The inconsistency of which human nature is capable is proverbial. In the conduct of Peter we have a very striking instance of this characteristic quality of man. In Peter we have extremes meeting. None of Christ's disciples showed a quicker and clearer appreciation of the Master's claims; none showed a more fervent attachment to the Master himself. Yet, strange to say, Peter was conspicuous above the rest for his faint-heartedness in the time of trial and of danger. The two dispositions are equally apparent upon occasion of the incident recorded in this passage.

I. ARDENT AFFECTION. The sincerity and strength of Peter's love for Jesus cannot be questioned.

1. It was this which had impelled him to draw the sword in his Master's defense.

2. It was this which impelled him to follow Jesus when his colleagues and companions had fled.

3. It was this which urged him to accompany John without having the guarantee of safety which John possessed.

4. It was this which led him to dare the risk attaching to the neighborhood of the court and high priest's dwelling. No motive save the pure motive of affection could have induced Peter to act as he did.

II. TIMOROUS FALSEHOOD.

1. This was apparently upon a slight occasion and inappreciable danger. The charge brought by a maid who kept the door was enough to throw off his guard the boldest and chief of the apostles.

2. It was in contrast with his previous confessions. None of the twelve had been more forward to apprehend and to acknowledge the claims of Jesus to Messiahship and to Divinity than had Peter.

3. It was a poor recompense for the distinguishing favor which had been shown to Peter in common with two other of the twelve. He who had been on the mount and in the garden with Jesus now denied him.

4. It was the occasion of bitter remorse and true repentance on the part of the offender against conscience and against Christ.

5. It became a recollection, which in his after-ministry stimulated Peter to watchfulness and to prayer.

LESSON. The narrative is a warning against relying too much upon religious feeling. Peter felt deeply and warmly towards Christ; yet he fell. Many Christians think that they are secure because the gospel touches their emotions. The counsel of Jesus himself must not be forgotten: "Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation!" - T.

I. FOREANNOUNCED (John 13:38). Three surprises.

1. The person concerned. Peter the man of rock, whose faith had appeared the brightest (John 6:68; Matthew 16:16). Whose zeal had seemed the greatest (John 13:37), and whose courage had been accounted the boldest (Matthew 14:28). Had it been Thomas the desponding (John 11:16), the wonder would have been less; had it been John the beloved, it could hardly have been more. Let it teach —(1) That no man knows himself or his fellows as Christ does.(2) That they who seem the least assailable are often the soonest overcome.(3) That no saint, however large his capacities or high his attainments, is beyond the possibility of a fall.

2. The time indicated. That might of the Paschal feast, &c., when Peter would have said that his faith was strongest and his love warmest. This too has lessons.(1) That times of highest spiritual excitement are often seasons of greatest danger.(2) That there are moments when Christ's followers need most to be on their guard.

3. The sin predicted. Desertion would have caused a shock: it staggers one to read of denial. It discloses.(1) How near the best of saints are to the abysses of sin.(2) How suddenly and swiftly one may be hurled from a pinnacle of moral goodness to the lowest deep of guilt and shame.(3) How close even in renewed hearts lie the extremes of godliness and wickedness.(4) How needful it is for him who thinketh he standeth, to take heed lest he fall.

II. ACCOMPLISHED.

1. The first denial (ver. 17).(1) The place — the court of the high priest, beside a fire.(2) The time — shortly after Peter had been admitted.(3) The questioner — the maid who kept the door.(4) The question — variously reported because variously given, first to Peter and then to the bystanders, but every time insisting on the fact that Peter was one of Christ's disciples.(5) The denial — spluttered forth in various forms, because of the uneasiness Peter felt, in all forms repudiating his discipleship, and telling a direct lie — "I am not"(6) The result — restless and unhappy: Peter with-drew from the fire, and sauntered out into the porch (Matthew 26:71; Mark 14:68). While there a cock crew. If Peter's ears heard, his conscience did not.

2. The second denial (ver. 25).(1) The place — first in the porch and afterwards by the fire.(2) The time — "after a while."(3) The questioner — in the porch the maid, who was perhaps joined by another female domestic; by the fire the maid and the officers.(4) The question — still insisting on the fact of His discipleship.(5) The denial — to the maids, with an oath he denies all knowledge of Christ, to the officers he curtly denies his discipleship.

