Welcome to the Books of
the Books series here on 3ABN.
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I'm Glenn Russell
professor of religion
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Andrews University here
with friend and scholar,
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colleague, Dr.
Ranko Stefanovich.
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Ranko you teach at
the theological seminary.
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I'm an under grad teacher
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but we had some
good years of teaching
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together in the
religion department.
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Ranko, we're
exploring this Book of Mathew.
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We've come to
these powerful chapters
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and I just have
to say for both of us
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as we're exploring
this you just kind of feel
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human language isn't adequate.
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It filled us with
awe and also trembling
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because we are
dealing something I'm afraid
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we are not able to
understand completely.
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These are sacred
passages. All of scripture
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is and these just bring
us to the very heart of God
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as we see Jesus.
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In the book of Desire of Ages,
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actually we read
that this is a subject
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we'll try to
understand through all eternity.
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-Yes. -So who are we now that--
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Well, let's try to understand
little bit more of it today
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and let's enter into prayer
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that God can help
us in that process.
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Lord, we--we
recognize our short comings,
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our inability to
grasp the infinite love
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of Your Son Jesus Christ.
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But we pray that the person
the Holy Spirit will be with us.
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May we be drawn to you
through the study of Your word.
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We know that you've
given us scriptures,
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so that we cannot just
argue about it or debate,
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but actually be drawn
to you to commit our lives
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to you as our Savior,
to be faithful to you.
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May that be our experience
in Jesus name we pray, amen.
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Now we have seen the
journey of Jesus to the cross,
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He's come through the
Lord's supper experience.
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We've seen Him in the garden
and that that momentous struggle
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with the fate of
humanity hanging in the balance
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and Jesus surrenders His
life, His will to the cross.
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Coming out of that experience
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we find the attack
of the mob with Judas.
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I'm marvel--you know,
it's just a small point here,
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but when Judas
comes and kisses him
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and Jesus says to him, "friend."
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I mean, what forgiving, you
know, Judas has gone too far.
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The devil has come in to
him as the scripture said,
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but Jesus still
doesn't brush him aside.
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Now we come down to the
arrest and trials of Jesus.
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May I pick up Mathew Chapter 26
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starting with verse 57. -Please.
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"Then those who had seized Jesus
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led him to
Caiaphas the high priest,
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where the scribes and
the elders had gathered."
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And may be should
pause right here, Ranko.
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People might get
confused, 'cause it
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mentions a couple of priests,
Who were they? Caiaphas,
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Annas, and so forth.
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Among the Jewish people,
there was always a high priest.
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But in the first
century as Palestine the Jews
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were under the Roman occupation,
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the priest was not
only a religious figure.
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Do you remember we
talk about the Sadducees?
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Sadducees also
claim political power,
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so the high priest
was also the president
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of the Jewish
parliament of that time
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known as the Sanhedrin.
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You noticed in the text
it says that they took him
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to the house of
Caiaphas were the scribes
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and the elders
were gathered together.
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Sanhedrin comes
from Greek, it means 70.
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So Caiaphas is the high priest.
His father in law is Annas.
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Is Annas--actually
he retired. -Yes.
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So he was not
official the high priest,
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but you know,
when you have a person
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who is the high priest
and political Jewish leader
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I mean, for a long
time he had a great impact
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and influence on people.
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You see, we are not
talking about modern times
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where person is the president,
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after that, he does not have
the any authoritative power.
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Those ancient times
you had authoritative power
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as long as you live.
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-The influence is
still there. -Yes.
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Let's pick it up
now with verse 58.
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"But Peter
followed him at a distance
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as far as the
courtyard of the high priest,
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and going inside he set
with the guards to see the end.
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Now the chief
priests, and the whole council
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sought false
testimony against Jesus,
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that they might
put him to death."
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What are we seeing so far?
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The trial is getting set up,
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but they're not
seeking truth, aren't they?
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No, Sanhedrin would
take place in the temple--
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And again
remind us the Sanhedrin
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is kind of the combination
of the church headquarters and--
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-And political
power. -The Supreme Court.
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But very often we have
Jewish sources indicate
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that very often
Sanhedrin could have a meeting
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in the house of the high priest.
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If we go to Israel today,
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there is a
traditional house of high priest
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and we have a
many, many evidences
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that really this could be that
real house of the high priest
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and this is true then you go,
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Glenn, I don't know if
you visit at their place,
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you go there to the basement.
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By the way there is
still original stairways
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leading to Caiaphas house
that are from the first century.
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Glenn, when you are
there, then you understand
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if this is really Caiaphas
house this were the stairways
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by which Jesus climbed as
He was taken to Caiaphas house
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and that basement was the
place were Jesus was held.
