The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 22, Part 2

The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 22, Part 2 - 12-07-2012

Satan is not in heaven. In his mailing this month, Clifton Emahiser sent out my reply to the assertions of Don Spears which had been presented here as a foreword with the presentation of Luke chapter 8 last July 7th. Since Don is a former Baptist preacher, his opinions on the issue generally reflect those which are held by Baptists on this matter. Unfortunately a very few people understand that once one comes to the truths of Christian Identity, one cannot put the new wine of these truths into old skins. Rather, one must put the new wine into new bottles, in order that the truth be maintained.

With this dispute in mind, we will begin our presentation of the second part of Luke chapter 22 with some of that which we had left off last week, with Luke 22:31 and the admonishment of Peter by Christ.

31 “Simon, Simon, behold! The Adversary demanded you, for which to winnow you as grain! 32 But I made supplication concerning you, that your faith would not fail. And when you have turned about, you must strengthen your brethren.”

The Baptists would insist that the Adversary, or Satan, of Luke 22:31 is a spirit demon, however that is not necessarily the case. The precedent Scripture with which to understand just what Peter was prevented from is found in the story of Job in the Old Testament. Yet the Baptists would insist that the Satan of Job was a spirit demon, and not an bodily one. They would then claim that this Satan had access to both heaven and earth, and reference the story of Jacob's Ladder in order to justify that claim.

Jacob's Ladder is mentioned in Scripture only in Genesis chapter 28: “10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed”. This is all a convenient explanation for the Baptists, however it would only convince those who hear them but do not actually go back and read the accounts. In Genesis chapter 28 Jacob's Ladder is described as being traversed by the angels of God and not by angels opposed to God, whose fall is described as having been in the distant past, where Satan is related to “that old serpent”, the serpent of the garden of Genesis chapter 3, as Christ Himself explains in Revelation chapter 12. It cannot be taken for granted that satanic angels can traverse Jacob's ladder simply because Jacob saw such a vision. The Revelation states that Satan and his angels were expelled from Heaven, and that “neither was their place found any more in Heaven”. The Baptists cannot even follow the King James Version, never mind correct its mistakes.

Job 1: “6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.” The Satan of Job was clearly bound to the earth. When Yahweh asked that Satan where he had been, he stated that he had been walking upon the earth. And while this Satan was not necessarily a spirit demon, even the presence of demons on earth, which is often quite clear in the New Testament, still does not put a Satan in heaven.

Note that Christ refused to allow Peter to be handed over to the Adversary, and that Christ “made supplication concerning [Peter], that [his] faith would not fail.” When our faith fails, we are even more susceptible to sin. While it was not the case with Job, and while like Job we may suffer trials without necessarily having sinned, being sinners, we become easy victims for the enemies of our God. As Peter says in his first epistle, “8 Be sober. Be alert. Your opponent the False Accuser walks about as a roaring lion seeking someone to consume, 9 whom you must resist being solid in the faith, knowing that you must be subject to the same things from the sufferings of your brotherhood in Society.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) Likewise Paul tells us of the unrepentant sinner, that we are to put them out of our company, to “deliver such a wretch to the Adversary [or Satan], for destruction of the flesh, in order that the Spirit may be preserved in the day of the Prince.” So we see that the Satans and Devils whom we must resist are those walking up and down upon the earth, and not some invisible demons in heaven.

33 Then he said to Him “Prince, I am ready to go with You even into prison and to death!” 34 But He said: “I say to you, Petros, today a cock shall not crow until you have three times denied knowing Me!”

As we discussed here last week, on at least one occasion Christ indicated to Peter what was the will of God, and in turn Peter argued with Christ in the road. For that he was called a satan by Christ, which is described at Matthew 4:10. Arguing against the will of God, one becomes an adversary to God, for which the Hebrew word is satan. Those Satans with a capital 'S', the perpetual adversaries of God, are another matter entirely.

