NOTES for Luk 22:54-71

To whom are these lines addressed, and why were they written? They tell how Jesus was rejected by those who, it would seem, should have accepted Him: of the first disciple’s denial of the Teacher and the elders of the chief priests’ rejection of their Messiah. They could hardly have been intended to arouse hostility or hatred toward the Jews or to undermine the authority of a renowned apostle. Probably the reader, learning how many denials and betrayals Christ had to pass through and how He endured them, was meant to understand how little right he himself has to betray the Teacher and how impossible it is for him to take part in repeating this situation. Yet such a situation can arise at any time: when, under pressure from society, fear, or life’s circumstances, the words “I do not know this Man” rise unbidden to our lips; when what takes place is a denial not of an idea, a worldview, or a party, but of a Person, of God, of what is human and divine within you yourself...

Everything was going so well. The court had gathered, and the verdict was ready... After all, everything was clear to everyone: this Son of Man had no place on earth. They had found a good charge (the way Al Capone would later be jailed for tax evasion!), and witnesses had been found, but no, it was not working; the accusation was falling apart, and everything was turning out awkwardly. Well then, all in: "Are You the Son of God?" Either He breaks and denies it, or He says "yes," and we declare that blasphemy.

Jesus' answer is admirable. On the one hand, it is a polite form of an affirmative answer, but on the other, as always with Him, it returns the question to the one asking it: "Think for yourself and make a responsible decision." What the "judges" say shows that they heard, but this does not affect the decision made in advance.

It is interesting that when our "unbelievers" doubt who Jesus is, they nevertheless call Him Christ, that is, God's Anointed One. So He answers them, as it were, silently: "You are saying who I am." And He leaves them the freedom to decide.

What caused Peter's betrayal? Apostasy? Fear? Hardly: after all, only recently he had promised Jesus that he would die with Him if necessary. Peter was certainly a passionate and decisive man, but he was far from a boy who would throw words around and make careless promises. And he was certainly not cowardly; everything we know about him from the Gospel accounts testifies to that. Then what was it? Perhaps the suddenness and paradox of everything that was happening? Peter had certainly promised to be with Jesus to the end, as had all His other disciples. But what were they expecting? Jesus had more than once told them about His coming suffering and death, as well as His resurrection. But the apostles, it appears, never fully understood Him; everything became more or less clear to them only after the Resurrection, and finally clear, it seems, only after Pentecost. Even on the day of the Ascension they expected that now, at last, their Teacher would restore the "kingdom of Israel" and become the "real Messiah," the King whom many were expecting then. And at that time, during and immediately after the Last Supper, they seem to have been absolutely sure that the uprising was about to begin, that their Teacher would of course be in mortal danger, and that they were ready to stay with Him to the end, whatever happened. And suddenly there is no uprising; their Teacher surrenders without resistance; everything is over, completely and disastrously over. What should they do next? It is no surprise that everyone runs away. If everything ended before it began, then what is there to remain faithful to? To a Teacher who, as it seemed, had renounced all His plans? Only Peter had enough resolve for that; he stayed to see what would happen to Jesus next. And suddenly: but you were with Him! From one side, from another, from a third... And now for Peter: whether I was or was not, what difference does it make? What does it matter now, when everything is over? "I was not! I know nothing and no one; leave me alone!" That was the first and entirely natural reaction. And immediately, like lightning, a flash lit up his consciousness: I betrayed Him! I denied Him! This is what He warned me about! And at once came deep, burning repentance. Repentance that restores hope.

What happened was what had to happen, as Jesus had repeatedly foretold to His disciples. The world under the power of Satan could not endure its meeting with the Righteous One. It had either to die to sin itself, to change radically, to be reborn, or to pass a death sentence on this Man.

Having become disciples of Jesus, we must not forget this incompatibility of Christ and sin, not only in Him Himself, not only in our hearts, but also in the world. If we have truly found faith in Christ, then the choice inevitably stands before us: to die to ourselves and live with Him, or to join those who condemned Him to death two thousand years ago. Peter's denial shows that this choice does not change a person automatically, that his fears, weakness, and cowardice remain with him. Yet there is still an enormous difference between Peter, who wept bitterly over his denial, and the members of the Sanhedrin.