In John chapter 18, we read of
the betrayal and the arrest of Jesus as follows. When Jesus had spoken these words,
he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where
was a garden, into the which he entered and his disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed
him, knew the place. For Jesus oft times resorted
thither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a
band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees,
cometh thither with lanterns, and torches, and weapons. Jesus
therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went
forth and said unto them, Whom seek you? They answered him,
Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he.
And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon
then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward and
fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom
seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he. If therefore ye
seek me, let these go their way. that the saying might be fulfilled
which he spake, of them which thou gavest me have I lost none. Then Simon Peter having a sword
drew it and smote the high priest's servant and cut off his right
ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, put
up thy sword into the sheaf. The cup which my father hath
given me, shall I not drink it? Then the band and the captain
and officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him, and led
him away to Annas first, for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas,
which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he
which gave counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one
man should die for the people. Now Caiaphas was he which gave
counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should
die for the people. So Jesus is betrayed by Judas. And these people from the chief priests and Pharisees This
band of men and officers come at night with lanterns and torches
and weapons to take him. And he is led in the end, bound,
first unto Annas and then unto the high priest Caiaphas. And
it is Caiaphas before whom he is brought in a mock trial. and then handed over to the Romans and ultimately betrayed and condemned
to death. The high priest then asked Jesus
of his disciples and of his doctrine. Jesus answered to him, I speak
openly to the world. I ever taught in the synagogue.
And in the temple, whither the Jews always resort, and in secret
have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? Ask them
which heard me, what I have said unto them. Behold, they know
what I said. And when he had thus spoken,
one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm
of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? Jesus
answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil,
but if well, why smitest thou me? Now Annas had sent him bound
under Caiaphas the high priest. Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas
unto the hall of judgment, and it was early, and they themselves
went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled,
but that they might eat the Passover. And Pilate then went out unto
them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? They
answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we
would not have delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate
unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The
Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put
any man to death. But the saying of Jesus might
be fulfilled which he spake, signifying what death he should
die. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and
called Jesus and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews?
Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did
others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew?
Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto
me. What hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is
not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servant fight that I should not be delivered to
the Jews. But now is my kingdom not from
hence. Pilate therefore said unto him,
Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that
I am a king. To this end was I born, and for
this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto
the truth. Every one that is of the truth,
heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is
truth? And when he had said this, he
went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in
him no fault at all. But ye have a custom that I should
release unto you one at the Passover. Will ye therefore that I release
unto you the king of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying,
Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. So
Caiaphas hands over Jesus into the hands of Pilate, the Roman. And Jesus testifies to Pilate
that his kingdom is not of this world. And that he came into this world
to bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth
heareth my voice, he says. to which Pilate asks, what is
truth? Here in this trial, the one who
spake truth, the one who is truth, stood before his adversaries who accused him and lied about
him. and betrayed him. They brought
him before so-called justice and used the wickedness and lies
of men to put the only truth to death. He stood before his
adversaries and they pronounced him guilty even though he was
innocent. The only one who spake the truth,
the only one who knew the truth, the only one who is truth, was
condemned to death. And a robber, a villain, Barabbas
was released in his place. He who is truth was substituted
for those who were wicked. and he died that the wicked might
be set free. But preceding over these events
was Caiaphas, the high priest. Caiaphas put the high priest
of our profession, Jesus Christ, unto death. He proceeded over
events in order that Jesus should die. And what we read of Caiaphas
when he's introduced in this chapter, in verse 14, is that
not only did Caiaphas bring this about, but he also had prophesied that
it should be Now Caiaphas was he which gave counsel to the
Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. Caiaphas was he that gave counsel
to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the
people. This high priest Caiaphas is
introduced to us in the scriptures at several points and his position
as High Priest spanned the ministry of Jesus. We first read of him in Luke
chapter 3, right at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. This adversary
of Christ's is presented unto us. He was there at the beginning,
he was there throughout and in the end he proceeded over that
which led to Jesus' death. In Luke chapter 3 we read, now
in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar Pontius Pilate
being governor of Judea and Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee, and
his brother Philip, Tetrarch of Aeturia, and of the region
of Trachonitis, and Lysanias, the Tetrarch of Abilene, Annas
and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John,
the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into
all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance
for the remission of sins. As it is written in the book
of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying
in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his
path straight. Every valley. shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked
shall be made straight, and the rough way shall be made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to the multitude
that came forth to be baptised of him, O generation of vipers,
who have warned you to flee from the rough to come? bring forth
therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves,
we have Abraham to our father. For I say unto you, that God
is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And
now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees. Every
tree therefore, which bring if not forth good fruit, is hewn
down and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying,
What shall we do then? He answered and said unto them,
He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none.