Peter's lesson? He must learn that fate is in God's hands, and not in the hands of man. For that reason man must seek to follow the will of God, since striving to follow one's own will one's route to one's destination will be all the more difficult. The story of Jonah is a good place to learn that, for Jonah had the opportunity to go to Nineveh the easy way, and when he resisted he ended up making the same journey under difficult circumstances. Yet that too eventually resulted in advancing the glory of God.

Christ called Simon the son of Jonah petros, or stone, right from the beginning, as it is attested at John 1:42. This may well have been because Peter, as he has come to be known, was the most stubborn of the apostles. Peter needed to suffer many things three times before he understood them. This is evident here, where he is told that he would deny Yahshua three times, and in the last chapter of John where Christ admonishes him to feed His sheep three times, and again in Acts chapter 10 where Peter had to see the vision of the sheet three times.

35 And He said to them: “When I sent you without purse and wallet and sandals, did you have want of anything?” And they said “Nothing.” 36 Then He said to them: “But now he having a purse must take it, and likewise a wallet, and he not having a sword must sell his garment and buy one.

We see in Luke 10:4 that he instructed the disciples whom he had sent out to announce the gospel: “Do not carry a bag, nor a wallet, nor sandals, and greet no one by the road.” When Christ walked the earth, He instructed His apostles that they would have no need of anything. When He was going to be taken from the earth, He foresaw their persecution, and instructed them that they had better make provisions for themselves We also see that He expected them to be able to defend themselves, that “he not having a sword must sell his garment and buy one”.

37 For I say to you that it is necessary [the Majority Text has 'yet necessary'] for this scripture to be fulfilled in Me, that also ‘He was reckoned with the lawless.’ For even that which concerns Me has an end.”

The word τέλος (5056), is an end, alternatively it may have been rendered as result or consummation. This statement uttered by Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane is only recorded in Luke. The scripture quoted is from Isaiah 53:12. All of Isaiah chapter 53 is a Messianic prophecy which spells out the purpose of the Passion of the Christ. Being reckoned with the lawless, we see that Christ was executed along with common criminals in fulfillment of this passage.

Isaiah chapter 53: “1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors [the portion which Christ repeats here in reference to Himself]; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Isaiah chapter 53 plainly dispels any notions of universalism, which can only be maintained by taking certain New Testament passages out of context and misapplying them to people or entities to whom they do not belong. The Passion of Christ was only for the benefit of the genetic children of Israel who were the transgressors of the Old Covenant. Paul tells the Galatians in chapter 4 of his epistle to them “4 And when the fulfillment of the time had come, Yahweh had dispatched His Son, having been born of a woman, having been subject to law, 5 in order that he would redeem those subject to law, that we [meaning we who are those subject to the Old Covenant law] would recover the position of sons.” He tells them later in that chapter “28 And we, brethren, down through Isaak, are children of promise.” The Galatians were descended from the Israelites of the Assyrian deportations. All of Paul's letters prove in one way or another that they were indeed addressed to those genetic children of Israel, those people of the early dispersions of Israel, the sheep that went astray of Isaiah 53:6. Paul never addresses any people outside of that context which is explained in Galatians, except in Acts chapter 17 where at Athens he is addressing Japhethites who were descended from that Javan mentioned at Genesis 10:4, the progenitor of the Ionian Greeks. The words of his address to them prove all of these assertions.

While we see in verse 36 that Christ had warned the apostles that they would have to provide for and defend themselves, we see in this verse [37] that the trial and crucifixion of Christ is inevitable, and although He stated it to them plainly the apostles still did not quite understand. Therefore in verse 38 we see a statement that reflects a belief in their minds that a need for self-defense was immediate:

38 And they said to Him, “Prince, look! Here are two swords!” And He said to them “That is sufficient.”

But what were the two swords sufficient for? The disciples could not have fought off the coming mob of priests and officers and soldiers of the temple and those who accompanied them with two swords, at least not without Divine intervention. Yet such intervention was not forthcoming, for Christ had told them that it was His destiny to be “numbered with the transgressors” as He had just quoted from Isaiah, and as He later explains to the apostles upon His seizure when Peter attempts to use one of those swords to prevent it. The words of Christ concerning our need for a sword, and the two swords present here, were to serve as yet another lesson: that while we indeed have a need and a God-given right to be able to defend ourselves, yet if we strike the enemies of our God prematurely as Peter attempts to do, we shall fail because vengeance belongs to Him and before He takes vengeance His Word must first be fulfilled.

