Holy Week: Wednesday

Devotional

When I first lived in London, I already knew four or five parts of the city quite well. I knew Westminster itself, with the Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and the roads leading up to Buckingham Palace. I knew the areas around the big cricket grounds. I knew the British Museum and Oxford Street, and one or two other places I had had to visit from time to time. But I had no idea how they joined up. I used to get about on the Underground, being whisked from place to place with no mental picture of what was above me. So if I tried to walk between the places I knew I would get quite lost.

Many people are like that with the stories in the gospels. They know the parables and the miracles. They know about Jesus' birth; about the transfiguration, perhaps; certainly about his riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, cleansing the Temple, and then his trial and death. But even with these final events they may have little or no idea how they join up. The cycle of readings in church carries them from event to event, like a spiritual Underground train, and they've never thought about how things actually moved from one thing to another in the real world.

So people often miss the full force of the questions Caiaphas asked Jesus in this informal night hearing. The chief priests were the guardians of the Temple. That was (in our terms) as much a political office as a spiritual one, and they took it extremely seriously. Jesus hadn't actually committed any crime in what he'd done in the Temple, but they were eager to make the links with his larger intentions. Word had got around, in a garbled form, that at some point he'd said something about destroying the Temple and rebuilding it. That could only mean one thing. The only person (other than the high priest) who could claim authority over the Temple was the Messiah. And, of course, God himself. So did Jesus' actions and words mean . . . ?

Before we can get there, we need to remind ourselves of another link of thought which they would have made. Some Jewish teachers pondered passages like Genesis 1.26, where God says 'Let us make humankind in our own image', and Daniel 7.13, where the prophet sees a vision of 'one like a son of man' coming on the clouds to the 'Ancient of Days' and being enthroned beside him. As they did so, some speculated that there might be some kind of plurality within God himself. Such ideas were severely frowned on by most people. Again, it's as much the political as the spiritual claim that was seen as dangerous, blaspheming nonsense.

So when Jesus refuses to answer the question about destroying the Temple and rebuilding it in three days, the high priest moves to the natural next step. He puts Jesus on oath, and asks him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?'

Jesus' reply is fully in line with all that we have seen in the earlier pages of Matthew's gospel. It all joins up. The high priest himself has said what needs to be said, but there is more: Caiaphas will see that Jesus will be vindicated by God after his suffering, that he will 'come with the clouds of heaven' and be enthroned at the right hand of 'Power', in other words, of God himself.

That's enough! It's blasphemy! And Jesus is condemned, mocked as a false prophet.
Meanwhile, a different sort of connection is established out in the courtyard. Peter — impetuous, blundering Peter — provides the mirror-image to Jesus. Jesus tells the truth, knowing it will condemn him. Peter tells a lie to save his skin. The stage is set. Jesus, the innocent one, will die in place of Peter, the guilty. And the rest of us, too.

TODAY
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the truth which you spoke and lived, and for which you died. Help us, afraid as we are of truth, to come out of the shadows and confess that we are your followers.

Matthew 26:57-75

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ” 62 The high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” 63 But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you,

From now on you will see the Son of Man
    seated at the right hand of Power
    and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spat in his face and struck him, and some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?”

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A female servant came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71 When he went out to the porch, another female servant saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.” 72 Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.