Peter Denies Christ

Luke 22:54 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. 

Peter was following at a distance. All 4 gospels record this fact. John indicates that another disciple —presumably himself—also followed (Jn 18:15).

Luke 22:55 Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

Luke 22:56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”

All 4 gospels mention her. She appears to have been the doorkeeper of Annas’ house. 

Luke 22:57 But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 

John 18:13–18 says this first denial took place while Jesus was being examined by Annas, father-in- law to Caiaphas. 

Both accounts mention a fire in the courtyard (v. 55; Jn 18:18) so it may be that the houses of Annas and Caiaphas shared a common courtyard. Only John mentions the examination by Annas, so the other gospels describe Peter’s 3-fold denial as an incident that took place in the porch and courtyard of Caiaphas’ house.

Luke 22:58 And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 

“Another” is a masculine pronoun in the Gr., indicating a man. Mark 14:69 says this second challenge to Peter came from the same servant-girl who first recognized him (v. 56). The supposed discrepancy is easily reconciled when it is remembered that Peter was among several bystanders, and many of them questioned him at once (Mt 26:73). He responded with his second denial.

Luke 22:59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”

Luke 22:60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

Luke 22:61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Luke alone records that Jesus made eye contact with Peter.

The verb used suggests an intent, fixed look. The fact that He could see Peter suggests that the men holding Jesus had already brought Him into the courtyard to beat Him (v. 63).

Luke 22:62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Christ is Beaten

Luke 22:63 Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. 

Luke includes no details about Caiaphas’ first interrogation of Jesus, recorded in Mt 26:59–68; Mk 14:55–65. The beating described here evidently took place after that first examination, before the Sanhedrin could assemble for its official hearing (v. 66).

Luke 22:64 And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?”

Luke 22:65 And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

The Sanhedrin Tries Christ

Luke 22:66 As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, 

Criminal trials were not deemed legal if held at night, so the Sanhedrin dutifully waited until daybreak to render the verdict they had already agreed on anyway (cf. Mt 26:66; Mk 14:64).

Luke 22:67 “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe.

The Sanhedrin subjected Him to the same set of questions He had been asked in the nighttime trial, and the answers He gave were substantially the same.

Luke 22:68 And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.

Luke 22:69 Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

Luke 22:70 Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.”

Luke 22:71 And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His
own mouth.”

Pilate Tries Christ

Luke 23:1 Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. :2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” 

Following His appearance before the Sanhedrin (the whole multitude of them), Jesus was hurried away to be put on civil trial before Pilate, the Roman governor. Three political charges were now brought against Him by the religious leaders. First of all, they accused Him of perverting the nation, that is, of turning the loyalty of the people away from Rome. Secondly, they said that He forbade Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. Finally, they accused Him of making Himself a King.

Luke 23:3 Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as
you say.”

Luke 23:4 So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.”

Despite the Jewish leaders’ desperate attempts to accuse Him, Pilate was satisfied that Jesus was no insurrectionist, but the ferocity of the people made him afraid to exonerate Jesus. He was relieved to hear that Jesus was a Galilean, because that gave him an excuse to send Him to Herod (vv. 5, 6).

Luke 23:5 But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.”

Luke 23:6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. :7 And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. 

When Pilate heard the word Galilee, he thought he had found an escape route for himself. Galilee was Herod’s jurisdiction, and so Pilate tried to avoid any further involvement in this case by turning Jesus over to Herod. It so happened that Herod was visiting in Jerusalem at that very time.

Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great, who massacred the infants of Bethlehem. It was Antipas who murdered John the Baptist for condemning his illicit relationship with his brother’s wife. This was the Herod whom Jesus called “that fox” in Luke 13:32.

Herod Tries Christ

Luke 23:8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. 

Herod’s interest in Christ was fueled by the fact that Christ reminded him of his late nemesis, John the Baptist (cf. 9:7–9).