39 And departing He went as customary to the mount of Olives, and they and the students followed Him.

The Codex Vaticanus (B) wants the word and here, and so the word they, which is read because the verb ἀκολουθέω (to follow) appears in the 3rd person plural, would also be omitted: “and the students followed Him” (i.e. the apostles alone, and not both the apostles and the rest of the students). It may be debated whether there were only 12 with Christ at the Passover and the Garden of Gethsemane, or the 12 and also others, as the manuscripts are divided. Some of the manuscripts have the word twelve before apostles in verses 22:14 and 22:30, but none of those which have that word in either place are consistent in both places. The Christogenea New Testament follows the older more reliable manuscripts which do not have the word. The King James Version has the word twelve in both places, the ASV only in verse 30. Both of those versions follow the Codex Vaticanus here, having only “and the disciples”. The Gospel of Mark seems to support the Christogenea reading here, where at Mark 14:50-52 a certain young man who was not one of the twelve had also been following along with Christ and was present in the garden when He was seized. Many have speculated that the young man was Mark himself, which is a possibility. The reading of the Christogenea New Testament, that “they and the students followed Him”, is the reading of the Novum Testamentum Graece (NA27) based on the preponderance of the other ancient manuscripts.

40 And having arrived at the place He said to them “You must pray not to enter into trial.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and kneeling He prayed, 42 saying “Father, if You wish turn this cup away from Me! But it is not My desire, rather it must be Yours.”

Psalm 16:5: “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou art he that restores my inheritance to me.”

Psalm 116:13: “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.”

This prayer in the garden demonstrates how quickly Yahshua accepted the Word of God. Since His circumstances had not changed in a short period of time, He tells us that He must proceed and allow Himself to face the coming hardship, His crucifixion.

Verses 43 and 44 are omitted here, not being found in the third century papyrus P75 or the Codices Alexandrinus (A), Vaticanus (B), and Washingtonensis (W) or another fifth century manuscript, the Codex Borgianus (T 029). The verses are found in Codices Sinaiticus (א), Bezae (D), the early fourth century codex known only as 0171, and the Majority Text. This reveals an early and distinct division of the manuscripts, since P75 or the Codices Vaticanus and Washingtonensis cannot claim any greater antiquity than the Codices 0171 and Sinaiticus so far as the generally accepted data provided by the Novum Testamentum Graece (NA27) determines. Yet because the verses are wanting in so many early manuscripts, for the time being I must deem them to be spurious; the NA27 includes them but marks them as questionable, yet I will provide a translation of them here in my notes and without comment: “43 And there appeared to Him a messenger from heaven strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He prayed more intensely. And His tears were as drops of blood going down upon the earth.”

45 And rising up from prayer coming to the students He found them having fallen asleep out of grief, 46 and He said to them “Why do you sleep? Arising you must pray, that you enter not into trial.”

While Luke only offers us a very abbreviated record of this account, in Matthew 26:41-45 and in Mark 14:32-42 we see that it was actually three times that, having taken but a few apostles near where He was praying, Christ had returned to them and found them sleeping. Of those few apostles, who were Peter and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, only Peter is directly admonished for sleeping, as both of those other gospels also record. Therefore once again we see that Peter had to undergo an experience three times, in addition to his thrice denial of Christ, his thrice being told to feed His sheep (John 21), and his thrice having to have been shown the vision of the sheet (Acts 10).

