Lent Stories

SECOND WEEK

Then the commanding officer and his soldiers and the Jewish temple policemen arrested Jesus and tied Him up and led Him away. They took Him to Annas first, because he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the Head Priest that year. Caiaphas was the man who had told the Jews that it would be better to have one man die for the people.

Annas therefore asked Jesus some questions about His followers, and about what He had been teaching the people.

Jesus answered, “I have spoken plainly and clearly to everyone. I have always explained the Bible to the people in the meeting houses, and in the Temple-yard, where all the Jews come together. I have never said anything in secret. Why are you asking me? Ask the people who heard what I told them. Look! These men right here know what I said.”

When He said this, one of the temple policemen who was standing there beside Jesus slapped Him in the face and said to Him, “Is that the way you answer the Head Priest?”

Jesus answered, “If I said something wrong you must tell everyone what it was; but since I gave a good answer, why are you hitting me?”

So then Annas sent Jesus, who was still all tied up, to Caiaphas, the Head Priest. The soldiers and policemen grabbed Jesus and led Him away to Caiaphas’ house, where all the head priests and members of the Council and scribes were gathering together. And Peter and another of Jesus’ followers were following Jesus, staying a long ways behind, until they went into the yard around the house.

Since that other man knew the Head Priest, he went right in with Jesus into the yard, but Peter was left standing outside by the gate. So the other follower, who knew the Head Priest, went out and talked to the girl at the gate and brought Peter in. And soon Peter was sitting there with the servants in front of a fire, watching to see how it would all end and trying to keep warm.

At this time the head priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find some information about some wrong thing Jesus had done, or some false evidence against Jesus, so that they could have Him killed. But they didn’t find any, even though many witnesses came forward and accused Jesus of doing things which He hadn’t done. But their stories didn’t agree. But finally two men stood up and told this lie about Him — “We heard this man say, ‘I’m going to tear down this Temple, which men have built, and in three days I’m going to build another Temple without any man’s help’.” But even so, their stories didn’t agree. 

Then the Head Priest stood up in front of them and asked Jesus, “Aren’t you going to give any answer? What about the charges these men are bringing against you?”

But Jesus didn’t say a word. He didn’t give any answer at all. 
Later the Head Priest asked Jesus another question. “I’m ordering you to take an oath before the living God and tell us if you really are the Messiah, the Son of the God we worship.”

And Jesus answered, “I certainly am. And I’m also telling you that from now on you will see ‘the Son of Man sitting beside the Almighty at His right hand,’ and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven’.” 

Then the Head Priest tore his clothes and said, “He has insulted God! Why do we have to have any more witnesses? Look! Just now you have all heard how He insulted God. What do you think?”

And they all said that He was guilty, and that He must die. Then some of them began to spit in His face, and others slapped Him in the face, and others blindfolded Him and beat Him with their fists and said to Him, “Speak to us like a prophet, Messiah! Who is it who hit you?” Even the servants slapped Him in the face. And they also said a lot of other nasty and insulting things to Him. 

While all this was going on. Peter was sitting in front of the fire, which the men had built in the middle of the yard. He was sitting right in the middle of the group. And after a while one of the Head Priest’s servant girls came walking by and noticed Peter as he sat there in the light of the fire, trying to keep warm. She stopped and stared at him for a while, and then she said, “This fellow is one of those who were with Jesus of Nazareth!”

But Peter denied it in front of them all. “I don’t know him,” he said, “and 1 don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Then he left the group and went over by the gate. 

A little later the servant girl who had been at the gate saw Peter and said to the men who were there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

And again Peter denied it. He swore an oath and said, “I don’t know the man!”

And about an hour later another man began to talk like he was pretty sure of himself, “Sure enough,” he said, “you’re also one of his followers. After all, everyone can tell that by the way you talk. You’re a Galilean.” 

And one of the Head Priest’s slaves, who was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said to Peter, “Didn’t I see you with him there in the garden?”

Then Peter began to curse and swear. “May God send me to hell if I’m not telling the truth!” he said. “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” 

And right away, while he was still talking, a rooster crowed-And the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered what Jesus had told him “Before the rooster crows today you will say three times that you don’t want anything to do with me.” And he ran outside crying and sobbing so hard that he could hardly catch his breath.

As soon as it got light the Council of Israel gathered together for a meeting with the head Priests and the scribes, and Jesus was brought before this group, as they worked out their plan to kill Him. 

“Tell us,” they said, “if you really are the promised Savior.”

And Jesus answered,  “If I tell you, you’ll never believe me,
and if I ask you a question, you won’t answer.   But from now
on the Son of Man will be sitting at the right hand of the
almighty God.” 

Then they all began to talk at once.  “Then you really are God’s Son?” they asked.

And Jesus answered, “Now you’re saying that I am,”

“Why do we have to have any further evidence?” they said.
“After all, we’ve all heard it, right from his own mouth.”

Then   the   members   of the   Council stood   up and adjourned the meeting and brought Jesus to Pilate.