April 3 | John 18:15-40

Terry Gustafson
Apr 3
4 min read

DAILY READING

REFLECTION

Denial

By Terry Gustafson

It’s early Friday morning. The Passover is about to begin. Jesus has been arrested and brought to the high priests, Annas and Caiaphas. The disciples have scattered. All four Gospels record the events in these verses (Matthew 26:69-27:31; Mark 14:66-15:20, Luke 22:54-23:25). What we see in these verses is a cast of characters who are dealing with various forms of denial with regard to Jesus.

Annas and Caiaphas denied Jesus’ teaching (John 18:19-24). The high priests question Jesus about His disciples and teaching. Jesus responds by pointing out that He has been teaching quite openly in the temple. Nothing Jesus has been teaching is a secret. Matthew and Mark point out that the high priests even used false witnesses to try to tie Christ to some offense, before finally accusing Him of blasphemy. All the while they denied Christ’s teaching.
Pilate denied Jesus’ kingship (John 18:28-40). The high priests wanted Jesus dead, but under Roman law they could not do so. But the Romans could execute someone. Therefore, they brought Jesus to Pilate. Pilate ruled that region for Rome from 26 AD to 36 AD. Pilate was proud, cruel (Luke 13:1), shrewd (Matthew 27:18), self-seeking (Mark15:15), and superstitious (Matthew 27:19). Among the questions that Pilate asks Jesus is “Are You the king of the Jews?” (v. 33). All four Gospel writers record Pilate asking this question. Pilate thinks he is in control. What Pilate doesn’t understand is that Jesus’ kingship is not of this world; it is a spiritual kingship. His dominion rules in the lives of individuals. Pilate cannot grasp a non-physical kingdom and rejects Jesus’ kingship.
Peter denied Jesus (John 18:15-18, 25-27). In John 13:36-38 we have the conversation between Peter and Jesus where Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him: “I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” The first (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17) and last (John 21:22) words from Jesus to Peter were “Follow me.” After Jesus’ arrest, the synoptic Gospels tell us that Peter “followed Him at a distance.” (Matthew 26:58; Mark 14:54; Luke 22:54) Peter, who had declared himself ready to die for Jesus, discovered in this encounter that he was actually powerless to live for Jesus when he was asked to identify as His follower. Even though Peter was following at a distance, he was still following. And the risen Jesus restores their relationship by the Sea of Tiberias / Galilee (John 21:15-25). With God our failures are never final.

God was in charge of the events that day. The high priests and Pilate had their part in fulfilling His plan. Peter, who had only a short time before he proclaimed Jesus the Messiah, suffered a failure. Periods of victory and usefulness can be forerunners of defeat. We are admonished to be watchful and pray. We all need to avoid following Jesus from a distance.

PRAYER

Consider using the practice of Visio Divina, divine seeing, for your time of prayer. It is a spiritual practice that invites us to encounter the sacred through visual imagery. There are generally five steps to the process:

Choose an image. This could be a photograph or painting. Many stained glass windows would also work well. Likewise, you could try using a scenic outdoor setting. Before getting started, it’s a good idea to take several deep breaths and find a comfortable position. Settle in to the moment and invite God’s presence and direction.
Gaze at the image, focusing on the first detail that catches your eye. Stay with this part of the image for a moment, breathing deeply. Sometimes what you first notice will be an emotion.
Expand your view to take in the entire image. Observe it carefully, noticing all its elements.
Reflect on these questions: What emotions arise? What thoughts or memories come to mind? Does this image draw you into prayer? If so, take time to express those prayers, either silently or in writing. Talk to God about what you’ve noticed and how it has made you feel.
Conclude with a moment of silent prayer, offering your reflections to God and listening for God’s direction. Rest in the moment for a while and trust that the Holy Spirit is working.

There are many works of art depicting Peter’s denial of Christ. Here is a painting by Rembrandt from 1660 that is currently in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam that you may wish to use to practice visio divina.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TERRY GUSTAFSON

My wife, Mary, and I have been attending UALC for about 12 years. We have two grown daughters and one grandchild. I am a retired professor of chemistry at Ohio State, where I served many years as the faculty advisor to the IVCF graduate student chapter and as a member of the Faculty Christian Fellowship. I currently have the privilege of serving on the UALC Council.