It is clear in scripture that not only our own prayers, but the prayers of our brethren on our behalf can keep us from trial. As we discussed already at Luke 22:31-32, Christ had said to Peter: “31 Simon, Simon, behold! The Adversary demanded you, for which to winnow you as grain! 32 But I made supplication concerning you, that your faith would not fail. And when you have turned about, you must strengthen your brethren.” As Paul also says at Romans 12:12, Christians should be “Rejoicing in expectation; persevering in afflictions; [and] firmly persisting in prayer.” James says in the fifth chapter of his epistle: “15 and the prayer of the faith shall save the afflicted, and the Prince shall raise him. And if an error may have been committed, it shall be remitted for him. 16 Therefore acknowledge faults to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed. The entreaty of the righteous being employed prevails much.”

All of the things which Christ did while He walked this earth, He did for our example, that we may follow after Him. Such is how He being God in the flesh, can also pray to God the Father who is in the Spirit. While speaking of His washing of their feet, it carries through to everything which He did on our behalf, where He says at John 13:15-16: “15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.” Therefore Peter tells us at 1 Peter 2:21-24: “21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

47 While He was yet speaking, behold, a crowd! And he who is called Ioudas [the Codices Bezae and 0171 have Judas Iscariot here], one of the twelve, went before them. And he approached Yahshua to kiss Him. 48 But Yahshua said to him: “Ioudas, you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

The Judas Kiss has since become famous. Several of the conspirators in the murder of Julius Caesar were said by Plutarch to have first kissed him. There was one incident in the Old Testament where Joab had grabbed the beard of Amasa to kiss him, evidently a Hebrew custom, and instead he thrust a sword into his ribs with his other hand (2 Samuel 20). The Codex Bezae (D) inserts at the end of verse 47 the parenthetical remark: “For he gave this sign to them: ‘Whoever I shall kiss is He.’” Similar words do belong to the account as it is recorded by both Matthew and Mark.

49 And they who were around Him, seeing that which would be, said “Prince! Shall we smite with the sword?” 50 And he smote a certain one of them, a servant of the high priest, and took off his right ear. 51 Then replying Yahshua said “Allow this for now!” And touching his ear He healed him.

This part of the account as it is related by Matthew reads thus: “51 And behold, one of those with Yahshua extending the hand drew his sword and smiting the servant of the high priest took off his ear. 52 Then Yahshua says to him: 'Return your sword into its place! For all those taking the sword shall be destroyed by the sword! 53 Or do you suppose that I am not able to summon My Father, and He shall have come to Me now over twelve legions of messengers? 54 Then how would the writings be fulfilled, that thusly it is necessary to happen?'” Mark only has this episode in a single sentence saying “Then a certain one of those who stood nearby drawing the sword smote the servant of the high priest and took off his ear” (Mark 14:47). Mark's account is even more concise than Luke's, possibly because Mark is recording the event from the words of Peter. Only in the Gospel of John do we find that the man who did this deed was Peter, where it says in John 18: “10 Then Simon Petros, having a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. And Malchos was the name of the servant. 11 Therefore Yahshua said to Petros: 'Put the sword into the sheath! The cup which the Father gave to Me, shall I not drink it?'” Now the four different versions are from at least four different perspectives, and it is evident that putting all of them together we may approach a complete understanding of the entire event.

Yahshua Christ indeed warned the apostles that they would have to defend themselves, and therefore He uttered the words “he not having a sword must sell his garment and buy one” (Luke 22:36). But those words were not in reference to immediate events since He also warned them that He would be taken and crucified in accordance with the scriptures. Yet the apostles, still imagining that need for defense to be immediate, pointed out that they had two swords and Christ replied only that “that is sufficient” (Luke 22:38). Here we see that Peter's fleshly urges again took control of his actions, and not understanding the Word of God in spite of having heard it from God Himself, he imagined that he by his own means could save his Lord from that fate which was already destined, a fate which had been decreed by the Word of God in the writings of the prophets. The lesson here is that while men have their own fleshly will, the Word of God shall be fulfilled in spite of the will of men. Vengeance belongs to Yahweh, and men cannot take it into their own hands. Christ having to die, Peter trying to prevent that failed, and he was then admonished by Christ, and then even that enemy of God whom Peter injured against the Will of God was healed by God Himself! What were the two swords sufficient for? They were sufficient that we may learn that lesson! And such is the predicament we find ourselves in today. So many men, while understanding the nature of God's enemies and what is good and what is evil, desire to take vengeance against God's enemies by their own hands, but they fail and all who try will continue to fail, because vengeance does belong to God, as it is written, because only God Himself can save us, as it is written, and because the Word of God must first be fulfilled, as it is written.