3. The third denial (ver. 27).(1) The place — the court (probably).(2) The time — a little after, when Christ's trial before Caiaphas was drawing to a close.(3) The questioner — the bystanders, among whom was a kinsman of Malchus.(4) The question — first the bystanders remark that he speaks like a Galilean, and must be a disciple; then one in particular maintains this vehemently; finally Malchus's kinsman identifies him with one whom he had noticed in the garden.(5) The denial — with cursing and swearing. Oh! Peter, how are the mighty fallen!

III. EXPLAINED. By three things.

1. Peter's over-confidence in the upper room (John 13:3; Matthew 26:33). "Pride goeth before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18).

2. Peter's over-rashness in the garden (ver. 10). His lawlessness upon the sward made him timid in the palace. His foolish sword-practice wrought less damage to Malchus than to himself.

3. Peter's over-forgetfulness in the palace. If Peter forgot his own sin, he should not have forgotten Christ's Fords. A good memory would probably have averted his fall.

IV. BEWAILED (Matthew 26:75). Learn —

1. That Christ accurately gauges the characters and foresees the histories of His people.

2. That Divine foreknowledge destroys not human responsibility, while Divine foreannouncement increases it.

3. That overweening confidence in oneself is no mark of grace or stability, but rather of the opposite.

4. That it requires little to lead a good man, left to himself, into sin, and once started on the downward path none can predict when he will stop.

5. That Christ knows, if the world does not, when Christians deny Him, and that no greater indignity can be put upon Him than to be disowned by such as bear His name.

6. That if a child of God sins He must and will be brought to repentance, perhaps suddenly and painfully, but always with tears.

7. That those who have truly sorrowed for sin will sorrow on every remembrance of it; yet not so as to hinder, but rather increase, their joy in God and in His mercy and grace.

(T. Whitelaw, D. D.)

A grievous sin. The disciple disowned his Master, the servant his Lord.

I. ITS ELEMENTS.

1. Falsehood.

2. Cowardice.

3. Profanity.

4. Persistence.

II. ITS AGGRAVATIONS.

1. His close connection with Christ.

2. The repeated warnings.

3. Strong professions of devotion.

4. The imperative demands of the time and place.

III. ITS MITIGATIONS. It was —

1. Sudden.

2. Brief.

3. Never repeated.

IV. ITS CHIEF CAUSES.

1. Self-confidence.

2. Blindness to near danger.

3. Negligence of precautions.

4. Fear of derision.

(M. Braithwaite.)

Here is true courage —

I. NOBLY DISPLAYED (ver. 15). To follow One who was being dragged by Roman ruffians to undergo a mock trial, and who in a few hours would undergo a terrible crucifixion, revealed bravery of heart of no mean character.

II. TEMPORARILY FAILING (ver 16). It would seem that at this stage Peter's courage began to fail, for he halted at the door, so that John had to go and take him in. As he entered he was recognized by the portress (ver. 17).

1. Here is fear seeking to protect itself by falsehood (ver. 18). Fear had taken possession of Peter, and to protect himself he halted by the fire, mingling with the people who stood there, desiring, it may be, to be regarded as one of them. Fear, perhaps, is the most prolific parent of lies. Greed is one — it fills the market with its fallacies; vanity is another — it fills social circles with misrepresentations; malice is a third — it hatches the slanders that destroy reputations and break hearts; but fear is the most fruitful.

2. But this fear was only temporary; his failing courage was soon restored. The look of Christ rallied the drooping forces of his moral manhood, and ever after he appears as a hero among heroes.Conclusion: Learn —

1. The liability of good men to moral reactions.

2. Whatever the moral reactions, the good element will ultimately prevail.

(D. Thomas, D. D.)

Lie engenders lie. Once committed, the liar has to go on in his course of lying. It is the penalty of his transgression. To the habitual liar, bronzed and hardened in the custom, till the custom becomes second nature, the penalty may seem no terrible price to pay. To him, on the other hand, who, without deliberate intent, and against his innermost will, is overtaken with such a fault, the generative power of a first lie to beget others, the necessity of supporting the first by a second and a third, is a retribution keenly to be felt, while penitently owned to be most just. Dean Swift says: "He who tells a lie is not sensible how great a task he undertakes; for he must be forced to invent twenty more to maintain that one;" and F. W. Robertson: "One step necessitates many others. The soul gravitates downwards beneath its burden. It was profound knowledge which prophetically refused to limit Peter's sin to one." Mr. Froude shows us Queen Elizabeth stooping to "a deliberate lie." At times "she seemed to struggle with her ignominy, but it was only to flounder deeper into distraction and dishonour." Nobody ever did anything wrong without having to tell one or more falsehoods to begin with: the embryo murderer has to tell a lie about the pistol or dagger, the would-be suicide about the poison. "The ways down which the bad ship Wickedness slides to a shoreless ocean must be greased with lies."

