The Life of Jesus

A servant girl saw him seated in the firelight and looked intently at him. “This man also was with Him,” she said.

But Peter denied it. “Woman, I do not know Him,” he said.

A short time later, someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”

About an hour later, another man insisted, “Certainly this man was with Him, for he too is a Galilean.”

“Man, I do not know what you are talking about,” Peter replied. While he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word that the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”

And he went outside and wept bitterly.

The men who were holding Jesus began to mock Him and beat Him.

They blindfolded Him and kept demanding, “Prophesy! Who hit You?”

And they said many other blasphemous things against Him.

At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and scribes, met together. They led Jesus into their Sanhedrin and said,

“If You are the Christ, tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe.

And if I ask you a question, you will not answer.

But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

So they all asked, “Are You then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.”

“Why do we need any more testimony?” they declared. “We have heard it for ourselves from His own lips.”

Then the whole council rose and led Jesus away to Pilate.

And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King.”

So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.

Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.

And learning that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself was in Jerusalem at that time.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased. He had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see Him perform a miracle.

Herod questioned Jesus at great length, but He gave no answer.