if we compare the words of the verse of the 3rd chapter of the 27th Gospel of Matthew - and, repenting, returned the thirty pieces of silver, – with the words of the 5th verse of the same chapter – and, throwing the pieces of silver in the temple, - then we can assume that the pieces of silver returned by Judas were not accepted from him in the hall of the Sanhedrin, and therefore Judas approached the temple itself and threw them into it. Be that as it may, the high priests picked up the abandoned pieces of silver and then, at their leisure, discussed the question of what to do with them.
Buying land from a potter with money abandoned by Judas
Despite all their depravity, they still recognized it as impossible to use this instrument of vile bribery in favor of the temple, because this is the price of blood (), and therefore they bought a plot of land from one potter for the burial of wanderers. And for a long time this land was called the land of blood.
The evangelist adds to his narrative that in all this the prediction of the prophet Jeremiah came true. In fact, it was not Jeremiah, but Zechariah who said: And they will pay me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me: throw them into the church storehouse - the high price at which they valued Me! And I took thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter (). It is believed that the indication of Jeremiah instead of Zechariah is a consequence of a copyist's error, while in the most ancient copies a reference was made to Zechariah.
Differing opinions on the personality of Judas
Many different opinions have been expressed about the personality of Judas. The Cainite sect, for example, believed that of all the twelve apostles, only Judas fully understood the purpose of his Teacher - he alone knew that the glory of Jesus lay in His suffering and death for the human race; Therefore, by his betrayal, he contributed to the salvation of people, and for this he should be revered, and not despised. This opinion is so inconsistent with everything that we know from the Gospel about the Apostles in general and about Judas in particular that there is hardly any need to object to it. But Judas’s repentance, his conviction that there is no forgiveness or salvation for betrayal, his condemnation of himself for this sin and the execution of this sentence by suicide - all this proves that the voice of conscience was not completely suppressed in Judas by his love of money; the time came when his conscience came into its own, when his suffering began. But it was then that he discovered a complete misunderstanding of his Teacher: he was convinced that there was no forgiveness for him, meanwhile Christ, with His parables about the unmerciful debtor and the prodigal son, tried to inspire all His listeners in general and especially the Apostles that there is no such situation in sinful life of a person, when forgiveness would be impossible. Yes, and Judas could have received forgiveness if he had turned to God in his repentance. If for some reason he could not then fall with tears at the feet of Jesus and beg for forgiveness, then nothing could prevent him from constantly and relentlessly praying for the same to the Heavenly Father. But he did not resort to this means, he forgot the words of the prodigal son of the parable - I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you (). He did not go to the Father (and this was his terrible, disastrous mistake), but wanted to get away from his conscience, from its persecution; but wherever he went, wherever he ran, the ghost of the cross pursued him everywhere; his conscience denounced him louder and louder, its remorse became more and more painful... he could not stand this torture and hanged himself out of despair.
I think that Judas hanged himself not after the condemnation of Jesus, but somewhat later. He could still hope that Pilate would acquit the Innocent, and therefore could wait for the end of his trial. When Pilate handed Jesus over to the authority of the Sanhedrin and Jesus was led to Golgotha, then only Judas could lose all hope of freeing his Teacher, then only he could commit suicide out of despair. But this will be discussed in the next chapter.
The Lord Jesus Christ was taken into custody in the Garden of Gethsemane. All the apostles left the Savior and fled in fear. Only two of them, Peter and John, followed Him from afar.
It was late at night. Armed soldiers and temple guards brought the bound Savior to trial before the high priests: the elderly Annas and his son-in-law, the current high priest Caiaphas.
The Apostle John, known to the high priest, entered the courtyard, and then brought Peter in as well. Seeing Peter, the maid standing at the door asked him: “Peter answered: “.” The night was cold. The servants lit a fire in the yard and warmed themselves. Peter stood with them by the fire.
Soon another maid, pointing to Peter, said to the servants: “And this one was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
But Peter again denied, saying that he did not know this Man. Dawn was approaching, and the servants standing in the courtyard again began to say to Peter: "". A relative of the same Malchus, whose ear Peter had cut off, immediately approached and said that he had seen Peter together with Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Then Peter began to swear and swear: "".
At this time the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the words of the Savior spoken by Him at the Last Supper: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
At that very moment the Lord, who was taken out of the house, looked at Peter. The Savior's gaze penetrated into the very heart of the disciple. Shame and burning remorse gripped his soul. The apostle left the courtyard of the high priest and wept bitterly over his sin.
From that moment, Peter never forgot his fall. Saint Clement, a disciple of Peter, says that throughout his subsequent life, the apostle, at the first crowing of the rooster, knelt down and, shedding tears, repented of his renunciation, although the Lord Himself, soon after His resurrection, forgave him.
It's Friday morning. The entire Sanhedrin, led by the high priest Caiaphas, gathered for the trial of Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ was condemned to death for calling Himself the Son of God.
When Judas the traitor learned of the death sentence, he realized the full horror of his insane act. Blinded by the love of money, he did not think about what his betrayal would lead to. A painful remorse took possession of his soul. But this repentance was combined in him with despair, and not with hope for God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Judas went to the high priests and elders and returned to them the thirty pieces of silver that he had received from them for betraying the Son of God. They treated Judas coldly and mockingly. “What is that to us,” they said, “be responsible for your own affairs.”
Torment of conscience without hope for God's forgiveness and faith in His love turned out to be fruitless. Judas could not correct what he had done with his own human strength. Unable to find the strength to fight mental anguish, he hanged himself that same night.
The high priests decided to use the money returned by Judas to buy a plot of land for the burial of wanderers.
