Denied & Delivered
John 18: 25-19:22 (May 30)
Let’s back up for a minute and go back to yesterday’s scripture. When Peter followed Jesus and his captors into the courtyard of the high priest, a woman asked him, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?”
DENIAL #1... “No,” he said, “I am not.”
While he was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?”
DENIAL #2... He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”
A household slave who was a relative of the man whose ear he had cut asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?”
DENIAL #3... Again Peter denied it.
And guess what happened next??? That’s right... you got it ...a rooster crowed!
This man, this friend, who was so quick to draw his sword to defend his friend, denied knowing him on three separate occasions immediately following that occurrence.
WHAT? WHAT KIND OF FRIEND IS THAT?
A scared one. A confused one. A hurting and sad one. A person who is just trying to survive because he knows he still has much to do.
We can only imagine what we might do in a similar situation. Peter never dreamed he would deny Jesus once, much less THREE times. But when faced with the possibility of death, he most assuredly did just that.
Yes, Jesus was denied. Jesus is still denied today by so many who don’t believe in the truth of the gospel. The difference being that they don’t even feel the shame that Peter felt once he realized what he had done.
They deny him publicly, and loudly. They ridicule those who believe, and often persecution follows. What does that persecution like? For some it is ridicule and mockery. For some it is ostracism. For others it can be death. Make no mistake, the denial of Jesus is still very much alive in our world.
Not only was he denied. He was also delivered.
His accusers brought him to Pilate, who found him guilty of nothing. Pilate offers to release Jesus, but the crowd requests Barnabas instead.
Jesus was flogged with a whip and a crown of thorns was placed on his head. Once again, Pilate offers to release Jesus. The crowd wanted no release for him.
“ Crucify him! Crucify him!” But pilate refused to do it. “ Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “ I find him not guilty.”
When Pilate finds out he is called the Son of God, he is frightened and takes Jesus back in to question him. He tried to release him again, but the Jewish leaders threatened his position. So Jesus was turned over... DELIVERED... to them to be crucified.
An interesting nugget... Jesus was denied THREE times. Pilate tried to free Jesus THREE times. Is there any significance to that? Probably not. But I just love when I find a little golden nugget in my scriptural reading.
Was Jesus denied? Was he delivered? He sure was. The denial and delivery that took place that day offered me, you, and all who believe, the opportunity to DENY the enemy through the strength that comes from Christ, and to be DELIVERED into heaven to spend eternity with the one who was DENIED & DELIVERED for us.
What can we say, except “THANK YOU!”