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You know, they took
Him probably about midnight
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or maybe 2 in the morning
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Sanhedrin met
early in the morning,
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so Jesus for few
hours was locked there
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in the basement
of Caiaphas house,
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but just to
mention one more detail is
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Sanhedrin had the meeting.
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Why did they have that
meeting during the night?
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Because they did an illegal act.
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Sanhedrin, we said,
it was the Supreme Court,
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but really they did not have any
judicial power and authority.
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They couldn't
examine the person,
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present the accusations,
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but it's the Roman
authority, the procurator
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at that time was Pilate,
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he could really accept
or reject those accusations
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and only the Roman authority,
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the procurator could
sentence somebody to death,
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so they were aware of that.
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But they wanted
to do something more,
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that's why they decided to make
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an illegal trial
during the night.
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And we'll see that
they're dependent on the Romans
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as you said for
the death penalty
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and they've got
to find some charges
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that the Romans will
accept. -But what charges?
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They've got
religious issues here,
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but it'll change
and they'll become
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more political
in their refinement.
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Now we understand why they
tempted Jesus with the taxes.
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Can you imagine if Jesus failed
with that--boy, it's enough
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just to go to Pilate and
say, you see this is the person
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we selected the people
or refused to pay taxes,
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that was enough to be crucified.
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But they did not have anything.
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Now these steps that you
mentioned, Peter followed them
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also a bit behind Jesus.
What happens in his story?
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So you have two
part of the play.
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They're in the courtyard.
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They're bringing all
those false witnesses
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as we are reading in
the text, all accusations.
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They could not really
find any charges against Jesus.
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They could say, you
know, He was teaching,
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He is selecting people against
our traditions et cetera.
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But the Romans
authorities would not by,
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they say this is
your private matter.
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Let's read what the text says
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here in verse 59
just on that point.
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"Now the chief
priest and the whole council
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sought false
witnesses against Jesus,
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that they might
put him to death,
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but they found none, though many
false witnesses came forward."
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So people were
coming making up things,
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but they had to find someone
who had just the right point.
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They could not.
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Actually Jesus
provided the point to them
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after everything, you
know, then the high priest says,
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boy, you are not responding.
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Why would Jesus
respond? There was nothing true.
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And then Jesus made
that statement in verse 64,
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Glenn, can you
read it? -All right.
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"And Jesus said to
him, 'You have said so,'"
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because the question
came, "'Are you the Messiah?'
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'You have said
so, but I tell you,
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hereafter, you
will see the son of man
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seated at the
right hand of power
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and coming in the
clouds of heaven.'"
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-What did high
priest do? -Oh, boy.
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"Then the high priest
tore his robes and said,
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'He has uttered blasphemy.
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Why do we still need witnesses?
You have heard his blasphemy.'"
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So two things they now found.
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You see, we as a
nation chosen by God,
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we have now clear evidence
that He's doing blasphemy,
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because he is
claiming that he would come
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at the right hand of the power.
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What did they refer
to, to Daniel Chapter 7,
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we know that in Jewish
writings, Daniel Chapter 7,
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when you have
one like a son of man
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coming before
God there and to him
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was given all the
power and the authority.
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So they said, you
see, Jesus claimed to be
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that son of man
of Daniel Chapter 3
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which was actually the
messianic figure with that.
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But second thing is
when you claim to sit
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at the right hand of the power,
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it means you
claim to be that Messiah
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who would sit on
the throne of David
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and they had the arguments
to accuse Jesus that actually
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He was that usurper who wanted
to claim that power for himself
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to establish that kingdom,
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in other words to
rebel against Romans.
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So we have here two clear points
what they try to do with Jesus.
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And of course, they turn
against Him and the high priest
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in a mocking sense of
purity tears his robes.
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And they spit and they slap him
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and say, "Prophesy
against you" and so forth.
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But that was not hard for Jesus.
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He counted on that.
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He made decision
in Garden Gethsemane.
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But actually, there was a
significant hate that came,
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not from those people.
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It's from Jesus beloved
disciple by name of Peter.
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Glenn, can you
just reflect that?
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"Peter was sitting
outside in the courtyard
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and maid came to him and said,
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'You also were with
Jesus, the Galileans.'"
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Now Galileans were
known for their language.
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The Galileans were
not the most sophisticated
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and she's picked up
some accent and she senses
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who he is and she
perhaps recognizes him.
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Like people recognize me, as
soon as I'm talking to people
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they recognize me
where I am from, yeah.
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This man was with
Jesus of Nazareth.
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And he denies that and
now there's with an oath,
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and he says no and after
a little while more, came up
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and said the same and
then it says in verse 74,
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"Then he began to invoke a
curse on himself and to swear,
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'I do not know the man.'
