Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
Good evening and welcome back!
If you would, turn back in your Bibles to
Tonight, we are going to be finishing up this chapter and we are going to be looking at the depth of the betrayal Jesus suffered not only at the hands of his accusers but also at the hand of his own disciples.
And we are not talking about Judas either.
His betrayal is done.
It has played out.
No, we are going to look at another disciple tonight.
Remember, the last thing we read this morning was after Jesus was arrested, Matthew wrote this . . .
They had ran away.
Fled and hid in the woods.
Their concern quickly changed from caring about Jesus to protecting their own hides.
At this point, they were not one bit concerned about Jesus.
And all this stuff they had said about never leaving him and never abandoning him, was thrown out the window.
When the rubber met the road, it was all about them and all about protecting themselves.
The actual shallowness of their faith was out in the open now.
Apparent for everyone to see.
Which was exactly what the Jews wanted.
They knew from experience that if they made an example out of Jesus, his disciples would do what people have done before.
Their faith in him would soon diminish, and the problem would be solved.
And our disciples at this point, did not disappoint.
They were true to their nature.
But there was one disciple who lagged behind.
Make no bones about it, he ran off and hid, but he also watched from a distance.
And that disciple was Peter.
Matthew writes this about Peter.
Lurking in the Darkness (vs 57-58)
Matthew 26:
So, they are hauling Jesus off to the High Priest to stand before the Sanhedrin and here Peter is lurking in the shadows.
He was afraid and he was staying out of sight.
But there was something about Peter that made him have to see what was going on, what was going to happen.
I don’t think it was just curiosity either.
I think it was genuine guilt for not being true to Jesus.
And I also think he was expecting Jesus to save himself with angels and all the powers of heaven.
Peter believed but Peter was afraid.
So . . .
So Peter just sort of blends in with the crowd.
Scripture Focus
Trying not to draw any sort of attention to himself.
Close enough so he could see and hear what was going on, but far enough away that those who actually arrested Jesus wouldn’t recognize him.
Matthew 26:
Eves-dropping and hiding in plain sight.
And what he saw horrified him.
Peter Lagging Behind (vs 57-58)
Before the Sanhedrin (vs 59-68)
Before the Sanhedrin (vs 59-68)
So, Jesus is brought in and Matthew tells us that . . . .
Matthew 26:
And the thing is, they already knew that they didn’t have anything legitimate or real that they could accuse Jesus of, so they started to look for people willing to lie.
People willing to take a few dollars and make up some stories about Jesus.
People willing to stretch and twist reality in such a way that they could fashion a case against Jesus.
However . . .
Matthew
matthew 26:60-
So, they were not having much luck, when finally two people came forward with a claim.
And I can imagine there must have been some sort of reward for “getting Jesus”
And their claim?
This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’
Which is not what Jesus even said.
In fact, John records the events they are talking about.
In the moment, there was no question that Jesus was talking about himself and being raised from the dead.
He was not talking about the temple they were standing in, and they knew it.
But their minds were so clouded by sin, selfishness, greed, and hate that they would do anything to “take care of this Jesus.”
They could twist and justify anything at this point so long as the end result is what they wanted.
And it was 100% about what they wanted.
They could have cared less about what was right.
It was all about what they wanted.
And the High Priest pounced that the opportunity.
Threatening to destroy God’s temple!
That was a high offense to the Jews.
So he asks . . .
Matthew 26:52
Matthew 26:62-
So, the High Priest at this point is furious that Jesus will not answer him.
So his next step is to ask him directly, I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.
And what was Jesus going to do, lie?
If he did, then he would not have been the Son of God because he would have broken a commandment.
He could have remained silent, but that would not have fit in God’s plan and that in itself would have been disobedience.
No, the time for Jesus’ true identity to be revealed once and for all had come.
So he looks up and answers boldly . . .
Matthew 26:
And that sent the High Priest over the edge.
Not only did Jesus claim to be the Son of God, but also the Messiah, the One to fulfill the redemption of all humanity.
And, the High Priest responded in kind, and I don’t know how sincere he was or how much of it was political grandstanding . . .
Matthew 26:
Death.
Really?
Just because Jesus spoke the truth?
Just because he claimed to be the Son of God.
Now blasphemy was a serious charge but that was not the reason they wanted him to die.
They wanted Jesus to die because they knew he was telling the truth and he was a threat to them.
They had had others before who claimed to be God, but they would scare them and they would all run away.
They had seen Jesus’ work and they knew in their hearts he was telling the truth.
But sin had gripped them so tightly that they had to do whatever they could to end this misery that they were in.
And the first thing they did was lash out in hate . . .
Matthew 26:
Beat him and mocked him.
Peter’s True Faith Revealed (vs 69-75)
And remember Peter?
He was sitting there watching all of this.
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