And he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans
to be baptised, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact
no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise
demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said
unto them, Do violence to no man, and neither accuse any falsely,
and be content with your wages. And as the people were in expectation,
and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the
Christ or not, John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed
baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the lachet
of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand. and he will freely purge his
floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff
he will burn with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his
exhortation preached he unto the people. But Herod the Tetrarch,
being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and
for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above
all that he shut up John in prison. Now when all the people were
baptised, it came to pass that Jesus, also being baptised, and
praying, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Ghost descended
in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from
heaven which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well
pleased. And Jesus himself began to be
about 30 years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Helah. And we read that Jesus, from
thence, began to preach the Gospel. Here we read of Caiaphas in the
beginning. And what a remarkable mention
of him in the context of John, who prepared the way for the
coming of Christ. We're reading this chapter of
how Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, of how Herod was the
king of the Jews, and how Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests.
And in their time, the word of God came unto John in the wilderness. And he came as that one of whom
Isaiah prophesied, preparing the way for the Lord. And his
message unto those that came unto him was, Cutting, O generation
of vipers, who have warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
And the people came unto him asking, What shall we do then?
And he tells them, and the soldiers demanded of him and saying, what
shall we do? And he said unto them, do violence
to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with
your wages. Soon after, Jesus appears, is
baptised of John, and goes forth amongst this people. whom John
has warned. He said to the soldiers, neither
accuse any falsely. And the truth appeared before
all the people. The truth appeared before the
priests and the Pharisees. The truth, Jesus Christ, came
into the midst of this nation. And before these priests, and
before these people and these soldiers, and the high priests
and the Pharisees sought to slay him. The truth stood before them
and they sought to put him to death. Even though John had said
of him that the fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly
purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner, and
the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable." Even though John
has said all flesh shall see the salvation of God concerning
Jesus Christ, even though they have been plainly told that this
One that cometh after me the latchet of whose shoes I am not
worthy to unloose shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with
fire even though John pointed under him plainly and said, this
is God's Son, He will come, you shall see the salvation of God,
He is the truth. And they shall burn the chaff
with fire unquenchable even though They'd been told. They'd been
warned. Nevertheless, they could not
help themselves. And the chief priests and the
Pharisees were stirred up with envy and hatred of this one in
their midst and sought to put him to death. Here we are. Jesus appearing at the age of
30 to begin his ministry in the time when Annas and Caiaphas
were the high priests. There were his adversaries from
the beginning ready to put him to death. He came unto his own
and his own received him not. He came unto the Jews, and the
nation of the Jews, and the priests, and the Pharisees, and those
that ruled over the Jews, and they received him not. He came
unto those who were told of him, who should have believed on him,
who should have been waiting for him and received of him,
and they received him not. He came unto those that knew,
and they rejected him, and they sought to put him to death. From the beginning, he was hounded
unto death. When he was born, Herod, hearing
that he was born King of the Jews, put all the firstborn in
Israel at that time to death in an effort to slay Jesus Christ. But he could put no finger upon
Christ until God said, now's the time. and Christ was taken
by his parents down to Egypt until it was safe to return.