(F. Jacox, B. A.)

Annas, Barabbas, Caiaphas, Jesus, Judas, Malchus, Peter, Pilate, SimonJerusalem, Kidron, NazarethAlong, Chief, Court, Courtyard, Disciple, Entered, Followed, Friend, Hall, Latter, Meanwhile, Palace, Peter, Priest, Priest's, Simon1. Judas betrays Jesus.
6. The officers fall to the ground.
10. Peter cuts off Malchus' ear.
12. Jesus is taken, and led unto Annas and Caiaphas.
15. Peter's denial.
19. Jesus examined before Caiaphas.
25. Peter's second and third denial.
28. Jesus arraigned before Pilate.
36. His kingdom.
40. The Jews prefer Barabbas.

John 18:15

     5271   courtyard
     7378   high priest, NT
     8120   following Christ

John 18:15-16

     5299   door

John 18:15-18

     5113   Peter, disciple
     5819   cowardice
     8712   denial of Christ

March 24 Evening
God hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.--I THES. 2:12. My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, . . . but now is my kingdom not from hence.--Expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.--Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.--I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

November 23 Evening
My kingdom is not of this world.--JOHN 18:36. This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies may be made his footstool.--Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. He must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.--He raised him from the dead, and set …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

Jesus Before Caiaphas
'And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this Man's disciples? He saith, I am not. And the servants and officers stood there, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

Art Thou a King?
'Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this Man? They answered and said unto him, If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye Him, and judge Him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

Christ and his Captors
'As soon then as He had said unto them, I am He, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked He them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He: if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way: That the saying might he fulfilled, which He spake, Of them which Thou gayest Me have I lost none.'--JOHN xviii. 6-9. This remarkable incident is narrated by John only. It fits in with the purpose which he himself tells us governed his selection …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

Calvary: victory. Matthew 26:47-27:61. Mark 14: 43-15:47. Luke 22:47-23:56. John 18:1-19:42.
Yielding to Arrest: the betrayal--protecting the disciples--checking Peter's violence--the arrest--the disciples forsake Him--except two, John 18:15, 16. The Real Jewish Ruler: Annas the intriguer--an unrebuked insult--the case settled at once--before Caiaphas--difficulty in fixing a charge--the dramatic question and solemn answer--second condemnation--gross insults. Held Steady by Great Love: Peter gains entrance through John, John 18:16.--the stammering denial--the bolder--with oaths and …
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

Kingship.
Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king! To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth: every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.--John xviii. 37. Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king. The question is called forth by what the Lord had just said concerning his kingdom, closing with the statement that it was not of this world. He now answers Pilate that he is a king indeed, but shows him that his kingdom …
George MacDonald—Unspoken Sermons

First Stage of Jewish Trial. Examination by Annas.
(Friday Before Dawn.) ^D John XVIII. 12-14, 19-23. ^d 12 So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound him, 13 and led him to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. [For confusion in the priesthood, etc., see pp. 64 and 528.] 14 Now Caiaphas was he that gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. [See p. 528. John restates this fact to remind the reader that Jesus was about …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Thursday Night - Before Annas and Caiaphas - Peter and Jesus.
IT was not a long way that they led the bound Christ. Probably through the same gate by which He had gone forth with His disciples after the Paschal Supper, up to where, on the slope between the Upper City and the Tyropoeon, stood the well-known Palace of Annas. There were no idle saunterers in the streets of Jerusalem at that late hour, and the tramp of the Roman guard must have been too often heard to startle sleepers, or to lead to the inquiry why that glare of lamps and torches, and Who was the …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Shadow of Death
196. Of the garden of Gethsemane it is only known that it was across the Kidron, on the slope of the Mount of Olives. Tradition has long pointed to an enclosure some fifty yards beyond the bridge that crosses the ravine on the road leading eastward from St. Stephen's gate. Most students feel that this is too near the city and the highway for the place of retreat chosen by Jesus. Archaeologically and sentimentally the identification of places connected with the life of Jesus is of great interest. …
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

A Review and a Challenge
The Social Principles of Jesus Demand Personal Allegiance and Social Action DAILY READINGS First Day: The Social Mission of Christians Ye are the salt of the earth.... Ye are the light of the world.--Matt. 5:13, 14. "Jesus speaks here with the consciousness of an historic mission to the whole of humanity. Yet it was a Nazarene carpenter speaking to a group of Galilean peasants and fishermen. Under the circumstances, and at the time, it was an utterance of the most daring faith--faith in himself, …
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

