the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 3 of 5
Matthew 26:59-75
The rulers of the people hold the Lord Jesus in their power, but they lack a plausible charge on which to secure his condemnation. For the perfect Man gives them no basis for their accusations. They are reduced to seeking "false witnesses" against Him (Psalms 27:12; Psalms 35:11-12). And even these are difficult to find, for there still has to be shown some semblance of rectitude. At last two false witnesses come forward with some words that they have twisted (cf. v. 61 with John 2:19). But what serves as a pretext to condemn the Lord Jesus is His solemn declaration that He is the Son of God, about to come in power and glory! The sentence of death is pronounced. And immediately the brutality and cowardly behaviour of men is given full rein (vv. 67, 68). The first part of that which the Saviour had more than once made known to His own is fulfilled (Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22; Matthew 20:18-19).
For Peter also the hour is a gloomy one, but for a very different reason. Satan, who has not been able to shake the Master, is going to stumble the disciple. Three times poor Peter denies the One for whom he had declared he was ready to die. He goes as far as using strong language in order to deceive. Earlier on, without his being aware of it, his manner of speaking had marked him out as a disciple of the Lord Jesus.