But from the moment of his conception in this world, man raged against
the truth. And man continues to rage against
the truth, even unto this day. Our natural inclination, when
we hear the truth, When we hear of the truth, when we hear Christ,
or when we hear of Christ, is to put him to death. We will
not heal. We will not have this man to
reign over us. Crucify him. Crucify him. So, says your heart, so by nature
said mine. We're all the same. We're all
like these Jews, we will not have this man to reign over us. For what we noticed in John chapter
18, when Christ stood before Pilate,
and Pilate asked him, art thou the king of the Jews? Was that
Jesus made plain that his kingdom was not of this earth. Yes, he's
the king of the Jews, but not the earthly Jews, but the spiritual. Not Israel on earth, but Israel
on high. A heavenly kingdom, a heavenly
people, a God-born people. born from on high, born by the
Holy Ghost, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, chosen by the
Father before the foundation of the world. That's his kingdom
and that's his people and now those are the ones he reigns
over. The Jews rejected him, the Jews
on earth, and they put him to death. But he who is the truth had another
kingdom than theirs. and he came for those who were
born, citizens of that kingdom. But from the beginning, Caiaphas,
his adversary, circled, as it were, waiting for his time. We read again of Caiaphas in
particular in John chapter 11. following the account of the
death and the resurrection of Lazarus. This momentous miracle
in which Christ raised this dead man Lazarus from the grave. And the Jews knew of it and Caiaphas
knew of it. And yet in the end they put him
to death. they knew that this man Jesus had the power to raise
a dead man to life again and yet Caiaphas would put Jesus
to death even though that same Jesus evidently had the power
to bring life from the dead in John chapter 11 following
The resurrection of Lazarus, we read, then gathered the chief
priests and the Pharisees of council and said, what do we? For this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all
men will believe on him, and a Roman shall come and take away
both our place and nation. And one of them named Caiaphas,
being the high priest that same year, said unto them, ye know
nothing at all. nor consider that it is expedient
for us that one man should die for the people, and that the
whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself.
But being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should
die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but that
also he should gather together in one the children of God that
were scattered abroad, Then from that day forth they took counsel
together for to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more
openly among the Jews, but went thence unto a country near to
the wilderness, into a city called Epaphraim, and there continued
with his disciples. What an event! What a reaction! to this man and his miracles
and his raising of Lazarus. And what a prophecy that came
from the very lips of Jesus' adversary Caiaphas. They were mindful, they were
concerned that this man in their midst, Jesus, this worker of
miracles, this one whom the people were amazed at both in terms
of what he could do and what he said they were concerned that
if they left this man Jesus alone that it would lead to the destruction
of their nation and their priesthood and their rituals and their heritage
and all that they knew and had it would lead to the destruction
of all that they knew If we let him thus alone, all men will
believe on him, and the Romans shall come and take away both
our place and nation. But Caiaphas, in his wisdom,
knew that if they were to put him to death, if they were to
sacrifice this Jesus and get rid of him, then that would not
come about. that their nation on earth, that
their role as priests, that their traditions, that their
position, their power could continue if they got rid of him. So from
thence they plot to put Jesus to death to preserve themselves. If we put him to death we'll
be saved. The Romans won't destroy us if
we destroy him first. Self-preservation motivated them
here. They thought if they could get
rid of this one man, Jesus, then they'd all be spared. And one
of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year,
said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it
is expedient for us that one man should die for the people,
and that the whole nation perish not. Let's get rid of him, and
we'll be fine. And this spake he not of himself,
but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should
die for that nation, and not for that nation only. but that
also he should gather together in one the children of God that
were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they
took counsel together for to put him to death. By getting
rid of Jesus they sought to preserve the nation and gather the nation
in one. and in their speaking and thinking
on an earthly level. In Caiaphas' words, which were
so ultimately evil in being set against Jesus the Truth, the
Son of God, in seeking to destroy Jesus to preserve himself and
his nation. In his words, Caiaphas prophesied
and purposed to bring about the very truth of God what a remarkable prophecy of
the gospel itself he prophesied that Jesus should die for that