The Arrest.
"When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Kidron, where was a garden, into the which He entered, Himself and His disciples. Now Judas also, which betrayed Him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with His disciples. Judas then, having received the band of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went …
Marcus Dods—The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St John, Vol. II

Peter's Denial and Repentance.
"So the band and the chief captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known unto the high priest, and entered in with Jesus into the court of the high priest; but Peter was standing …
Marcus Dods—The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St John, Vol. II

Jesus Before Pilate.
"They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the palace: and it was early; and they themselves entered not into the palace, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Pilate therefore went out unto them, and saith, What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If this man were not an evil-doer, we should not have delivered Him up unto thee. Pilate therefore said unto them, Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law. The Jews said unto him, …
Marcus Dods—The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St John, Vol. II

Comparison Between the False Church and the True.
1. Recapitulation of the matters treated in the previous chapter. Substance of the present chapter--viz. Where lying and falsehood prevail, no Church exists. There is falsehood wherever the pure doctrine of Christ is not in vigour. 2. This falsehood prevails under the Papacy. Hence the Papacy is not a Church. Still the Papists extol their own Church, and charge those who dissent from it with heresy and schism. They attempt to defend their vaunting by the name of personal succession. A succession …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Arrest of Jesus
Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.--Now he that betrayed him …
Richard Newton—The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young

The Betrayal.
Leaving the Upper Room, Jesus and his disciples went out into the moonlit night, for there was full moon at the passover, and took their way through the streets out of the eastern gate, across the Kedron, to the garden of Gethsemane, about a half mile from the city walls, near the western base of Mt. Olivet. The Garden, or orchard, takes its name from a word meaning oil press, and doubtless was shaded by the olive trees, from which the hill takes its designation. Still the traveler meets on this …
B.W. Johnson—The New Testament Commentary Vol. III: John

The Trial Before the High Priest.
"Reading the Gospels side by side, we will, with care and study, see how all they tell us falls accurately into its proper position in the general narrative, and shows us a six-fold trial, a quadruple decision, a triple acquittal, a twice repeated condemnation of Christ our Lord. We soon perceive that of the three successive trials which our Lord underwent at the hands of the Jews, the first only--that before Annas--is related to us by John; the second--that before Caiaphas--by Matthew and Mark; …
B.W. Johnson—The New Testament Commentary Vol. III: John

Christ Before Pilate.
John only gives the detailed account of the private examinations of Jesus by Pilate during the civil trial recorded in 18:33-37. He probably went within Pilate's palace as he would not be deterred by the scruples of the Jews, having eaten his passover, and he was therefore a personal witness. His account aids much in explaining Pilate's language to the Jews and to Christ, which is recorded in the other Gospels. The trial before Pilate divides itself into the following acts: 1. Without the Prætorium. …
B.W. Johnson—The New Testament Commentary Vol. III: John

Messiah Despised, and Rejected of Men
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief. T he heathen moralists, ignorant of the character and perfections of God, the true dignity and immorality of the soul, and the root and extent of human depravity, had no better foundation, for what they call virtue, than pride; no higher aim in their regulations, than the interests of society, and the conduct of civil life. They expressed, indeed, occasionally, some sentiments of a superior kind; but these, however just …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Messiah Rising from the Dead
For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. T hat the Gospel is a divine revelation may be summarily proved from the character of its Author. If an infidel was so far divested of prejudice and prepossession, as to read the history of Jesus Christ, recorded by the Evangelists, with attention, and in order to form his judgment of it, simply and candidly, as evidence should appear; I think he must observe many particulars in his spirit and conduct, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Greatest Trial on Record
Brethren, as the Lord gave commandment concerning even the ashes and offal of the sacrifices, we ought to think no matter trivial which stands in connection with our great burnt offering. My admonition is, "Gather up the fragments which remain, that nothing be lost." As goldsmiths sweep their shops, to save even the filings of the gold, so every word of Jesus should be treasured up as very precious. But, indeed, the narrative to which I invite you is not unimportant. Things which were purposed of …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 9: 1863

Of the Matters to be Considered in the Councils.
Let us now consider the matters which should be treated in the councils, and with which popes, cardinals, bishops, and all learned men should occupy themselves day and night, if they loved Christ and His Church. But if they do not do so, the people at large and the temporal powers must do so, without considering the thunders of their excommunications. For an unjust excommunication is better than ten just absolutions, and an unjust absolution is worse than ten just excommunications. Therefore let …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

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