| THE ARREST |
| When the soldiers arrested Jesus, the Apostles who were with him ran away. However, Peter, who had earlier declared that he would never desert Jesus, quietly followed the soldiers and watched from a safe distance. When Jesus was brought to the high priest's house for trial, Peter moved into the courtyard of the building to try to find out what was happening. |
| There was a chill in the night air, so the high priest's servants built a charcoal fire. Trying to blend into the group, Peter went up to the fire to warm himself with the others. But one of the servants there recognized Peter and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean" (Mt 26:69). Panic-stricken, Peter blurted out, "I do not know what you are talking about" (Mt 26:70). When another servant repeated the accusation, Peter again denied knowing Jesus, this time swearing an oath. |
| Later, a bystander approached Peter and said, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you" (Mt 26:73). Even though Peter's country accent identified him as coming from Galilee, as Jesus did, Peter cursed and again swore that he didn't know Jesus. |
| Surrounded by armed guards, Jesus was dragged from he Garden of Gethsemane, where he'd been arrested, to the house of the high priest, Caiaphas. There, he would spend all night undergoing an exhausting trial. |
| It was unusual to hold a trial at night, but Caiaphas wanted to complete the proceedings before the people rebelled upon learning of Jesus' arrest. Caiaphas knew that many people admired Jesus as a wise teacher. But he and others considered Jesus a trouble maker who wouldn't go away, and so they wanted him dead. |
| Caiaphas had quietly convened the 70 member court of priests and scribes, kown as the Sanhedrin, at his house. All through the night Jesus stood silently as witnesses came before the council and told lies about what Jesus had said and done. But none of the witnesses' testimonies agreed, so the council grew frustrated. |
| In exasperation Caiaphas asked Jesus what he had to say about the charges. When Jesus said nothing, Caiaphas demanded, "I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God" (Mt 26:63). "I am," Jesus replied (Mk 14:62). |
| Outraged that anyone would claim to be God's son, Caiaphas appealed to the council, "Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?" and the council answered, "He deserves death" (mt 26:65-66). |
| Then they struck and blindfolded Jesus, mocking him the entire time. At dawn they took Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who reluctantly agreed to execute him that morning. |
| At that moment the cock crowed, and Jesus, who was being led out into the courtyard, turned and looked a Peter. Suddenly Peter remembered what Jesus had said at supper: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times" (Mt 26:75). Overcome with grief and remorse, Peter ran blindly from the courtyard and wept bitterly. He had betrayed Jesus, the one for whom he had promised to face death. |
| Between the time of Jesus' sentencing and his crucifixion, Roman soldiers took him to their quarters in the Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem. Probably about 500 men were stationed there, and when they saw the prisoner, they all gathered around him |
| Because Jesus had been condemned for claiming to be a king, some of the soldiers decided to mock him by dressing him up as one. "They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head" (Mt 27:28-29). The robe, probably one of the red wool cloaks that was part of their uniform, reminded the soldiers of the robes worn by emperors and kings at public appearance. And the crown of thorns imitated the laurel wreath that typically crowned the heads of Roman emperors. To complete their mockery, the soldiers placed a stick in Jesus' right hand to serve as a scepter, a symbol of royal authority. |
| The sharp thorns cut into Jesus' head, making him bleed, but he stood in silence. The soldiers then knelt before him and jokingly bowed down to the ground. "Hail, King of the Jews!" they called out, mocking him. Then they took the stick from his hand and struck Jesus on the head. Some even spit on him. |
| After the soldiers grew tired of their game, they dressed Jesus in his old clothes and took him to Golgotha to be crucified. |
| Copyright:Grolier Inc. MCMXCVI Grolier Family Bible Cards TM Location: http://www.geocities.com/gacbloomington/thearrest.html Updated: 10/25/2001 |
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