nation and not for that nation only but that he but that also
he should gather together in one the children of God that
were scattered abroad and that's exactly what came about and exactly
what God purposed, not on an earthly level, but on a heavenly
level. Not that Jesus should die simply
for the physical nation of Israel on earth at that time and gather
in the physical Jews. But Jesus would die for spiritual
Israel, His people, taken from all nations, taken from the four
corners of the earth, taken from Jews and Gentiles. He would gather
together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
That's what Jesus came to do, that's what he did. And when
he laid down his life upon the cross, he delivered all his people
from all their sins, from all corners of the earth, and gathered
them in together as one, all the scattered children of God. but it's Caiaphas' betrayal of
Jesus it's Caiaphas' ruling over that mock trial in which the
one who was truth was sentenced to death by those that spake
lies that brought this to pass and it's Caiaphas' words here
that prophesied of it out of their own mouths they spake the
truth God put his words, his truth, into the mouth of Jesus's
adversary here. and brought about his purposes
these people set themselves against Christ set themselves against
God and rather than furthering their own ends as they sought
to do they brought about the very purpose of God they fulfilled
the covenant of God they brought about the salvation of all God's
people Caiaphas spake of one man dying for the people. Nor consider that it is expedient
for us that one man should die for the people and that the whole
nation perish not. He spake of substitution. And that's exactly what came
to pass. In John 18 we read, now Caiaphas
was he which gave counsel to the Jews that it was expedient
that one man should die for the people. And Pilate says unto
the Jews, having asked what is truth, he then says to the Jews,
I find in him no fault at all. But ye have a custom that I should
release unto you one at the Passover. Will ye therefore that I release
unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying,
Not this man, but Barabbas. Caiaphas's words spake of substitution. and the outfalling of events
in due course demonstrated and brought about this substitution
Barabbas was freed that guilty criminal and Jesus in whom Pilate
could find no fault who asked what is truth when
the one who is truth stood before him released at the people's
wish Barabbas and allowed Jesus to be taken
away and crucified. Pilate therefore took Jesus and
scourged him and the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns and
put it on his head and they put on him a purple robe and said
hail king of the Jews and they smote him with their hands Pilate
therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring
him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in
him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing
the crown of thorns, and the purple robe, and Pilate saith
unto them, Behold the man. When the chief priests therefore
and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify
him. Pilate saith unto them, Take
ye him, and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. The Jews
answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore
heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into
the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Went art thou? But
Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest
thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have
power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus
answered, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except
it were given thee from above. Therefore he that delivered me
unto thee hath the greatest sin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought
to release it. But the Jews cried out, saying,
If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend. Whosoever
maketh himself a king, speaketh against Caesar. When Pilate therefore
heard that, saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in
the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement,
where in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of
the Passover, and about the sixth hour, and he saith unto the Jews,
Behold your king! But they cried out, Away with
him! Away with him! Crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall
I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, We
have no king, but Caesar. then delivered he him therefore
unto them to be crucified and they took Jesus and led him away. How we see the sovereignty of
God in all these events. Pilate said unto Jesus, don't
you know that I've got power to crucify thee and power to
release thee? And Jesus said unto him, thou
couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given
thee from above. Therefore he that delivered me
unto thee hath the greater sin. Pilate merely did God's bidding. And Caiaphas did. God's bidding. And Caiaphas,
as Jesus said, delivered him unto Pilate. Thus Caiaphas had
the greater sin. But how he stood as one substituted
for his people. Pictured by the substitution
of Barabbas, as a picture and a figure of how Christ stood
in the place of all his people. And Caiaphas, his adversary,
spake in prophecy that that should come about. What a thing for
