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| His Final Hours series |
- How He Loved at His Arrest
- How He Loved When He Was Accused
- His Unstoppable Love
- How to Love Like Jesus Did
We’re in a series going through Jesus’ final hours and what He faced during those hours, the persecution, the sorrow, and the weight of what He endured. Last time we talked about what led up to His arrest. We saw that Judas truly was one of His closest friends and the way that He felt the weight of His betrayal.
What happened next? Jesus was arrested and dragged back to the religious leaders where they accused Him of heresy. He was probably still feeling the weight of Judas’ betrayal only to be confronted with such hostility. What did He face after His arrest? How did He respond to it all? How did He carry Himself?
Abandoned by Peter
Among the 12 disciples, there were none closer than Peter, James, and John. When Jesus told the 12 that they would all abandon him, Peter was the first to say that he would never abandon Him:
Matthew 26:33-35
However, after Jesus was arrested, all the disciples scattered. Peter did follow discretely. But, when they reached where Jesus was to be tried by the religious leaders, the people recognized Peter. When the people outside confronted Peter, he denied Jesus entirely, saying that he never even met Him. The third time he denied it, he did so vehemently: “he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man.’” (Matthew 26:74) Just then, the rooster crowed, and Jesus looked at Peter, knowing that Peter had abandoned Him (Luke 22:61). Quite literally, even Jesus’ closest friend abandoned Him when He needed him the most.
Betrayed by the Jewish People
While Judas was undoubtedly the deepest and most personal betrayal, the reality is that Judas was not the only one who betrayed Jesus. The ones who were seeking to kill Jesus were the Jewish religious leaders. They incited a mob of Jews to quite literally force Pilate to kill Jesus. Much like the disciples were Jesus’ chosen people, these were God’s chosen people. Jesus makes it clear how He loved them and longed to be reconciled to them; in speaking about Jerusalem as a symbol of the Jewish people, He said:
Matthew 23:37
The mob who came to arrest Jesus, the mob who chose Barabbas over Him, the mob who demanded He be crucified, this was a mob made up of God’s people. This mob was led by the religious leaders, those who claimed to be God’s closest friends. Though He knew it would happen, Jesus still felt the pain of this betrayal. Just as Jesus felt Judas’ betrayal, He felt the betrayal of the Jewish people who were rejecting Him as their Savior.
Abandoned by His Followers
Now, not all the Jewish people were in this mob. It was made up mostly of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, as well as those who were with them. There were many among the Jews (and Gentiles) who loved Jesus and were excited about His arrival to Jerusalem. He had many followers beyond the 12 disciples. Whenever Jesus first came into Jerusalem, these were in the crowd who welcomed Him:
Luke 19:36-38
I don’t believe that this “multitude of his disciples” were in the mob that was demanding His execution just a few days later. So, where were they? When He was questioned by the high priest and by Pilate and Herod, where were they? Why weren’t they testifying about the good that He had done? They were nowhere to be found. They had abandoned Jesus. Knowing that this would happen, Jesus told his disciples: “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone.” (John 16:32)
Jesus was betrayed and abandoned by His people, His followers, and His closest friends. How did He respond to this sorrow? What was He focused on while all of this was happening to Him? Let me give just one example.
Witnessing to Pilate
Even after He was arrested and put before Pilate, He continued to think of others. In being questioned by Pilate, He told him about the truth. Even though Pilate would ultimately condemn Him to the cross, He witnessed to him, He tried to reach Him. While He was talking with Pilate, Pilate was clearly struck, asking a question many of us asked on our journey to salvation: “What is truth?” (John 18:38). We don’t have the full transcription of their conversation, but whatever Jesus said affected Pilate. When Pilate was told that Jesus had claimed to be the Son of God, there was some part of him that thought it might be true. That’s why “when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.” (John 19:8)
After the whole experience, Pilate seemed at least partly convinced that Jesus was who He said He was. In bringing Jesus out afterwards, “He said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’” (John 19:14) When Pilate had no choice but to crucify Him, he had to write Jesus’ crime. So, he wrote: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19). He refused to change it even when the priests objected:
John 19:21-22
Even in His darkest hours, Jesus’ heart was still turned towards us. He loved us even in the midst of His own agony. But the crucifixion still lies ahead. What happened during His crucifixion? Next time, we’ll explore this together.