And immediately the cock crowed.
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and Peter
remembered the saying of Jesus,
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before the cock crews,
you will deny me three times
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and he went out,
and wept bitterly."
00:11:42.60\00:11:44.83
Glenn, I would like
to read another text,
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very close to that.
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If you can read verse
00:11:49.50\00:11:53.54
three to six of
the next chapter 27.
00:11:53.58\00:12:00.82
"When Judas, his betrayer,
saw that He was condemned,
00:12:01.82\00:12:04.49
he repented and brought
back the thirty pieces of silver
00:12:04.52\00:12:08.02
to the chief
priest and the elders.
00:12:08.06\00:12:09.99
Saying, 'I have sinned
and betraying innocent blood.'
00:12:10.03\00:12:12.96
And they said,
'What is that to us?
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See to it yourself.'
00:12:14.60\00:12:16.06
And throwing down
the pieces of sliver
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in the temple he departed,
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and he went and hanged himself.
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But the chief priest taking
the pieces of sliver said,
00:12:20.84\00:12:23.84
'It is not lawful to
put them into the treasure,
00:12:23.87\00:12:25.84
for they are blood money.'"
00:12:25.87\00:12:27.21
And then they go out
and buy the potter's field.
00:12:27.24\00:12:29.31
So who of these two had
committed more terrible sin?
00:12:29.34\00:12:35.45
There is a lot of similarities
between Peter and Judas
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both were disciples,
both had every opportunity
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to hear Jesus preach,
00:12:40.42\00:12:41.76
both had been sent
out as missionaries.
00:12:41.79\00:12:44.09
Both had seen the
miracles of Jesus,
00:12:44.13\00:12:46.19
but their
experience is different.
00:12:46.23\00:12:47.73
But can you imagine
Peter three times swearing,
00:12:47.76\00:12:52.33
using oath, I do not know Him.
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When we are talking
about the greatness of sin,
00:12:55.57\00:13:00.58
I don't see the difference,
but that there is a difference.
00:13:00.61\00:13:05.58
What Peter did was
because of the fear,
00:13:05.61\00:13:09.55
of the weakness of his flesh.
00:13:09.58\00:13:11.15
You know, Peter
was always fast to talk
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and after that he
will start thinking about
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what he was
talking, so it was his--
00:13:15.86\00:13:19.89
with Peter there was not
impulse weakness at a moment.
00:13:19.93\00:13:24.60
Actually, it was something that,
that not Peter sorry Judas,
00:13:24.63\00:13:29.54
the Judas was
something building,
00:13:29.57\00:13:31.31
building his character
from the very beginning
00:13:31.34\00:13:33.71
when he joined to Jesus.
00:13:33.74\00:13:35.44
So there's a
calculated resistance
00:13:35.48\00:13:37.41
rather than a
weakness of the flesh.
00:13:37.45\00:13:39.35
And you see that,
but still there was
00:13:39.38\00:13:41.65
an opportunity
for Judas to repent.
00:13:41.68\00:13:43.82
Do you remember
Jesus called him "friend"?
00:13:43.85\00:13:46.55
-Friend. -What
is the difference?
00:13:46.59\00:13:48.76
The difference is that
Peter repented genuinely
00:13:48.79\00:13:55.33
and we know
that he was forgiven.
00:13:55.36\00:13:58.57
Judas, he repented
but that was never,
00:13:58.60\00:14:01.44
never genuine,
genuine repentance.
00:14:01.47\00:14:04.67
And we see that
Jesus looked at Peter
00:14:04.71\00:14:06.78
and loved him and he must
have felt such disappointment
00:14:06.81\00:14:11.41
and yet He looks
in love at Peter.
00:14:11.45\00:14:13.01
And this is what drove
Peter out into the darkness
00:14:13.05\00:14:15.78
to weep and to
cry, but let's remember
00:14:15.82\00:14:17.62
that Peter has that
repentance experience
00:14:17.65\00:14:20.59
and Jesus had prophesied.
He said "when you fall,
00:14:20.62\00:14:24.39
when you come back, I'll
restore you to brethren."
00:14:24.43\00:14:27.23
Jesus had already said
that He'll be with Peter.
00:14:27.23\00:14:30.07
So remember you
may have stumbled
00:14:30.10\00:14:31.53
and fallen a
little bit like Peter,
00:14:31.57\00:14:33.40
but your Savior
will still be with you.
00:14:33.44\00:14:34.94
We're gonna explore
this a little bit more
00:14:34.97\00:14:36.37
right after our
break, we'll be right back.
00:14:36.40\00:14:38.57