Caiaphas to say. What a thing for Caiaphas to
seek to do. to take this one man Jesus and
put him to death but what a thing that God used the wickedness
of Caiaphas as he used the wickedness of others like the wickedness
of Joseph's brothers in Genesis when they sought to put him to
death and tried to get rid of him in that pit but ultimately
God raised him up and brought them to bow before him what they
purposed for evil God used for good and what Caiaphas here purposed
for evil to get rid of this man to preserve his nation and his
priesthood God used for the salvation of all his people when Caiaphas spake those words,
that prophecy in John chapter 11 having in mind Jesus and seeking
to put Jesus to death. What had Jesus just done? He'd
raised Lazarus from the dead. He knew that Jesus had raised
Lazarus from the dead. He knew what he was dealing with,
this worker of miracles. Yet despite what he knew, despite
the hand of God he could see upon him, he'd still moved with
his wicked heart to get rid of him. And no matter what you may
know, No matter what, you may have heard of Jesus Christ and
His Gospel, how your heart will seek to silence Him, to put Him
to death. How in your heart, in your foolish
heart, you say there's no God. And by that, in essence, you
try to get rid of God, you try to silence God, you try to shut
your ears to God, you try to pretend to yourself there is
no God. There is no Jesus. There is no
gospel. There is no salvation. How you
try to pretend that there is no sin and there is no judgment
to come and it's all folly and foolishness. Caiaphas knew what
Jesus had done. Caiaphas knew who Jesus was but
he still tried to silence him and put him to death. And you
know, you know O sinner, that you are created and sustained
by a holy and a gracious and an all-powerful God. You know
what is true. It's in your conscience. It's
in the world around you, in the creation around you. It's in
the witness of the gospel and the truth of God. It's in the
scriptures. You know it's the truth. What
is truth, you may ask? but it may stand before you,
and you may see it and hear it speak, you may hear him speak,
and still you seek to put him to death. because there's one
that ruled in Caiaphas' heart and there's one that rules in
your heart Satan, the devil, the adversary, the father of
lies who every time the truth comes unto us he comes unto us
and says surely not Has God said? Maybe it's not so and he whispers
in our ears these lies and tries to make out God to be a liar. Even though God says this is
the truth, this is the way, walk ye in it. Jesus stands before
you and says this is the truth and Satan the adversary. comes alongside, comes within
our hearts and says no. Has God said? Caiaphas we see here presented
to us as the adversary, as Jesus' adversary, as the one who handed
him to be crucified, handed him over to Pilate, sought his death,
sought to get rid of him in order that he and his people might
be preserved. Caiaphas is the adversary who's
possessed by the adversary, Satan himself. and what Caiaphas sought
to do in crucifying Christ, destroying Him and His message and His Gospel,
we seek to do when we shut our ears to the Gospel, when we shut
our ears to the truth, and when we shut our ears to Jesus Christ. We seek to do the same, for the
same adversary, Satan, the serpent, the devil, whispers in our ears
half God said. And yet all that Satan whispered
in Caiaphas's ears and in the ears of the people and in our
ears in bringing about the death of Jesus Christ merely fulfilled
all the prophecy which even came from Caiaphas' lips and brought
about the fulfillment of all that God said should be all that
John prophesied of Christ that would follow him all that Christ
said would be all that the prophets before John and Christ had said
should come and happen all that God had purposed in the covenant
was fulfilled when they nailed the nails through Jesus' hands
and feet, when he was crucified upon the cross, when he hung
in the darkness bearing the sins of his people, when he was forsaken
in the darkness by even his father because he was guilty as he who
died a substitute for sinners, when he was laid in the grave.
when he rose again. All was fulfilled and all was
brought about. And when this one man, when this
one man, Jesus, died, his people, the nation, all the scattered
children of God were gathered with him at the cross in the
grave. and then ascended with him in
victory unto the Father. He delivered his people from
their sins. His blood was shed when a Roman
soldier took a spear and thrust it in his side. John had said
unto the people, unto the soldiers, Do no violence. Do violence to
no man. Neither accuse any falsely. And
be content with your wages. But they could not help themselves. The spear was thrust. The blood
flowed forth. And though man did evil. Though man rejected. Though we
all put Jesus to death. Jesus saved his people from their
sins. Yes, Caiaphas was an adversary,
but he brought about God's will. He was a puppet in God's hands,
as is the adversary Satan who possessed him. Satan may rage
against God and do all that he can to thwart God's will, but
he's a puppet in God's hands. Caiaphas, in John chapter 18,
brought about the enactment of his own prophecy. He put his
own hand to it. Though Pilate sought to wash
his hands of the death of Jesus, Caiaphas put his hand to it.
