The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-05-04

view of the occurrences in the high priests
room.
Here was the scene of Peters strange
denial of his Lord. When the FORTRESS
looked steadfastly on him and said, This
man aOas also with him, and the eyes of
the soldiers were on the apostle, he de-
clared, Woman, knoav him not. After
little while a suspicion was again aroused
among the group by the fire; Peter was
manifestly uneasy; John reports him as
standing, the other historians as sitting;
one of the company said to him, ZKou art
of them. Peter denied with vehemence,
declaring, Man, I am not, and went to
the door to depart; but for some reason
returned to the freight. At this time
occurred the first cock-crowing; but the
apostle was too anxious to take thoughtful
note of the fact The attention of the
company was again diverted from their
agitated mysterious companion. An hour
passed. Then kinsman of Malchus, the
high priests servant whose ear Peter had
cut off, was moved to ask of the stranger,
Did Int see thee TIT tile garden aUikh him?
A general inquiry was once more raised.
1t was noted that Peter was Galilean.
He was yet more confidently charged with
being a follower of Jesus. And he now
imprecated curses on himself if he did not
tell the truth when he said, 7 knozv not
7UAat thou sayesk. Then, the second time,
the cock crowed. And the Lord turned and
looked upon Peter.
There are two ways in which this could
occur. Jesus, in the high priests room,
could see Peter through the door at dis
lance; and from his seat could cast pity
ing look upon him. Or Jesus, after having
been the subject of the cruel sport of the
soldiers, was led across the court by the
cord around his neck, and past the group
at the Preside. This is the more consist
ent construction of the record. The look
he gave to his lost disciple, under such
affecting circumstances, penetrated to the
deeps of the better nature Of the lost one,
and brought him, once and for all, to him
self.
2. The High Priest Questions
JeSus,-vs. 90, 81.
1t is probable that Jesus was at daybreak
led by the cord about his neck to the Paved
Hall, at the southeast of the temple en-
closure. This was the usual meeting place
of the Sanhedrim.
The Jewish court was under necessity
of conforming to all customary require
ments, in order that its proceedings might
appeal to the Roman authorities as strictly
legal.
In the judgment hall of the Sanhedrim,
presided over by the. high priest, Jesus
stood alone. After the witnesses agsinst
him had so completely failed to fix any
crime upon him or even to prove that he
had claimed to be the Messiah, it seemed
on the face of things inevitable, unless
some more decisive testimony against him
could be secured, that he must be set free.
We recall that Jesus had always guarded
his claim to the Messiahship. 1t was only
in private communings with his disciples,
save in the case of the woman of Samaria
by Jacobs Well, that he had declared that
he was the one longed-for and expected by
the prophets. He had never at any tine
the high priests palace and the prospect
of gaining the priestly favor; that they
were, with an assumption of impartiality
on the part of the Sanhedrim, left to tell
their own stories.
But the witnesses, speaking from their
prejudices and imaginations, were so con-
fused and contradictory that even the San
hedrim, predisposed against the prisoner
as it was, could not rest an indictment up
on their combined testimony. MANY hear
false 7VitasSs against him, and their nit
ness agreed not together.
Three years before, as we recall, Jesus,
with whip braided of small cords, had
driven the desecrating money-changers
and cattle-sellers out of the temple court.
He then declared that the temple was to
be valued for what Represented, and that
there was in his soul higher authority in
favor of keeping the temple devoted to its
sacred uses than could be found among
the officials who were, by receiving gain
from its pollution, turning the house of
God into den of thieves. And only three
or four days previous to this day of his
trial Jesus had again swept the temple
court of its invading merchandise. That
there should be persons who resented this
interference with their business, and ready
to declare that Jesus was himself the real
desecrater of the temple, and even that he
had threatened its destruction, is what we
under the circumstances might expect.
But even these witnesses were not able to
tell credible story. There were some
among them who could not, to their praise
be it said, so outrage their sense of truth
as to allow, without denial, the implication
to be drawn that Jesus had sinned against
the sanctity of the temple. While some
testified to hearing Jesus say: 7 mil de-
skyoy this temple that is made qOith hands,
and in three days mil 6ntld another 7Vit>E-
out hands, there were others prompt to
declare that this was not the purport of his
saying. These undoubtedly had some ap-
probation of the true teaching of Jesus,
that the temple is the outgrowth of the
soul, and that the destruction of the visible
temple would be followed by speedy
restoration of a true temple to God. Ind
not e1sn so did their witnesses agree to-
! esther