The statement in Matthew, “For all those taking the sword shall be destroyed by the sword”, is too often taken out of context. It's application is not for all future time, and plenty have picked up the sword appropriately, or out of compulsion, and have gone on to live long lives thereafter. Rather, it is a statement for this place and time, to inform us that the will of Yahweh must be carried out, even when it is not of any immediately apparent benefit. And also to inform us that those who are bearing the sword here, His enemies who are seizing Him, face that same fate themselves: to be slain by the sword, a fate they later suffered at the hands of the Romans. Vengeance belongs to Yahweh alone, and all those who take the sword unrighteously or against His will shall be rewarded in kind.

Such is also why the first verse of Daniel Chapter 12 reads thus: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” The name Michael is a Hebrew phrase often interpreted as a question which means “Who is like God?” If a man stands up, a man for instance such as Adolf Hitler, who as a Christian had his entire Christian nation behind him in opposition to World Jewry, if such a man stands up and tries to execute the vengeance of God for himself, then he is destined to fail. It is my opinion that Adolf Hitler did indeed represent the Michael of Daniel chapter 12, although he may only have been one Michael among several candidates in recent history. When Germany fought to free itself of the shackles of World Jewry there was indeed a time of trouble such as had never been seen before. Vengeance belongs to Yahweh, this is why Germany failed, and this is why anyone today who attempts to push his hand to free us from those same shackles shall also fail, until all things written in the Word of God are accomplished.

52 And Yahshua said to those coming for Him, to the high priests and officers of the temple and elders, “As for a robber have you come out with swords and clubs?

A στρατηγός (4755) is “the leader or commander of an army, a general” but also, according to Liddell & Scott, was “...4. an officer who had the custody of the Temple at Jerusalem”. Apparently the word was used of at least several such men. One Edomite trait is a love for creating many bureaucratic offices and filling them with cronies. Thus is the reason for the exceedingly high taxes in those states which are most infested with jews today.

53 On each day of My being with you in the temple you did not extend a hand upon Me, but this is your hour and the authority of darkness!”

Proverbs 4:19: “The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”

Isaiah 42:16: “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

John 1:4-5: “4 in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness; yet the darkness comprehends it not.”

Christ is the Light of the World. John 8:12: “Then again Yahshua spoke to them saying 'I am the light of the Society. He following Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life!'”

Colossians 1:12-14: “12 being thankful to the Father, who qualifies us for that share of the inheritance of the saints in the light, 13 who has rescued us from the authority of darkness, and instead gave us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption: the dismissal of errors.”

1 Peter 2:9: “9 But you are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, so that you should proclaim the virtues for which from out of darkness you have been called into the wonder of His light.”

Revelation 22:16: “16 I Yahshua have sent My messenger to attest these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David; the bright morning star!”

54 Then seizing Him they took and led Him into the house of the high priest. And Petros followed at a distance.

From the Gospel of John we learn, among many other things, that both John and Peter followed Christ to the house of the high priest. From both Matthew chapter 26 and Mark chapter 14 we learn that the scribes and elders had already been gathered, and therefore must have been anticipating the arrest and trial of Christ. From Matthew and Mark we also see that this house was the house of the high priest Kaïaphas. Luke leaves the high priests unnamed. John's version of this account is more complete in several other respects. There John also explains that they first brought Yahshua to Annas, he being Kaïaphas' father-in-law and a former high priest himself, and only then did they bring Him to Kaïaphas.