He went about from the day when Lazarus was raised from the dead,
he went about seeking how Jesus should be killed and eventually
they bring it to pass. He put his hands to it and he
brings about the fulfilment of his own prophecy and God's words
are spoken by him and all the prophecies of God concerning
his son Jesus Christ. The adversary stood before Christ. He put his hand to him, but in
so doing he brought about the salvation of all God's people. Christ rose again from the dead. But the death and resurrection
of Jesus is not our last encounter in the scriptures with Caiaphas. Following Jesus' death, he's
risen as Lazarus was risen. He was raised from the dead.
And he ascended under his father and he sent forth the gospel
in power from on high. He sent forth the apostles who
took that gospel out into the four corners of the earth. That
gospel which God preaches, which Christ preaches from on high
today. That gospel which you're hearing
today, which God sent forth. From on high, because of the
death and the resurrection of his son Jesus Christ, he sent
forth that gospel. And when the disciples went forth
with that gospel, they met the same opposition and rejection
that Jesus met. In Acts chapter 4 we read, As
the disciples, as Peter, spake unto the people, the priests
and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
being grieved that they taught the people and preached through
Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on
them. and put them in hold until the
next day, for it was now eventide. How be it many of them which
heard the word believed? And the number of men was about
five thousand. And it came to pass on the morrow
that their rulers and elders and scribes, and Annas the high
priest, and Caiaphas, and John and Alexander, and as many as
were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together
at Jerusalem. These are the same people that
gathered at that trial of Jesus. And Peter knew before whom he
was standing here and what they could do. He knew what Caiaphas
had done unto Christ. And he knew that these high priests
and these people could put them to death. Yet they're brought before them.
When they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power
or by what name have ye done this? Then Peter fell with the
Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people and elders
of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done
to the impotent man, by what means he has made whole, be it
known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you
whole. This is the stone which was set
at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved. Be it known unto you all, and
to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. What a
direct response to these adversaries. The very same adversary Caiaphas,
the very same priests, the very same people that have put Jesus
unto death, here are Jesus' disciples. Following Jesus' resurrection
from the dead and ascension into glory, here are his disciples. saying to the same adversaries,
we've preached this message and this impotent man has been healed
by the power of Jesus Christ whom you crucified and whom God
raised from the dead. Here is salvation in Christ alone. Here is the salvation of all
sinners. who believe on his name. You
can't stop him. How powerful their words must
have come across to Caiaphas. Caiaphas had prophesied that
Christ must die. Caiaphas ruled over the events
that brought about the death of Christ. And then these men
come before him. And it's plain that Jesus, like
Lazarus before, is risen. and his power continues, and
the sick are healed, and the dead live, and there is salvation
in his name. O Caiaphas, O you adversaries
of the truth, you cannot put Christ in the grave. You cannot
silence his people. You cannot silence the gospel. You cannot silence the risen
Christ. How significant is this encounter? Who they stood before. and how
direct is their response. Only God could give them the
faith and the strength to speak directly like this. But what
a glorious gospel they proclaimed. How they could stand knowing
that Caiaphas could put them to death and they, like Christ,
would rise again. He could do nothing. He was powerless. He and all their adversaries,
Satan himself, could do nothing to destroy Jesus Christ, his
kingdom, his people. Could do nothing to silence the
gospel. And you and I today, no power
on earth can silence this gospel, this Jesus, this salvation. Have you heard Him? Has He come
unto you in power like He came unto these disciples? Has He
stood before you like He stood before Pilate and said, I am
the truth? Have you heard His voice calling
from on high, from that ascended glory, having shed His blood,
having risen from the dead, having ascended, Have you heard that
there is salvation in none other name but in his? For there is
none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must
be saved.