PARTING OF THE WAYS?

Did you notice it wasn’t easy to distinguish Jesus among His friends, unless someone betrayed Him?  

Now watch the parting of the ways...  (Matt 26:57-75)    

While Jesus is led to an illegal trial before the Jewish council... ‘Peter followed Him afar off’.

(Apparently Jewish law stipulated no trial should be held at night or during a feast. No execution should be immediate and only after public trial at the temple.)

More to the point, let’s see who tells the truth here...

‘All the council seek false witness against Jesus’    

False witness??  Never mind the 9^th Commandment, guys... ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour’ 

What was the charge? There wasn’t one!... so they had to make it up - blasphemy. Jesus had said “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up...” but they claim He said: “I am able to destroy the temple...”  

Yup, false witness just as prophesied.

"Blasphemy!!"

High Priest: “Tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God”                                                 

Jesus: “You said it!”

Cop that!

"I don't know the man!"

Where’s brave Peter who claimed he would even die for Jesus?                                                                   
He has come to ‘see the end’ but will he tell the truth too?

He’s too busy lying 3 times that he doesn’t know Jesus - until the cock crows, just as prophesied!

What now?  It’s Passover, the city is overflowing with visitors, Roman soldiers are on high alert, and now some miracle worker from out of town is falsely accused of ‘blasphemy’...NEXT