55 And upon their igniting a fire in the midst of the court and sitting together, Petros sat amidst them. 56 And seeing him a certain maid-servant sitting by the light and staring at him said “He also was with Him!” 57 But he denied it, saying “I do not know Him, woman!” 58 And after awhile another seeing him said “You also are from among them.” But Petros said “Not I, man!” 59 And an interval of about one hour passing, a certain other affirmed confidently saying “By truth, he also was with Him, for he too is a Galilaian!” 60 But Petros said “Man, I do not know that which you say!” And immediately, upon his still speaking, a cock crowed. 61 Then turning the Prince looked at Petros, and Petros remembered the saying of the Prince as He had said to him, that “Before a cock crows today three times you shall deny Me.” 62 And going outside he wept bitterly.

At Matthew 26:73 it is recorded as having been said to Peter that “Truly, you also are from among them! For even your speech makes you conspicuous!” Therefore in Matthew it is shown that the Galilaians were distinct from the people of Jerusalem.

We see that Peter denied Christ three times, just as Christ had told him that he would – in spite of Peter's own assertions that he would never do such a thing! How many of us, when confronted by the world, would forsake or even deny the true message of Scripture, in order to maintain our comfort in the world? Many of us, even those of us who should know better, those who claim to be Israel Identity Christians, regularly do just that with little realization that we have done it. Peter, the proud man, wept bitterly because when he boasted Christ told him what would happen, and in spite of the warning he denied Him anyway. Likewise, we all sin even in spite of the warnings of the consequences. Therefore we should be humble when judging the sins of our brethren.

The events where Peter denied Christ took place at various times over the course of the trial of Yahshua before the priests. Therefore the different Gospel writers placed it at different points in the narrative. For instance, Luke records the denials of Peter and the events of the trial of Christ in nearly the opposite order which Matthew and Mark record them. Due to the nature of the narrative none of them can honestly be esteemed to be inaccurate.

63 And the men encompassing Him mocked Him, flailing 64 and covering Him over were questioning Him saying “Prophesy, who is he striking You?” 65 And they spoke many other blasphemies to Him.

Their challenge to Him indicates that He was indeed accredited with the ability to do such things, as a matter of His reputation.

66 And as day had come, the elders of the people gathered, with both high priests and scribes, and they brought Him to their council

The word συνέδριον (4892) is a Greek compound word, used by classical writers such as Xenophon and Polybius many centuries before the New Testament era. It is derived from the components συν, meaning with or together, and ἕδρα, which is a seat or a sitting. In context the word clearly should be translated as council, just as it is in the Classics. It is silly to merely render the word with the corrupt transliteration Sanhedrin, a non-word in English regardless of whether it is used by the jews for their own purposes. συνέδριον only appears this one time in Luke, but over a dozen times in Acts, and is also in Matthew, Mark, and John. I must comment that it is odd, that many of today’s jews downplay the Greek influence in Judaea and insist that Judaeans only spoke Aramaic, yet they willingly and commonly identify key elements of their own religion with Greek words, such as Sanhedrin and synagogue.

67 saying “If You are the Christ, tell us!” And He said to them: “If I should tell you, you shall not believe it, 68 and if I shall ask, by no means will you answer. 69 But from this time the Son of Man shall be sitting at the right hand of the power of Yahweh.”

Psalm 110:1: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

Daniel 7:13: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.”

 1 Enoch 1:9: “And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones To execute judgement upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

70 Then they all said “So You are the Son of Yahweh?” And He said to them “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said “What further witness do we have need of? For we have heard these things from His mouth!”

Yahshua answers “You say that I am”, agreeing with the question without answering it, so that the only testimony belongs to His accusers. He did not state in His reply that he was, however He made them state it. He took their question and asserted to them that it served as a testimony.

The insinuation by the priests was that it is blasphemy to consider oneself a son of God, when in fact the scriptures have it quite the contrary, that the children of Israel are indeed the children of Yahweh God.

While there was a special connotation relating to the Messiah, evident in Isaiah 7:14, in claiming to be the son of God, any man of Israel could rightfully claim to be a son of God. Therefore there was no merit to these charges of the priests.

Deuteronomy 14:1: “Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.”

Isaiah 45:11: “Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.”